The free online Google Cultural Institute has joined forces with more than 60 international performing arts organizations. Visitors to the site can have a 360° view of Carnegie Hall, the Berliner Philharmonie, the Bolshoi Theatre and more.
Also available for viewing are actors in performance, directors in rehearsal, singers in concert and more.
"You can choose a dancer’s-eye view of the crowd, or look down from the stage into the orchestra pit," according to Google. "At the Paris Opera, you can stand in the middle of the largest stage in Europe, surrounded by dancers performing choreographer Benjamin Millepied’s moves. Sit between the woodwinds and strings at Carnegie Hall with a full view of Maestro Nézet-Séguin. Don’t worry if you’re underdressed as you tour the Berliner Philharmoniker’s rehearsal performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with conductor Sir Simon Rattle—you’ll see the orchestra is not in black tie either."
Amit Sood, the director of the Google Cultural Institute, told The New York Times, "What I’m hoping is that [the arts organizations] will realize that there’s much more to being on the Internet than just capturing a video and uploading it to YouTube.… That’s important, for sure, but the idea here is to provide narrative, to provide behind the scenes, to provide context."
