Immersive sound and live performance: a collaborative European intensive week in Paris

From 2–7 February, Conservatoire de Paris hosted the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) Creating and Producing Immersive Music and Sound for Live Performance, developed and delivered within IN.TUNE as one of sixteen new joint educational formats. 

Led by the Conservatoire’s Music, Sound and Image Department, and developed in close collaboration with the University of the Arts The Hague – Royal Conservatoire and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the programme brought together twenty-one Master’s-level students specialising in sound and live performance. Over one intensive week, dedicated to the creation, production, and presentation of immersive sound projects for live contexts, participants explored how immersive audio can shape live experiences — from early artistic ideas to a final public presentation.

Learning through making: from concept to performance

The BIP was designed around project-based learning and a professional, production-led rhythm. Students worked in mixed international teams, combining artistic, technical and organisational responsibilities. Each group took ownership of the full process: forming an artistic concept, planning production workflows, testing approaches, rehearsing and refining, and presenting a completed work to an audience.

A key part of the learning was working within shared technical constraints — similar to real-world production contexts where artists and engineers must create under defined conditions. Students used a partly pre-defined immersive set-up and common production tools, and then developed solutions that matched their artistic intentions. The programme emphasised experimentation and critical listening, encouraging students to test ideas quickly, evaluate results, and iterate as a team.

Shared tools and a shared space for experimentation

The programme was built on close collaboration between the partner institutions. Working in mixed international groups, students managed all stages of their projects — from initial concept to final presentation. Throughout the week, they engaged in an intensive production process reflecting professional working conditions.

The pedagogical framework emphasized project-based learning and experimentation within shared technical constraints. These included the use of a partially predefined immersive setup, common production tools, and a final presentation using a sound diffusion system designed and implemented by the students themselves. Production and listening workshops were also held at the studios of Radio France and at the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM), including a session in IRCAM’s Espace de projection, a variable acoustics hall that can function as a concert venue, recording studio, or experimental acoustic environment.

Partner expertise: public institutions and industry support

Several partners supported the week’s activities. IRCAM contributed through teaching sessions and expert talks on creation, production, and sound spatialisation. Radio France participated as an institutional partner and producer of immersive media. Collaboration with the private sector, particularly with the company Nexo, provided professional sound diffusion systems for the projects developed during the week.

A student-designed immersive system for the final presentation

The final presentation of the projects took place on Saturday, February 7, at the Conservatoire de Paris. In keeping with the programme’s emphasis on ownership and collaboration, the students presented their work using an immersive sound diffusion system that they designed and deployed themselves in the event marked the culmination of this intensive European collaboration.

Building a shared pathway within IN.TUNE

This Blended Intensive Programme is part of a broader mid-term initiative within IN.TUNE aimed at establishing a shared two-year cycle comprising three successive BIPs hosted in turn by each partner institution. The long-term objective is to establish a recognised international study pathway focused on immersive music and sound for live performance.