Technological Ingenuity Takes Piano to Next Level
The pianist sits down at one of two pianos on the stage and begins playing. The virtuosic flourish of a Chopin rondeau floats through the air. Then the second piano begins playing in response. This second piano is not a 19th century player piano, but instead is a 21st century internet-connected technology-infused instrument that can enhance and innovate performing, recording and learning. It’s a Disklavier, built by Yamaha and played by Carnegie Mellon University's own Frederic Chiu.
Chiu, an assistant professor of piano at the CMU School of Music, has been a Yamaha Artist for the past 36 years. The Yamaha Disklavier (DKV) technology is integrated into the best acoustic pianos made for concert stages. With degrees in both music and computer science, Chiu was an early adopter, using the DKV in performance, testing prototypes and providing input throughout its development.
The DKV not only interacts with the performer in proximity, it also allows a pianist to remote control an instrument in other locations. In 2012, Chiu performed a concert on a single piano from Beechwood Arts in Connecticut that instantly played a simultaneous, exact reproduction of Chiu’s playing on 100 other DKV pianos live around the world, each with a local audience watching. The DKV technology allows communication through music across countries and campuses and has many applications for the learning process. During the COVID pandemic, Chiu’s students in China were able to play for him on a DKV in China that played directly on his own DKV at home, and he was able to demonstrate “live” for them.
This February, Chiu is bringing “The DKV Festival” to CMU. Taking place February 3-5 in Kresge Theatre in the College of Fine Arts, this innovative festival explores how music and technology are used by music professionals who are pushing the limits of the DKV, as well as how the DKV can build community.
- Monday, February 3, 8:00 pm – “Frederic Chiu + Frederic Chiu, Piano Duo” – an acoustic duo piano recital that merges live performance with Disklavier video recordings by the same artist, creating a fascinating demonstration of Frederic Chiu and his virtual self.
- Tuesday, February 4, 8:00 pm – “Dan Tepfer, Natural Machines” – Jazz pianist Dan Tepfer also performs with his virtual self, but this time on the same piano, with algorithms that transform Dan’s piano-playing in real time.
- Wednesday, February 5, 3:00 pm – "RemoteLive Masterclass" – Piano masters around the world connect with CMU students via the DKV on the Kresge stage through the internet in a way that allows real-time playing and teaching across pianos on different continents.
- Wednesday, February 5, 8:00 pm – “The LID Sessions” – An opportunity for connection across the entire CMU community. Chiu is inviting faculty and staff from across all CMU colleges who practice piano as a personal passion, to play and record on the DKV for an audience of their students, peers and the public, perhaps for the first time! The goal is to build cross-community engagement at CMU around music. Chiu developed The LID Sessions in 2021 to create community during the pandemic and the idea has taken off, with many LID Sessions held across different locations – and he is especially excited to bring this to CMU!
Calling All Faculty/Staff: If you are an accomplished amateur pianist (from outside the School of Music) and would like to like to perform a short piece at the LID Sessions, please contact Frederic Chiu to receive a short application form.
“I can’t wait to see who signs up to share their piano playing!”
– Frederic Chiu
