Music in the Moment: Human and AI Duo Improvisations

David Dolan, Ralph Abelein
Piano

Oded Ben-Tal
Electronics

at the

Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main
Eschersheimer Landstraße 29–39
60322 Frankfurt am Main

Room B203

Attendance is free. No registration required.

Program

7–8 p.m. Concert

8–9 p.m. Panel Discussion

You have probably heard how AI is about to take over the world, so come and listen to an alternative—AI as a musical partner. Composer and music programmer Oded Ben-Tal has been developing an AI-inspired system for live, real-time improvisation with a human partner. The computer ‘listens’ to the pianist and generates responses live and in real-time during the performance. During this concert, the system will perform several duo improvisations with pianists David Dolan and Ralph Abelein, melding cutting-edge technology with human music making. We will also discuss, in non-technical terms, the musical dialogue between a human performer and AI. Following the concert, we will elaborate on this project and the implications of AI for music-making in an open discussion between a panel of experts and the audience.

About the Artists

David Dolan is an international concert pianist, researcher, and educator. He has devoted part of his career to reviving classical improvisation art and its performance applications. In his worldwide solo and chamber music performances, he returns to the tradition of incorporating extemporizations within repertoire in embellished repeats, eingangs, and cadenzas, as well as improvised preludes, interludes, and fantasies. 

His research focuses on applying expressive narrative and creativity to repertoire and improvised performances (solo and ensemble), in close collaboration with Imperial College, London. 

Professor of classical improvisation and its applications to solo and chamber music performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he heads the Center for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation. He also teaches at the Yehudi Menuhin School and conducts masterclasses and workshops in major music centers and festivals worldwide. 

Oded Ben-Tal is a composer–researcher working at the intersection of music, computing, and cognition. His work addresses the evolving landscape of music composition and performance in the digital age, exploring how technology shapes artistic expression. Since 2016 he has been exploring the application of AI in music: using AI to generate compositional material and developing AI-inspired systems for live, interactive performances. His work has been funded by grants from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council and most recently by the Volkswagen Stiftung in collaboration with the Max Planck institute for Empirical Aesthetics.

In addition to his compositional achievements, Ben-Tal—an Associate Professor at Kingston University—is an influential educator. He has taught at various institutions, where he focuses on fostering creativity and critical thinking in music. His pedagogical approach emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and encourages students to engage with both the theoretical and practical aspects of music.

Ralph Abelein is a jazz pianist, arranger and composer. Since 2005, he has been teaching jazz piano, improvisation/song accompaniment, arranging and ensembles at the HfMDK as professor for Schulpraktisches Instrumentalspiel. In 2008, Ralph Abelein initiated the annual project “Music for Stummfilms” at the HfMDK, which was awarded the Hessian University Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2021. He represents the HfMDK on the board of the Hessische Film und Medienakademie and is a member of the program advisory board of the Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft for the foundation project “Jazz und Improvisierte Musik in die Schule.” He played a leading role in the conception and preparation of the MA Bigband cooperative study program, which was introduced in 2022 and which he directs together with Hendrika Entzian and Ed Partyka. His textbook “Keyboard Accompaniment and Improvisation,” co-authored with Jyrki Tenni, has been published in four languages. In recent years Ralph Abelein has worked intensively on the possibilities of free improvisation in ensembles and regularly gives courses on this subject.

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