Can music generated by algorithms have aesthetic value? Can a machine be the author of a work, or is it merely a creative tool? More broadly, can it truly create music? These questions are at the heart of the symposium organized by Vincent Granata, Nantes Université (CAPHI, UR 7463) and Pierre Saint-Germier, IRCAM, Paris (STMS Lab, UMR 9912), at Université de Nantes (Campus Tertre) from November 3 to 5. Pannonica is joining the discussion by hosting a roundtable and a concert by Edouard Ferlet.Streaming platforms are now flooded with tracks produced by generative models. Faced with their growing influence, one might think that live music remains a sanctuary where human presence naturally prevails. Some even anticipate a backlash: the ubiquity of synthetic music in the digital world could renew appreciation for what is performed live on stage, by real people, in the moment. But is that really the case? Is the boundary as clear-cut as it seems? While AI has so far been less visible on stage than on streaming platforms, that does not mean it cannot find a place there. The question is no longer simply whether machines can replace human musicians, but why we would—or would not—want to make room for them. Can we envision a fruitful musical dialogue with these new technologies?Following the roundtable, discover Köln Variations, Edouard Ferlet's project
Source: Nantes Métropole