Life in the Trees

THE VISION

Wild Sounds of Wales: Life in the Trees is an eight-minute VR experience that fuses a new orchestral score performed by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra with 360° footage and wildlife sounds recorded on location at Dinefwr National Nature Reserve. The project was built on a core mission: to offer a profound sense of "being out" for those who cannot easily access nature, to combat isolation, and to inspire hope in the face of climate anxiety.

"This project captures the very soul of Dinefwr. It aligns perfectly with our mission to share the stories of our special places in new and accessible ways. By blending the sounds of our ancient woodlands with the beauty of orchestral music, 'Life in the Trees' creates a deeply moving experience that allows people who may never be able to walk beneath these oaks to feel their presence and connect with this vital piece of Welsh heritage."

FIELDWORK

The creative team undertook extensive fieldwork at Dinefwr National Nature Reserve. Director Jacinth Latta and VR Artist Domonic White filmed hours of 360° footage, while sound artist Axel Drioli recorded the spatial soundscapes that are woven into the immersive experience. This deep connection to place is the foundational layer of the project's authenticity.

INNOVATION

The artistic core of Life in the Trees was captured on May 22nd, 2025, in a landmark recording session of Owain Llwyd's orchestral score with the Welsh National Opera Orchestra. Conducted by Frederick Brown, the recording marked the first commissioned professional concert orchestra composition written specifically for the VR360 and spatial audio medium. This innovative technique, delivered by Tŷ Cerdd, Sounding Wild and Nature’s Racers was vital to achieving the project's goal of placing the listener virtually inside the orchestra.

The Experience

Life in the Trees is an eight-minute VR journey that combines newly commissioned orchestral music with 360° cinematography and spatial soundscapes, creating an innovative orchestral work and fully immersive VR experience.

Field recordings from Dinefwr National Nature Reserve are woven into the orchestral score, allowing birdsong to merge with orchestral textures, while the very shape of the land forms the work's harmonic DNA.

Nine VR headsets are positioned inside a 10.2 speaker array, surrounding the audience in both visuals and spatial sound. This configuration places you virtually inside the orchestra and the landscape, delivering a truly immersive encounter with Welsh nature and heritage.

"Even the land itself sings: the shapes of ancient oaks and the contours of the castle form the harmonic and melodic DNA of the work"

One oak. A thousand lives.

In this VR short, we witness the quiet drama of an ancient tree's life from thriving canopy to fertile decay. Through seasonal shifts and sonic textures, the tree becomes a symbol of resilience. Its fall is not an end, but a beginning as deadwood provides vital nutrients for beetles, fungi and the growth of new shoots. What seems like loss becomes renewal.

This is a story of the cycle of life, how nature transforms what's fallen into the foundations for future generations.

Stakeholder Preview

📍 Tŷ Cerdd Studio, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

The tour began with an exclusive preview for our core partners and funders in Cardiff, gathering crucial early feedback and celebrating the start of the project's public journey.

"It was good and feels like the start of something bigger and inclusive, that with more support could prove to be an engaging and powerful tool."

Public Launch

📍 Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham

The public journey began at Wrexham's acclaimed arts and community hub, Tŷ Pawb. The event successfully engaged a broad local audience, including a significant number of young people and first-time VR users, confirming the project's appeal beyond traditional arts attendees. In just four hours, 63 visitors experienced the work.

"Absolutely phenomenal. Yes, we need to celebrate our beautiful land. Hope it grows and reaches more people."

"Beautifully produced with magnificent natural soundscapes intertwined with rich orchestral music... A feast for the senses!"

"I often forget the rich heritage behind the local walks I often undertake. It gave me an insight into the history of the Welsh landscape."

Festival Launch

📍 The National Eisteddfod of Wales 2025

The project's official launch took place at the heart of Welsh culture, the National Eisteddfod of Wales. Presented in the Pentref Gwyddoniaeth (Science Village), the experience drew over 87 visitors in just two hours, with queues forming outside. The overwhelmingly positive feedback here reinforced the project's deep connection to Welsh landscape, language, and heritage.

"It makes me appreciate nature more and it makes me wonder how I can help to preserve it. We need to celebrate our beautiful land."

"I can see how, if developed wider, with supporting resources, different location, sources and season capture, how this could link to and add to others pieces, and build into a force for heritage, nature, wellbeing engagement."

Care Home Visit

📍 Bryn Seiont Newydd, Caernarfon

The pilot tour culminated in a bespoke session at Bryn Seiont Newydd, a specialist dementia care home in Caernarfon, which is part of Pendine Park Care Organisation.

This visit powerfully demonstrated the project's core mission to use immersive technology to combat isolation and improve wellbeing, providing some of the most profound feedback of the entire pilot and confirming its value as a therapeutic tool.

"Well I've been in all day... but it feels like I've been out."

For residents, many of whom can no longer visit the landscapes they love, the experience was described as a "wonderful gift" and a "portal." The music alone was powerful enough to move some to tears, while the visuals sparked personal memories of visiting Dinefwr with their own children. Carers observed a tangible "ripple effect on mood" long after the headsets were removed, noting how the experience helped residents "forget your worries, your fears."

"It's a beautiful use of technology to combat isolation and spark joy."

"I thought the reality was quite stunning."

"Just all the love of beauty, I think. Amazed at so many aging trees and things still standing. It's incredible."

"Just bewildered by some of the places I've never seen"

The House of Commons

📍 Westminster

Following the pilot's success, Wild Sounds of Wales was invited to showcase at the inaugural Opera Industry Parliamentary Drop-In at the House of Commons on September 9th, 2025.

This prestigious event highlighted the project's national significance as an example of innovative audience engagement in the arts.

Impact by the numbers

Across four pilot events, the project engaged a diverse audience, demonstrating significant reach and a profound emotional and behavioural impact.

The data confirms a clear appetite for the experience and provides a strong foundation for future expansion.

200+ Total Attendees experienced the pilot at the Stakeholder Preview, Tŷ Pawb, National Eisteddfod, and Bryn Seiont Newydd

27% First-Time VR Users, proving the project's success in introducing new audiences to immersive technology

24% Youth Audience, with significant engagement from attendees under 18 at Tŷ Pawb (29%) and the Eisteddfod (22%)

100% Positive Emotional Response from all respondents, with "relaxed," "calm," and "inspired" being the most common feelings

97% Inspired to Act Differently, with attendees planning to spend more time in nature, learn about conservation, or reflect on their environmental impact

20+ Unique Postcode Areas represented, confirming a broad geographic reach across North, Mid, and South Wales, as well as parts of England

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