Experience the Epic Battle: Human Cellist VS AI Hologram in Symphony San Jose
For the first time, Symphony San Jose will mesmerize audience at the California Theatre with an unprecedented performance — featuring cellist Yves Dhar and an AI-based hologram, AGNES, in a musical duel.
This innovative presentation, Adam Schoenberg’s “Automation,” explores an intriguing question: “Can music generated by a machine without a soul move us as deeply as music created by humans?” as asked by Robert Massey, the executive artistic director for Symphony San Jose.
Your classical understanding of a concerto is questioned as Dhar and AGNES face-off in an orchestral showdown, representing a battle of old vs new, analog vs digital, acoustic vs electronic and live vs virtual.
This production came to life when Dhar and Schoenberg began creating a unique cello concerto. Dhar humorously suggested showcasing a hologram on stage. Soon, Schoenberg collaborated with colleagues at Occidental College’s computer science department to craft AGNES (Automatic Generator Network for Excellent Songs), a machine-learning algorithm capable of composing original content.
The concert will transform the stage into a cinematic spectacle, inviting the audience to follow the narrative created by the composition and the on-stage action. The program includes other science-fiction/fantasy-themed works like John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” Paul Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” and Richard Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”
If you’d like to explore this unprecedented fusion of art and technology, concerts have been scheduled on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. prior to which there’ll be a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence in music. Secure your tickets at www.symphonysanjose.org.
In related news, Campbell is witnessing a $22.3 million renovation of the library, and a new $29.5 million police building is set to break ground. Unfortunately, this means the city won’t host its regular summer concert series at Orchard City Green, though music events at other venues will continue.
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