Reimagining the classical concert experience for a new generation, Concerts of the Future arrives at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a bold question: what if anyone could perform in a concert hall? This innovative and participatory VR music experience invites audiences of all abilities to step inside an orchestra and take part in creating a symphony.
An Edinburgh first, the production uses cutting-edge technology to place participants alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, allowing them to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 through immersive virtual reality. Designed to break down the perceived barriers of classical music, the show challenges the idea that orchestral performance is reserved only for trained musicians.
Each 20-minute performance is designed for an intimate audience of just five people, who don VR headsets to become fully immersed in a digital concert hall. Using spatial audio and 3D imaging, participants are transported into the heart of the orchestra, where they are assigned their own fictional instrument from a future ensemble, each with its own distinctive character and sound.
Rather than traditional instruments, participants use custom-built wireless gestural controllers known as AirSticks, developed at SensiLab. Through movement and gesture, they bring the music to life, transforming physical action into sound and creating a truly interactive orchestral experience.
Co-creator and composer Ciaran Frame explains, “We’re really excited to show how anyone in Edinburgh can be a musician. Concert halls have always had this invisible wall between the people on stage and the people in the seats, and we want to dissolve it completely. Working with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and using technology developed at SensiLab, we have built an experience where anyone, regardless of musical background, can sit amongst a world-class orchestra and play.”
Following their performance, participants receive a personalised video capturing their time centre stage, offering a lasting memento of the experience. Part of the House of Oz Edinburgh 2026 season, Concerts of the Future blends music, technology and accessibility to create a unique and forward-thinking theatrical event.
Concerts of the Future runs at Summerhall (Lobby) from 6 – 30 August (not 10, 17, 24 August) at Various Times. Tickets are on sale here
