Cellist Yves Dhar Presents New Concerto for Human and AI

Composed by Adam Schoenberg, “Automation” is the first concerto written for a musician and AI technology

Exploring how technology is continually impacting music and culture, award-winning cellist Yves Dhar and Emmy Award-winning and GRAMMY-nominated composer Adam Schoenberg have created Automation, the first-ever double concerto for cello and an AI cellist.

A graduate of The Juilliard School, Dhar served as a producer for Automation. In the piece, he engages in a “programmed battle” with a hologram entirely orchestrated and driven by AI.

The AI-generated hologram is named A.G.N.E.S. (Automatic Generator Network for Excellent Songs), whose journey in the concerto begins with intentional exponential learning — evolving from simplicity to surpassing human capabilities.

The machine-learning algorithm was programmed by mathematicians Kathryn Leonard from Occidental College and Ghassan Sarkis of Pomona College, in collaboration with Schoenberg. 

By the end of the concerto, A.G.N.E.S surpasses Dhar’s performing ability, showcasing passages that are humanly impossible to play. 

Schoenberg and Dhar’s piece questions the role of human artistry alongside technological innovation — if AI can be technically superior to humans, then what does it mean to be human?

This project was developed over five years by Dhar and Schoenberg, who met as doctoral students at The Juilliard School. Challenging the perceptions of classical music as elitist and inaccessible, Automation aimed to be relevant to mainstream conversation and attract younger audiences to the concert hall. 

The concerto premiered in 2022 with the Louisville Orchestra and conductor Teddy Abrams. Upcoming performances of Automation will be with Symphony San Jose on January 27 and 28, 2024.

“Siri, Alexa, ChatGPT — AI is all around us today,” Dhar said in a press release. “As we share Automation with audiences across the US and worldwide, we want to spotlight that love-hate relationship we have with tech in a thrilling show with pumping music and stunning holograms. It’s a huge bonus when the TikTok and IG generation realizes this kind of classical music is a trend setter.” 

“When Yves came to me 4 or 5 years ago, his initial thought was that he wanted a piece that was relevant, timely, and could attract a younger crowd,” Schoenberg said in a 2022 interview. “So we immediately thought of tech and the world that we live in and what that means for a musical performance. And so came the idea of a concerto that is rooted in analog, AKA acoustic instruments, but putting it in the 21st century. We’re not digital natives, but we now live in a digital world.”

Schoenberg has twice been named among the top 10 most-performed living composers by orchestras in America. His music has been performed at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and the Hollywood Bowl.

A trailer for the concerto can be viewed below. For more information, click here.