There is a free Virtual Reality (VR) Experience to try out in Broomhouse from now until Saturday. This is part of the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF).
Visitors wearing a VR headset will be immersed in a 360° concert by the Philharmonia Orchestra and the EIF Director, Nicola Benedetti, CBE. Each “performance” is about 20 minutes long.
This experience is free and unticketed and will bring classical music – Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending – to the audience. Members of Space Station (which is Broomhouse Hub’s skills development initiative to introduce local people to the hospitality sector) will be on hand to assist.
Slots available this week
Wed 21 Aug 11.30-1.45, 3.00-4.00, 5.00-6.40
Fri 23 Aug 11.30-1.45, 3.00-4.40
Sat 24 Aug 10.30-11.45, 1.15-2.00, 3.00-4.40
This will be the EIF’s first official event at Space @ The Broomhouse Hub. It marks the beginning of an 18-month long collaboration with the local community.
Neil Hay, CEO, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “This is a wonderful thing to be able to bring to Broomhouse. Despite being in Edinburgh, it can often feel as though big cultural activities are set very far apart from communities like those in Southwest Edinburgh. This partnership will allow people to experience things they never have before or take part in things that they simply would never have considered. This is the first event as part of our link with Edinburgh International Festival and we are excited to see what the next 18 months might bring.”
EIF Discovery and Participation Programme
EIF connects with thousands of people around Edinburgh through its year-round bespoke Discovery and Participation programmes. Baillie Gifford support the programme for everyone from school children to emerging artists. The ambition is to create a growing social impact through the performing arts, enabling enriching connections between the people and communities of Scotland with core artforms and the artists welcomed on stage.
In 2024, EIF will begin a partnership with its first Community Connections Hub, through an open call process to work with an Edinburgh community centre. In August, this includes inviting audiences to the Space @ The Broomhouse Hub. This summer flagship projects will bring groups into the heart of August’s performances, such as the Youth Takeover Day for senior pupils from across Edinburgh, Culture Clubs for community groups, and pop-up performances in healthcare settings, working with the NHS.
Secondary school pupils are invited to performances and activities during August involving music, theatre, opera and dance in the Discover series. This is an annual commitment to creating pathways to each artform and foster a lifelong love of the arts. In 2024 the International Festival is working with a companies and organisations to support this work. Partners include the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, Opéra Comique, Dance Base, Grupo Corpo, Kidd Pivot and the São Paolo Symphony Orchestra.
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