Phil to give first concert in a world of its own

Aug 14 2007 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

THE Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is to become the first professional orchestra to perform in a cult online world with almost 9m “inhabitants”.

Officials at the Phil are creating a concert hall in the virtual online world called Second Life which is accessed through a website.

The opening concert of this year’s season on Hope Street featuring the works of Liverpool musicians John McCabe and Kenneth Hesketh on Friday, September 14, will also be screened to 120 people in Second Life.

Second Life is a virtual 3-D world “entirely built and owned by its residents” that allows users to literally have a second life where they can socialise and trade online.

Last night, officials said it was an experiment but if successful there could be more concerts.

The Phil has spent about £1,600 buying two “islands” in Second Life and designers are currently creating a replica of the hall for the online world.

The tickets for the inaugural concert are to be offered free in a competition via the Philharmonic’s website.

An avatar (a 3-D virtual representation) of Vasily Petrenko, the RLPO’s principal conductor, will be in the virtual grand foyer of the Phil to mingle with online concert-goers after the performance.

The Phil will also host daily re-screenings of the concert from September 15 in its virtual hall.

Second Life opened to the public in 2003 and now has almost 9m users.

Property and goods are traded online for Linden which can be converted into real US dollars at a rate of 270 Lindens per dollar.

San Francisco-based Linden Lab created the world and offers a free basic avatar but everything else costs money.

A 16-acre virtual island costs $1,675, plus monthly maintenance fees of $295.

Second Life has become so popular that companies such as BMW, Reebok and Sony have bought “land” and opened premises there.

Sweden has opened a virtual embassy in the online world. Recently, a number of virtual terrorist attacks took place against buildings and avatars, one of the latest hitting the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Second Life base.

Millicent Jones, executive director of marketing and communications at the Phil, said virtual T-shirts and MP3 players would be handed out at the first concert.

There will also be virtual security guards on the doors.

“This will be the first time a professional orchestra has played live in Second Life.

“It’s really an experiment on our behalf to look at how we use new media to further our audiences.”

Philharmonic chief executive Michael Elliott said Second Life would allow the venue to potentially tap into a potential global audience.

He added: “It’s also a lot of fun and it certainly adds a different dimension to the more traditional visit to a concert hall.”

davidbartlett