During last week’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, members of the VIP Studio team at the University of Nottingham, a partner in the XTREME project, explored a new way of presenting the XTREME Irish Chamber Orchestra experience.

While showcasing their work at SXSW, director of the VIP studio, Helen Kennedy and Paul Tennent connected with Igloo Vision, a company specialising in shared immersive environments. Following this meeting, the team quickly adapted the ICO experience to run inside one of Igloo’s immersive spaces, demonstrating how the work can translate into a shared immersive environment and allow audiences to experience the project collectively, not only on the headset device.

The ICO use case, developed within the XTREME project in collaboration with the Irish Chamber Orchestra and University of Limerick in Ireland, explores new forms of immersive music experiences through spatial audio, XR technologies, and interactive storytelling. The experience is based on Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, performed by the Irish Chamber Orchestra with Henning Kraggerud as soloist, and reimagines the classical concert format through immersive media.

ICO PRODUCTION CREDITS: 

Original Production (Irish Chamber Orchestra)

  • Henning Kraggerud: Soloist & Creative Direction

Hosting institutions: University of Limerick / Irish Chamber Orchestra Team

  • Martin Cunneen (University of Limerick)
  • Gerry Keenan, Cathriona Murphy (Irish Chamber Orchestra)

Mixed Reality Experience

  • Ane Skak: Creative Direction (Immersive Stories)
  • Paul Tennent: Technical Production, Content Design & Scene programming (University of Nottingham) 
  • Emma Pi Larsen: SGI Artist (KHORA) 
  • Maria Høeberg Holmberg: Technical Coordination (KHORA)
  • Glenn McGarry: Audio Remix for VR (University of Nottingham)
  • Richard Ranchurn: Stereoscopic video editing (University of Nottingham)
  • Yannis Parcharidis, Sakis Rogas, Kostas Iliadis: System Architecture, XR Integration & Gameplay Interaction (BOLT Virtual) 

XTREME Project

  • Paul Tennent: Integration Work Package Leader (University of Nottingham)
  • Justyna Starostka: Project & Communication Manager (IT University of Copenhagen)
  • Lukas Katsikaris: Exploitation Manager (Bolt Virtual)
  • Sami S. Brandt: Project Coordinator (IT University of Copenhagen)

Photos courtesy of the VIP Studio team & Igloo Vision

Related articles

MUNCH Prototype 1 – On-site Test in Oslo

In October 2025, the first MUNCH prototype by Silvana Imam and Paula Strunden was tested in Oslo, combining spatial sound, immersive XR, and collaborative storytelling. The session marked the first full-scale exploration of the work’s artistic and technical elements within the MUNCH festival hall.

Big data capture at the Finnish National Opera

Big project milestone accomplished! XTREME has successfully completed a major data capture at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, recording key scenes from Morgonstjärnan – The Morning Star. The material will form the foundation of an upcoming mixed reality experience that bridges contemporary opera and immersive technology.

Behind the Scenes at the Finnish National Opera: XTREME’s on-stage data capture

Last week, XTREME captured key scenes from Morning Star at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet, laying the foundation for an upcoming mixed reality experience that brings opera and immersive technology together.