Lessons Learned: A Conversation on Remaining Thoughts and Questions

The Podcast

‍

‍

In a concluding conversation, Jorge, Denise, and Peter share all their remaining thoughts and questions regarding the relationship between the digital and classical music. Thereby they journey through the sounds of the past and the signals of the future. From the tactile nostalgia of CDs and vinyls to the question if Jorge would charge his viola, they ask: what changes in music, and what stays the same?

‍

The three discuss how AI is reshaping musical practices – not just as a tool, but as a collaborator. How does our understanding of authenticity change? What does it mean to interact with the digital in a tradition like classical music? They reflect on the romanticism of instruments – and interacting with them – and arrive at the question: isn’t all music built on the past? If so, how can we bring that past into the present in ways that feel alive, resonant, and real? This episode invites you to imagine a musical future that is not just about finding solutions to problems, but that creates spaces of understanding and commonality; about being able to bear contradictions, embracing the process, and finding meaning at the intersection of technology and humans. 

‍

If you liked this conversation, we want to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts under mcicm-fasos@maastrichtuniversity.nl.

‍

 

Shownotes

• The AI Letter exchange that Peter, Denise and Jorge refer to can be found here.
• The software Peter talks about in context of his organ playing is Hauptwerk. Please see: https://www.hauptwerk.com. 
• The software Jorge discusses is MyPianist. Please see: https://mypianist.app/
• Science and Technology Studies (STS) is a field … https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/science-and-technology-studies
• You can find the article that Denise refers to when she talks about romanticizing instruments – and the instrument as a significant, sounding other – here: https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/kunsttexte/article/view/106276/101877
• Jorge’s text on his AI-co-authored performance The Uncanny Valley can be found here. There, you can also download the scores to play this piece yourself, if you like!
• The text by Robert Laidlow that Jorge refers to when he talks about the process of co-creating music with AI can be found here: https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0353/chapters/10.11647/obp.0353.18
• When Peter discusses John Dewey’s work, he specifically refers to the book Art as Experience (1934, Pedigree Books).
• The jingle in the intro and outro was taken from Logo Design Ideas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2Cm0YVnez0