Tod Machover

Tod Machover inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Congratulations to Professor Machover, who leads the Opera of the Future research group at the Media Lab!

Gallery Research

FLOW Symphony: Image gallery

Learn more about the world premiere of Tod Machover's latest composition—FLOW Symphony—on this related event page.

Article Events

The Chosun Daily covers the world premiere of FLOW Symphony in Seoul

Can AI collaborate with a chamber orchestra in real time? Tod Machover, a professor at MIT Media Lab is taking on this challenge in Korea.

Tod Machover receives honorary doctorate of letters from Colgate University

Professor Machover also held a commencement seminar, titled "Sound Futures: How Music and Technology Will Shape AI, Health, and Community.”

Seven from MIT elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2024

The prestigious honor society announces more than 250 new members, which includes Tod Machover, head of Opera of the Future.

Gallery Research

Tod Machover/Lee Bae collaboration at the 60th Venice Biennale

A series of images from an exhibition at the Venice Biennale 2024.

Media Lab research highlighted by MIT News in its wrap-ups of 2023 press coverage

The Media Lab is honored to have had its research and researchers highlighted in two 2023 end-of-year lists prepared by MIT News.

How the opera "Schoenberg in Hollywood" went down in Shenzhen, China

Tod Machover was full of praise for the young singers who gave his opera Schoenberg in Hollywood its first public performance in China

Research Group Overview: Opera of the Future

Extending expression, learning, and health through innovations in musical composition, performance, and participation.

Machover’s VALIS this way comes

Professor Tod Machover talks to the Boston Musical Intelligencer about updating VALIS for its first live performance in almost 30 years.

AI: What does it mean? And how is it making these decisions?

In an interview with Chamber Music America, Media Lab Professor Tod Machover talks about AI and music.

Re-imagining the opera of the future

The iconic sci-fi opera VALIS, first composed by Professor Tod Machover in 1987, reboots at MIT for a new generation.

MIT scholars awarded seed grants to probe the social implications of generative AI

The 27 finalists will explore the technology’s impact on democracy, education, sustainability, communications, and much more.

Reimagining the Opera of the Future

The iconic sci-fi opera VALIS reboots for a new generation

An AI opera from 1987 reboots for a new generation

At MIT, Tod Machover’s ‘VALIS’ receives its first staged production in over two decades

AI is taking music lessons. They’re not going great.

Professor Tod Machover, head of the Media Lab’s Opera of the Future group, talks to the Washington Post about AI, music, & human creativity.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra launches new Jeanne R. Johnson Education Center

The new Center will provide music education to students across North Texas, in cooperation with the Media Lab's Opera of the Future group.

VALIS Song

"I want to see you."

VALIS Slippers Song

"When I fell asleep that night, I had a dream."

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu asks SA+P advanced degree recipients to be forces for good in Boston and beyond

Media Lab professor Tod Machover performed a new musical composition, "A Little Hub Symphony," during the SA+P advanced degree ceremony.

On-orbit livestream events for two Media Lab research projects | Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2)

Q+A sessions on two research projects with contributors from MIT and the Media Lab will be livestreamed from the ISS on May 26 and May 28.

Follow along with the score for Tod Machover's GAMMIFIED

GAMMIFIED was Professor Machover's first attempt to create a musical work based around therapeutic Gamma frequencies.

MIT Media Lab research on the Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) launch

The Axiom Mission 2 launch will carry a variety of research from the MIT Media Lab to the International Space Station (ISS) on May 21, 2023

MIT HUMANS project breaks down borders, empowering global voices to reach for the stars

The HUMANS nanowafer, an MIT Space Exploration Initiative student-led project, will travel to the ISS this month, and later to the moon.

Translating the Music of Trees Into the Sounds of Opera

The tech-forward composer Tod Machover has made a chamber opera of Richard Powers’s novel “The Overstory,” featuring Joyce DiDonato.

