UDP Students Revolutionize Design and Animation Through Innovative Showcase

The Universidad Diego Portales’ student-led multimedia project Interpretación Audiovisual debuts June 25 at Santiago’s Teatro Municipal with a fusion of classical music and immersive animation, marking its first full-length performance after five years of development.

According to the UDP School of Design and Animation, the show blends live orchestral performances—including works by Respighi, Grieg, and Holberg—with real-time visual storytelling by student animators. The production, directed by Carmen Gloria Larenas and Jesús Rodríguez, integrates the Orquesta de Cámara UDP into a 360-degree audiovisual experience designed for the Teatro Municipal’s historic stage.

Why this matters: The project extends a 2021 pilot that paired classical compositions with student-created animations, but this iteration expands scope with a full orchestra and professional venue. “We’re not just projecting animations behind musicians—we’re synchronizing every visual layer to the music’s emotional arc,” said Larenas, a UDP faculty member overseeing the collaboration.

The June 25 premiere features Antiche Danze ed Arie (Op. 40) by Respighi and Suite Holberg by Grieg, curated to highlight the orchestra’s 2026 season focus on Baroque and Romantic eras. Tickets, priced between $15,000 and $35,000 CLP, are sold exclusively through the Teatro Municipal’s box office, with proceeds supporting UDP’s animation and music programs.

How it compares: Unlike traditional concert-hall animations (e.g., Disney’s Fantasia or the Berlin Philharmonic’s video projections), Interpretación Audiovisual uses UDP students’ original work—ranging from hand-drawn sequences to generative AI-assisted motion—to react dynamically to the live performance. “The biggest challenge was ensuring the visuals don’t distract but enhance the music,” noted Rodríguez, a co-director and former UDP animation graduate.

What comes next: The team plans to record the June 25 show for a limited 2027 tour, with potential stops in Valparaíso and Concepción. UDP’s School of Design has also secured a grant to develop a companion educational module, pairing the project with university courses on audiovisual synchronization.

Audiences unfamiliar with the Teatro Municipal’s acoustics may wonder how the venue’s 1,600-seat capacity accommodates immersive projections. According to the theater’s technical director, the stage’s retractable LED panels—installed in 2023—allow for seamless transitions between live music and full-screen animations without disrupting the orchestra’s soundstage.

The project’s origins trace to 2021, when UDP’s animation students collaborated with the Orquesta de Cámara to create a 15-minute pilot during the pandemic. That version, performed in the university’s smaller auditorium, used pre-recorded music and student-animated scenes. This year’s iteration replaces pre-recorded tracks with live performances and expands the runtime to 75 minutes, with animations generated in real time by a team of 12 students.

Key technical details:

• Projection system: 12 high-lumen projectors (4K resolution) synchronized via MIDI triggers tied to the conductor’s baton.
• Animation styles: Mixed-media approach combining traditional cel animation (led by Larenas’ students) and procedural animation (developed by Rodríguez’s team using custom Python scripts).
• Sound design: Custom spatial audio mix to ensure animations’ sound effects (e.g., wind, metallic textures) blend with the orchestra without masking instruments.

While similar immersive classical projects—like the Vienna Philharmonic’s Digital Domain concerts—have gained traction in Europe, Interpretación Audiovisual distinguishes itself by its student-led production pipeline. “Most immersive classical shows are created by professional studios,” said a spokesperson for the European Concert Hall Organisation. “What’s unique here is the entire creative process is being driven by undergraduates.”

Ticket availability: As of June 18, 60% of seats remain unsold, with the Teatro Municipal citing “unexpected competition” from concurrent film festivals. UDP officials attribute the slower uptake to Santiago’s ongoing cultural shift toward hybrid (in-person/digital) events post-pandemic.

The June 25 performance will be livestreamed via the Teatro Municipal’s YouTube channel, with a delayed broadcast on Chile’s state-run TVN Cultura. Proceeds from the livestream will fund a scholarship for one UDP animation student to study at the Royal College of Art in London.

Sources:

• Universidad Diego Portales press release (June 15, 2026)
• Teatro Municipal de Santiago technical specifications (2023)
• Interview with Carmen Gloria Larenas (conducted June 17)
• European Concert Hall Organisation statement (June 19)
• UDP School of Design curriculum documents (2025–26 academic year)