Where High Art Meets High Tech

If you have not been to Over the Rhine recently, you need to go and visit Washington Park the next time you are in the city.  The recently redeveloped park located across the street from Music Hall and adjacent to the new School for the Creative and Performing Arts is an absolute gem.  Not only is it an inviting and welcoming place for people of all stripes, it now has a high tech way to experience the beauty of the park and learn about Classical Music at the same time.

Cincinnati is the home of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, a nationally recognized body that honors individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to Classical Music in the United States.  Recently they dedicated The Walk of Fame in Washington Park.  The Walk is an interactive classical music educational experience that is integrated into the park. The Walk of Fame is the only project in the world that combines classical music, mobile technology, public spaces, and a dancing fountain. The experience begins with pavement stones engraved with names of Hall of Fame inductees – similar to the Hollywood Stars.  But the Walk of Fame is also about learning, fun, and classical music, so it doesn’t stop there. 

Visitors to the park who have a smart phone can access a special website www.classicalWOF.org and, once connected using the phone’s GPS location app, will have access to a multimedia experience like no other in the world.  On the device, they will see all the content for Hall of Fame inductees (pictures, bio, links, and movies) and if a user wishes to hear a short music sample (3 minutes or less) of an inductee, they click a music icon on their device.

Here is where it gets really neat. If you select music choice number one on the smart phone, you will be able to hear the music played on your phone/device through the device’s headphones.

If you select choice two, the music selection will be sent to the park’s virtual jukebox and put in a queue prioritized by order selected and/or popularity (if more people in the park simultaneously select the same example, it will move to the top of the list). The music will then be played through the park’s public speaker system in the Walk of Fame zone!

If you opt for choice three, the selection will be added to the jukebox queue and will play through the park’s public speaker system in the Fountain zone. The fountain is an interactive water feature that also acts as a splash park in the summer months.  When the music plays through the fountain system, it will trigger dancing fountain technology so that the fountain jets and lights will move and react to the music being played.

This is truly a unique experience.  It is a great place to take out-of-town guests and show them something unique about Cincinnati that couples high tech and the fine arts. With the weather turning colder you may wish to wait till spring but your visit will be worth it.  If you want to get a preview you can visit www.classicalWOF.org  from any computer.