Hong Kong orchestra to enter the metaverse with virtual concert on Sandbox paired with live premiere of work by local composer

Hong Kong Philharmonic will give premiere of Elliott Leung’s the Metaverse Symphony live in the concert hall and online in the Sandbox virtual environment

The Phil will gamify the experience – users’ positions in a virtual replica of Hong Kong’s Statue Square will determine which of symphony’s four movements they hear

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Central Pier in Hong Kong recreated in metaverse platform Sandbox. Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s first-ever metaverse concert will take place in May 2023, in a virtual space not unlike this. Photo: SCMP

Enid Tsui

Published: 6:45pm, 18 Nov 2022Updated: 6:52pm, 18 Nov 2022

Metaverse fever has hit the world of classical music in Hong Kong.

Next May, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will hold its first virtual concert on Sandbox, a digital platform where users can interact with each other in a video game-like version of Statue Square in Hong Kong’s Central neighbourhood.

Aimed at younger people who may not be in the habit of attending classical music concerts, this “fully immersive” digital experience will be held in conjunction with the live premiere of the Metaverse Symphony by local film composer Elliot Leung Ho-yat that will take place at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, according to the philharmonic.

Major music brands around the world have continued to trial and invest in so-called Web3 – the latest iteration of the internet that uses the same blockchain technology behind digital currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum – despite recent industry turmoil that has wiped away much of the spectacular gains made by cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in 2021.

The Metaverse Symphony by Hong Kong composer Elliot Leung will be performed live and in the metaverse by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo: Create HK

Pop and rap artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ariana Grande have held metaverse concerts that attracted tens of millions of people and raised extra revenue through selling virtual merchandise in the form of NFTs. But such endeavours remain limited in the realm of classical music.