Innovation in Opera | AI in Live Performance

Our Approach

AI as Creative Partner

We position AI not as a replacement for human performers but as a mediator that reshapes how we experience live art together. Technology becomes visible through sound, voice, avatars, light, and text, intensifying rather than diminishing the emotional connection to human performers.

Our innovation spans three areas: sound technologies that create new sonic textures in real time, interactive storytelling where audiences shape narrative outcomes, and participation systems that transform spectators into collaborators.

Each innovation is designed to make every performance distinct and every audience essential to what unfolds on stage.

Innovation Areas

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Western

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AI Blend

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Eastern

Sound Innovation

Neural Audio & Live Timbre Transfer

Real-time neural audio synthesis tools morph instrument tones while preserving the player's pitch, rhythm, phrasing, and vibrato. Eastern timbres blend with a Western piano trio; traditional instruments layer with AI-generated textures that respond to the emotional temperature of the live show.

An adaptive AI system listens to singers and instrumentalists, adjusting tempo, dynamics and harmony in real time while a human operator maintains control.

Interactive Storytelling

Branching Narratives

Through networked voting, audiences shape the trajectory of the story in real time. Each performance becomes a unique collective experience where the crowd resolves pivotal moral dilemmas.

Unlike choose-your-own-adventure stories with predetermined endings, our system creates emergent narratives shaped by collective audience behaviour. We are also developing new improvisation techniques that enable opera singers and instrumentalists to respond to these choices in real time on stage.

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Live Tempo

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♩

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Audience Participation

Participatory Systems

We design multiple ways for audiences to shape performances in real time. Participants create on-screen avatars, vote on narrative decisions, and contribute to a gamified "audience orchestra" where simple gestures trigger harmonies locked to the live tempo.

Visual prompts keep participation intuitive and accessible. No musical training or technical knowledge required.

Technology Partners

We collaborate with leading creative technology studios to bring our vision to life.

Neural Audio

Neutone AI

Providers of our live timbre transfer technology. Neutone's neural audio plugins enable real-time AI-driven sound transformation during performances.

Interactive Systems

Foxdog Studios

Manchester-based creative technologists developing our audience interaction platforms and real-time voting systems.

Our Principles

Ethical AI Practice

We believe technology should serve human creativity, not replace it. Our approach to AI in live performance is guided by clear ethical principles.

Human-centred: AI amplifies the connection between performers and audiences, never substituting for human artistry
Transparent: Audiences understand how AI shapes their experience and how their input affects the performance
Accessible: Technology removes barriers to participation rather than creating new ones
Fair compensation: All artists and technologists are paid fairly for their contributions

We are committed to Fair Work principles and ensuring that technological innovation benefits everyone involved in our productions.

Research Foundation

Our approach is informed by peer-reviewed academic research from our Artistic Director, Dr. Alexandra Huang-Kokina, exploring the intersection of AI, creativity, and live performance.

"Creative Artificial Intelligence for Music Theatre"

Explores AI mediation and artificial-human co-creativity in contemporary science-fiction opera.
Performance Research, 2025

"Opera for the People"

Examines artistic democracy and inclusion through operatic practice.
Business Ethics Quarterly, 2025

Technology Amplifying Human Artistry