Aged care residents at Ryman Healthcare’s Nellie Melba Retirement Village in Melbourne have been treated to a night at the opera as part of Australia’s first virtual reality opera trial.
A joint venture by Ryman, VR streaming platform ‘Inverse’ and the Melba Opera Trust with the results, the trial used a virtual reality streaming platform to create a fully simulated front row ticket experience for eight village residents, including some living with dementia.
Many watched the 60-minute performance – starring Melba Opera Trust alumni Stacey Alleaume, Nathan Lay, Michael Petruccelli and pianist Amir Farid – multiple times with some becoming teary as they recalled memories of past operatic experiences.
Australian opera icon and village resident Nance Grant said the experience was “fantastic in every way”.
“People attending operas now are all getting into the older age group and somehow or other we’ve got to get younger people to be opera goers too,” she said.
“I think this technology would be the ideal thing for engaging younger audiences.”
The results of the trial will now be used to evaluate the therapeutic benefits of VR and opera for older people.
“The village bears the name of Australia’s most famous opera icon, and there’s a mountain of research showing that music can have a hugely positive impact on people living with dementia, so this was a fantastic opportunity,” Ryman Healthcare Operations Quality Manager Joanne Wang said.
Sounds like a success to us.
