Performance Laboratory
The CPS launches next generation performance training and research facility
The Centre for Performance Science has constructed a world leading Performance Laboratory in which performance can be practised, trained, simulated, and studied.
The Centre for Performance Science and RCM Digital have delivered a major redevelopment of the Royal College of Music’s Performance Simulator facility, expanding its pioneering research in the arts, as well as business, sport, medicine, education and creative practices.
The Performance Simulator facility is an integral part of the RCM and allows musicians to practise performance in real-world, dynamic performance conditions with reactive virtual audiences and audition panels. Since its launch in 2011, it has been used by RCM musicians to develop and refine skills in stage presence, communication, and stress management, and to conduct valuable detailed post-performance analysis. The Performance Simulator has also been used as a training facility for performers in other fields, notably for public speaking, interviewing, and business pitching. It has been used by a wide range of external performers, including athletes, tech executives, entrepreneurs and civil servants.
A £1.9 million investment by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the World Class Laboratories Fund has enabled an upgrade of the Performance Simulator to a state-of-the-art Performance Laboratory.
It features fully virtual recreations of iconic RCM venues, built within a leading video game engine and featuring fully interactive audiences and audition panels. Using a Meyer Constellation acoustic system, the acoustic of the venue can be changed at the touch of a button, and a Steinway Spirio self-playing piano allows performers to capture and recreate performances in a variety of settings. A suite of research tools, from eye-tracking to motion capture, allows researchers to understand performance in real time.
In addition to being used across RCM activities, the Performance Laboratory can be hired for bespoke training. Current clients include the Imperial College Business School, the Football Association, and the United Nations Development Programme.
Partners
Ammonite
Meyer Sound
Target 3D
Woodland Commercial
Supported by
Arts and Humanities Research Council
World Class Laboratories Fund
Enquiries
For commercial enquiries, email laboratory@rcm.ac.uk