Location – Magdalen College Chapel
Camera – F4-6K (gen1) Blackmagic Micro Studio VR rig
Stitching – FPVR live stream processor
Ambisonic audio – Soundfield ST350 Microphone
Playback – FPVR Oculus Go player, Youtube, Facebook
New research explores popularity of choral evensong
Kathryn King, a musicologist DPhil student at Magdalen College, is hoping to find out why choral evensong is becoming more popular in a new three-year research project.
“There is a lot of anecdotal evidence around the reasons for the growing popularity of choral evensong,” says Kathryn, “but very little systematic empirical research.
“I want to find out who is going to choral evensong and why. What does it mean to them? And what can their motives and experiences add to our understanding of the role of choral music in the 21st century?”
Kathryn’s research includes an in-depth focus on the personal stories of the congregants of two English cathedrals and the Chapel of Magdalen College, Oxford.
Virtual reality choral evensong
Kathryn is also hoping to shed new light on the real-time experience of listening to choral evensong by using a virtual reality audio-visual recording of a live service in Magdalen College Chapel.
Participants in the virtual evensong study are asked to talk through their thoughts and feelings as they experience evensong via cutting-edge virtual reality headsets, while their heart rate and other physiological responses are monitored – something that would be far too disruptive during an actual service.
If you would like to experience one of the very first VR choral evensongs in its entirety yourself you can do so on the Magdalen College Choir facebook page.