Virtual Hall®

The OSR has always been ahead of its time, having pioneered the very first stereophonic symphonic recording in 1954, to provide just one example. In the spirit of this rich and innovative heritage, the current Director of the OSR, Steve Roger, developed an olfactory orchestral concert in 2023 in collaboration with Firmenich, which was presented during the Art Genève fair. Then he met Pierluigi Christophe Orunesu, the founder of Cybel’Art, and realised there was an opportunity for the OSR to experiment with entirely new technologies that hadn’t yet been explored by the symphonic world…

When two visionaries and art lovers unite
Back in 2019, Pierluigi Christophe Orunesu launched icologram®, a technology that allows for exceptionally realistic holographic concerts by legendary artists. The goal was to authentically immortalize artists’ vibrant emotions and creative work — during their lifetime, not postmortem, like many of the other existing holographic experiences. Orunesu’s icologram® gives artists the chance to define their own legacies and set their own intentions, exactly how they wish. The opportunity piqued Steve Roger’s curiosity and ignited his entrepreneurial spirit as he began to imagine using icologram® for the OSR. But would it be possible? Pierluigi Orunesu had his doubts, as the orchestra is made up of around 100 different people, which presented a massive technological challenge. “But Steve’s enthusiasm got me thinking and, after about a month, I called him back to see what we could do”, he recalled. But where would they find a space large enough to accommodate filming in front of a 700-m2 green screen? Their unusual project found a home at the Art Genève fair in 2024, when a special black box stage was built specially for the occasion. It met with resounding success, with four days of holographic concerts delighting some 6,000 holotourists, as Pierluigi likes to call them!

The birth of Virtual Hall®
This success inspired the two men to push the limits of innovation even further. Their new goal? To make the concert experience as authentic as possible… and as if the viewer was on stage at that! This new initiative makes viewers an integral part of the orchestra, in the heart of Victoria Hall. Now fully licensed and available on Meta Quest headsets, the application proposes immersive, extremely realistic concerts in high definition, captured with the help of 23 microphones and 360° recordings by 7 simultaneous cameras.

A distribution channel that touches the heart
Tested during the Art Genève fair in 2025, this new experience generated strong emotions in viewers of all ages. “Seniors who are passionate about philharmonic concerts, but unable to travel as easily as they used to, said the virtual performance brought back those familiar goosebumps. Other younger viewers were intrigued by the headset and attracted to the experience, even though it involved a genre of music they don’t usually listen to, making this application a great way to counter the taboo of classical music being old fashioned”, explained Steve Roger enthusiastically. His words are music to the ears: in a time when most digital offerings seem to isolate people more than uniting them, this application helps democratize the symphony experience, bringing music and oh-so-real sensations far beyond the concert hall.

A focus on new audiences
It’s in this spirit that the experience will go on tour in September 2025 to 54 nursing homes in the Canton of Geneva. Steve Roger explains: “This initiative embraces three pillars. It will evoke the memory of being inside Victoria Hall for those who have been there, it offers active participation by allowing viewers to choose from several camera angles, and it’s an experience that can also be shared among different viewers”. Steve Roger hopes to also bring the experience to prisons in the future, a beautiful example of what can be achieved when technology is used to promote the liberating power of art.

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