Improtech 2019

Improtech is a workshop-festival dedicated to Music Ιmprovisation in relation with “Digital Intelligence”: sophisticated live technological systems interacting in a creative way with human musicians.

After a connection from Paris to New York then Philadelphia, Improtech Paris-Athina (ikPA’19) will link the two legendary cities in a powerful arc of art/science encounters, with lectures, workshops, demos and concerts involving international improvisation legends and the young scene from Paris, Athens and other countries.

With the support of Onassis Stegi, IRCAM and the National University of Athens, ikPA'19 will flourish on the explosive encounter of prominent research labs and scholars, well known artistic personalities of Jazz, contemporary creation, traditional music, with talks covering a diversity of knowledge fields such as computer music, artificial intelligence, robotics, musicology, philosophy and critical studies. A unique opportunity for intercultural and interdisciplinary encounters among research and creation communities, with not-to-miss high points during the three evening concerts.

19:00-22:30 Onassis Stegi | Opening Keynote and Concert

19:00: Opening Words

Anastasia Georgaki, Christos Carras, Gérard Assayag, Marc Chemillier

Opening Keynote Lecture: “Improvisation with Technology as a Way of Life: Listening for Freedom with Arnold Davidson”

George Lewis (Columbia University, USA)

20:30: Onassis Stegi | Concert #1

Evan Parker, Matt Wright, Peter Evans, Mark Nauseef
“Trance Map+”
Saxophones, live electronics, trumpet, percussion

Michelle-Agnes Magalhaes, Frederic Bevilacqua and guests
“In good company”
For 2 pianists, guest musicians and webaudio devices

Georg Hajdu
“Just Her – Jester – Gesture”
For augmented kalimba (played by Lin Chen) and live electronics

Raphaël Imbert, Benjamin Lévy, Mourad Benhammou
“A.I. Swing”
Saxophones, OMax 5 computer system, drums

Dimitri Vassilakis with students from the University of Athens
“Guests: Anastasia Georgaki, Raphaël Imbert and Benjamin Lévy”
Saxophones, guitars, vocals, accordion, live electronics, OMax 5 and DYCI2 computer systems

9:00–13:30 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Amphitheater “Ioannis Drakopoulos” | Lectures

Algorithms, AI and Improvisation

Keynote talk: "Perception, embodiment, and expressivity in human and computer improvisation”
George Tzanetakis (University of Victoria, CA, USA)

“It Ain’t Over till It’s Over: Theory of Mind, Social Intelligence and Improvising Machines”
Ian Gold and Eric Lewis (McGill University, CA, USA)

“Improvising with augmented organ and singing instruments: gesture, sound, music (Cantor digitalis)”
Christophe d’Alessandro (Sorbonne University, France)

“Creativity, blending and improvisation: a case study on harmony”
Emilios Cambouropoulos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)

“Do the math: Musical creativity and improvisation under the spectrum of information science”
Maximos Kaliakatsos-Papakostas (Ionian University, Greece)

“Children’s improvisations using reflexive interaction technologies – Computational music analysis in the European Project MIROR”
Christina Anagnostopoulou, Aggeliki Triantafyllaki, Antonis Alexakis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)

16:00–19:00 Onassis Stegi | Workshops

Body and Drama

“Kinaesonics: crafting and being trans-dimensional (Bodycoder system)”
Mark Bokowiec, Julie Wilson-Bokowiec (University of Huddersfield, UK)

“Interactive Drama Tools”
George Petras (National School of Dance, Greece), Panagiotis E. Tsagkarakis (freelance sound engineer), Anastasia Georgaki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)

“Collective performance and improvisation using CoMo-Elements”
Michelle Agnes Magalhaes (composer, Ircam, France), Frédéric Bevilacqua (researcher, Ircam, France)

20:00–22:30 Onassis Stegi | Concert #2

Bernard Lubat, Sylvain Luc, Marc Chemillier, Gérard Assayag
“Lubax Lux”
Piano, guitar, Omax and DJazz computer systems

Lara Morciano
“Philiris”
For piano, motion capture, transducers and real-time electronics

George Lewis, Evan Parker, Mari Kimura, Stylianos Dimou, Voyager
“Voyager: Interactive Quintet” (2007/2019)
Trombone, saxophones, violin, live electronics, Voyager interactive pianist

Mari Kimura, Pierre Couprie, Gyorgy Kurtag, Hugues Genevois
“A Close Encounter of the Seventh Kind”
Violin, live electronics, Handsonic, Koncertdoboz

Rémi Fox, Jérôme Nika
“C’est pour ça”
Saxophones and DYCI2 computer systems

9:00–12:45 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Amphitheater “Ioannis Drakopoulos” | Lectures

Improvisation, Digital Intelligence and Cultural Heritage

Keynote talk: "From Digital to Human Intelligence in Music Understanding Research”
Xavier Serra (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain)

“Jazz Mapping': Thematic Development and Story Telling in Jazz Improvisation”
Dimitri Vassilakis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)

“Metrical Polyrhythms and Polytemporality in live Improvisation Settings”
Sami Amiris (American College, Athens Big Band, Greece), Antonis Ladopoulos (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, American College, Greece)

“Polyphonic Conversations”
Peter Nelson (University of Edinburgh, UK)

“Disposable Music”
Georg Hajdu (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Germany)

16:00–19:00 Onassis Stegi | Workshops

Game, Mobiles, Transducers

“The Dynamic Percussion System: A procedural music engine for video games”
Daniel Brown (Intelligent Music System, USA)

“Improvisation with Motion Sensors and Live coding: Combining Dance and Instrumental Improvisation”
Ioannis Zannos (Ionian University, Greece)

“Composing “musiques mixtes”: acoustic spaces, improvisation and gestures”
Lara Morciano (composer, Italy), Jose-Miguel Fernandez (composer, Ircam, France)

20:00–22:30 Onassis Stegi | Concert #3

Jaap Blonk, Hervé Sellin, Georges Bloch
“Paris bout à bout”
Cine-concert on the film “Bout à Bout” by Nurith Aviv. Voice, piano, OMax and DYCI2 computer systems

Mark Bokowiec and Julie Wilson-Bokowiec
“HEXIS”
For Kinaesonics, Bodycoder System and soloist

Marc Chemillier and Camel Zekri
“Gnawa Machine”
Augmented guitar, keyboard, DJazz and Le Cercle computer systems

Orestis Karamanlis and Giorgos Gargalas
“BitVox”
For beatboxing and laptop live electronics

Steve Lehman and Jerôme Nika
“Silver Lake Studies”
Saxophones, live electronics, DYCI2 computer system

9:00–13:30 National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Amphitheater “Ioannis Drakopoulos” | Lectures

Aesthetics and Ethics of Improvisation in the Digital Era

Keynote talk: "Distributed creativity, some ethical aspects of group improvisation, and our (human-like) interaction with digital entities”
Garry L. Hagberg (Bard College, USA)

“The MICA project: Musical improvisation and collective action”
Clement Canonne (Ircam, CNRS, France) and Pierre Saint-Germier (Ircam, France)

“Machine Ethics and Music Creativity”
George Kosteletos, Αnastasia Georgaki (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)

“AI-Aesthetics: Artificial Intelligence in Music and Art”
Harry Lehmann (Philosopher, Germany)

“The phenomenology of computer aided improvisation and the constitution of the virtual music subject”
Iakovos Steinhauer (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece)

“Improvising (with) awkwardness”
Danae Stefanou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)

Click here to read more about the participants