The LSO celebrates the emotional power of music for audiences

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) unveils its 2024/25 seasonal campaign, created by Design Bridge and Partners, which explores artistic interpretations of human data to express the emotional power, texture and movement of classical music.

Since 1904, the LSO has been a truly pioneering spirit in the arts. This latest campaign is the seventh in our longstanding partnership with the LSO, since the launch of its new Masterbrand in 2017. This year, the LSO enters an exciting new chapter with Sir Antonio Pappano making his debut as Chief Conductor. To celebrate this occasion, and after several years of taking inspiration from the energy and movement of the conductor, we created a new campaign that takes an unusual shift to focus on the audience experience, something Pappano is passionate about:

“I think music needs to move people. I think that after listening to something, we should be enlightened somehow, shown different emotional corners in the human experience.”

Created by our London studio, this new creative direction authentically reflects the powerful emotions provoked by every performance. The product of a conductor and an orchestra transporting audiences to new places. Telling a story that supports the innovative and progressive nature of the LSO as it continues to strive to engage new, younger and more diverse audiences.

We collaborated with the UCL Ear Institute, and using EEG technology, we captured the emotions of an audience member as they listened to the LSO’s performance of ‘Jupiter’ from Gustav Holst’s, ‘The Planets’, featured in the season. With 64 sensors tracking their brain activity and additional sensors monitoring heart rate and skin conductance, we were able to capture nuances of the emotional journey that the music evoked. Together with XK Studio, we then created a mesmerising film driven by raw human emotion that transports us to a new world. From delicate luminescent synapses to vast dramatic landscapes, the visuals reflect the power of music to move and inspire.

“It’s been an exciting journey to evolve the LSO’s brand to reflect the power of their performances and the emotional connection they have on audiences — with an evocative new campaign that combines human brain activity and digital artistry.”

— Stuart Radford, Executive Creative Director, London