MIDI DU FESTIVAL — COMPOSITION AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE AGE OF AI: A LOOK AT BOULEZ’S LEGACY
- Moderator Jean-Baptiste Barrière, composer and multimedia artist, former director of research, education and creation at IRCAM
- Video available for replay until Tuesday 30 June 2026
- Photo © Laurie Wagner
His pioneering work in electronic music – exemplified by the founding of IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et de Coordination Acoustique/Musique) in 1977 – and the integration of technological innovation into musical composition are among Pierre Boulez’s most important contributions to contemporary music. As guardians (to varying degrees) of this inspiring legacy, artists from different generations will reflect on the role of both established and emerging technologies in contemporary composition.
This roundtable is organised in cooperation with CultTech, and in partnership with the VOICES Performing Arts Festival in Berlin.
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF COMPOSERS: Yannis Kyriakides, Stefan Lattner, Clara Olivares and Lucia Ronchetti.
THE CENTENARY OF PIERRE BOULEZ (1925–2025) — “COMPOSING IN TODAY’S WORLD” SERIES
Pierre Boulez (1925–2016), a major figure in contemporary music, left a profound mark on the twentieth century as a composer, conductor and music theorist. He secured a special place in the history of the Festival d’Aix by initiating the Académie’s first composition residency in 1998. As part of the centenary celebrations of his birth, and in conjunction with the Composition Residency of the 2025 Académie, the Festival invites us to explore Pierre Boulez’s rich legacy through two panel discussions devoted to the challenges facing composers today and in the years to come.