Article

Rethinking Operatic Presence through Volumetric Capture: Augmented Reality Opera from Montreal to Belfast

Zoey Mariniello Cochran, Clémentine Brochet and Dafydd Hall Williams

Published in: Ethnomusicology Ireland 11 (2026)
Pages: 111-131 | Published Online: 19 June 2026
https://doi.org/10.64208/HJIM9563

Abstract

This article discusses two research-creation projects developed simultaneously in different contexts—OpéRA de poche (2021–2026), a collaboration between the Canada Research Chair in Opera Creation and the Opéra de Montréal (Montreal, Canada), and the AR Opera App (2020–2023) developed by Ulster Touring Opera (Belfast, United Kingdom)—in order to contribute to ongoing reflections on operatic presence, liveness, and the relationship between opera and immersive technologies. Both projects turned towards volumetric capture with the goal of making opera more accessible through augmented reality (AR), without losing the power of presence and especially the liveness of voice. The technical and artistic decisions taken in each project highlight the complexity of broadcasting opera and suggest that sound, rather than visuals, may be the key to recreating operatic presence.

Keywords: operatic presence, volumetric capture, augmented reality (AR), liveness, digital opera, immersive technologies

Author: Zoey Mariniello Cochran | ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3604-6479

Author: Clémentine Brochet

Author: Dafydd Hall Williams