Watch: I 'played' with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Fringe show- here's how I got on

Occasionally, the conductor looks at me encouragingly, bringing me in for an important part of the piece. To my left is a dark-haired woman playing the cello and another, a violinist, to my right. They make eye contact with me at key moments during the performance, smiling at me if I have played well.

As we finish the symphony, the audience applauds loudly, giving us a standing ovation and the conductor looks pleased.

But I am not in Melbourne. I am not even playing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I am in a dark room in Edinburgh’s Summerhall venue, taking part in Edinburgh Festival Fringe show Concerts of the Future - with a virtual reality headset on and a strange, made-up plastic instrument, which I am told is called a Drenak, in my hand.

We have been “trained” on our instruments in a separate room before entering the performance space - in reality, a small room with a few stools and incongruously, a real piano, which is nothing to do with anything.

Our instruments have been selected especially for us, based on sound preferences we have stated during a check in process. Participants do not need to have musical experience, the instruments are powered by an “air stick” which connects with the VR headsets.

“It wirelessly connects to our computers and you shake it around and it makes any sound in the world,” explains inventor Ciaron Frame, from Melbourne company Sonicrats.

“You get to play along simply by moving - and creating sound. We want to bring the experience of creating and making music to as many people as possible.”

“People say they really feel like they’re there,”” he adds. “The little winks and nods the [other players] give you, it feels real.”

Concerts of the Future is on at Summerhall ten times a day until 31 August.