Zubin Kanga on using artificial intelligence in music performance

In this episode, David talks with pianist, composer, and technologist Zubin Kanga.

Zubin is at the forefront of music technology. Since 2021, he has been the Director and Research Lead of Cyborg Soloists, a 7-year music-technology research project supported by a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellowship and based at Royal Holloway, University of London, where he is Associate Professor in Musical Performance and Digital Arts.

Coming up on October 17th, he is performing a double bill at the Southbank Centre in London, featuring a host of premiers and works from composers that embrace technology, including Nwando Ebizie, Alex Paxton, George Lewis, Ben Nobuto, and Alex Groves. Later in October, he’ll also be performing Robert Laidlaw’s Techno-Utopia with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, bringing in AI as part of the performance.

In this conversation, we dive into how AI and machine-assisted composition can serve as creative tools rather than threats to classical music. We look at what it means to perform alongside AI co-performers, the difference between machine intelligence and genuine human musical empathy, and how technology can expand what is possible on stage. We also explore the rich, multi-decade history of computer-assisted music, practical ways artists can navigate emerging tech, and how new performance formats are connecting canonical repertoire with contemporary club culture.

Join us in Katowice, Poland for Classical:NEXT 2027 from the 11th to the 14th of May: www.classicalnext.com

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The Classical:NEXT Podcast:

Hosted by David Taylor

Produced by Aliena Haig

Learn more: classicalnext.com/update/introducing-the-classicalnext-podcast

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