Irish conductor Eimear Noone is harnessing virtual reality technology to make living room Maestros.

Have you ever conducted along to a favourite recording in your living room, dreaming that it was you up there on the podium? A new computer program aims to take this fantasy one step further, by harnessing cutting-edge virtual reality and 3D technology.

Conductrix, A View from the Podium, which recently reached its funding target on Kickstarter, is the brainchild of Irish composer-conductor Eimear Noone and will be the first stage of an ambitious digital project called Muso-VR. Noone, who holds degrees in composition and flute performance from Trinity College, Dublin, is known for her extensive work in video game music. She has also been principal conductor for a series of high-profile Blizzard Games releases including World of Warcraft, Diablo III and Starcraft II.

Noone describes the impetus for starting this project: “Countless times, people have approached me at concerts wanting to know what it’s like to conduct an orchestra. Others want to know what all my gestures mean; how I use these motions to communicate to the players. Finally, my touring schedule has made it next to impossible to teach privately anymore – but I...