‘Overstory Overture’ – Tod Machover’s upcoming music magic at Lincoln Center

Tod Machover, head of Opera of the Future, talks about his career, his creative approach, and his latest work, "Overstory Overture".

Q&A: Tod Machover on “Overstory Overture,” his new operatic work

Tod Machover, head of the Media Lab’s Opera of the Future group, talks to MIT News about his new operatic work, "Overstory Overture.".

A Tribute to Glorianna Davenport

Media Lab director Dava Newman and professors Tod Machover and Joseph Paradiso spoke during a tribute to Glorianna Davenport.

New MIT Museum glimpses the future and examines school’s past

The Boston Globe takes a tour around the new MIT Museum, highlighting a number of exhibits and events related to the Media Lab.

Post Events

Overstory Overture

Machover’s Overstory Overture is a 30-minute work, for a single voice, chamber ensemble, and electronics.

The Media Lab @ the MIT Museum

We're thrilled to welcome our friends at the Museum to Kendall Square!

MIT Morningside Academy for Design created as a new hub for cross-disciplinary education, research, and innovation

Supported by a $100 million founding gift, the academy will deepen the integration of design across the Institute and beyond.

Gramophone reviews Tod Machover's Death and the Powers

Gramophone contributor Laurence Vittes spotlights Tod Machover’s “Death and the Powers,” an opera about robots and humans.

Music | Machines: Opera, Collaboration, and (Sometimes) Serendipity

Music | Machines - Professor Tod Machover in conversation with the team from Death and the Powers.

Death and the Powers Heads to Chicago

Death and the Powers Creative Team Interviews

#17 Death and the Powers

Death and the Powers released on CD

The themes and concerns of Death and the Powers seem even more relevant and resonant than when the opera premiered a decade ago.

Media Lab Perspectives: Why Do We Want Our Computers to Improvise? with George Lewis

Thursday April 29, 2021 …

Tod Machover: GAMMIFIED

Gammified includes stereo electronics that play continuously throughout the piece, with the start of each of the five tracks marked in score

Kronos releases five more free string quartet scores

Explore five new releases from the Kronos Quartet’s Fifty for the Future collection, including Tod Machover’s GAMMIFIED

Design Justice: A talk and discussion with Sasha Costanza-Chock, Catherine D’Ignazio, and Jaleesa Trapp

Sasha Costanza-Chock presents key insights from their book Design Justice.

Tod Machover: IAMM keynote talk links

Some links to accompany a talk on “Possible Futures for Music and Medicine.”

Zach Lieberman joins MIT Media Lab

New adjunct associate professor combines fine arts and coding.

Merce Cunningham lives on in motion capture experience at Jacob's Pillow

Marc Downie, Paul Kaiser, and Shelley Eshkar collaborated on Loops, an exploration of Merce Cunningham's life and work.

Peace workshop, concert connect experts, youth on Jeju Island

Opera of the Future head Tod Machover reflects on the recent peace workshop and concert on Jeju Island

Towards New Musics: What the future holds for sound creativity

Tod Machover and Charles Holbrow discuss how they're building the tools and platforms for a culture of living music

Innovative composer hopes to unify the Koreas: Through his work, Tod Machover has shown the power of music, technology

Opera of the Future head Tod Machover talks to Korea JoongAng Daily about “Symphony for the Koreas.”

Schoenberg in Hollywood in the news

A selection of recent press coverage on Tod Machover's newest opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood.

‘Schoenberg in Hollywood’ is a composer biography like no other

You probably won’t find anything resembling the rest of the opera in any Schoenberg biography anywhere.

Musical worlds collide with BLO’s world premiere of “Schoenberg in Hollywood”

An enticing historical drama explores the conflict between maintaining artistic integrity and an artist’s longing to reach a wider audience.

Karole Armitage talks ‘Schoenberg in Hollywood’ opera, her days as a punk ballerina, and the lack of female choreographers

Karole Armitage, the distinguished choreographer, is directing the world premiere of 'Schoenberg in Hollywood,' composed by Tod Machover.