By Sieglinde Pfaendler, Omar Costa Hamido, Eduardo Reck Miranda
Science and the arts have increasingly inspired each other. In the 20th century, this has led to new innovations in music composition, new musical instruments, and changes to the way that the music industry does business to day. In turn, art has helped scientists think in new ways, and make advances of their own.
An emerging community leveraging quantum computing in music and the music industry has inspired us to organize the “1st International Symposium on Quantum Computing and Musical Creativity.” This symposium will bring together pioneering individuals from academia, industry, and music. They will present research, new works, share ideas, and learn new tools for incorporating quantum computation into music and the music industry. This symposium was made possible through the funding of the QuTune Project kindly provided by the United Kingdom National Quantum Technologies Programme’s Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub (QCS Hub).
You can register for the conference and learn more about how to take part here.
Quantum computing is a new kind of computing technology that relies on the behavior of quantum systems in order to perform calculations in a new way. Quantum computers can generate superpositions, or states that take on multiple values at the same time, and use entanglement and interference; thus, making them unique.
Employing quantum effects or quantum circuits into composition leads to new sounds and new ways to compose — like generative music algorithms that rely on constructive and destructive interference in a quantum algorithm to compose pieces. “Quantum Computer Music” does not require that quantum computers outperform classical computers nowadays in order to stimulate and inspire, at least for musicians. Instead, it offers a new lens through which creative artists can produce computer-assisted work, and how quantum computers can contribute to aesthetics. For example, the QuTune project is developing software that allows users to access quantum computers for music composition purposes.
Software developers envisage that quantum processors might provide various new algorithms and additional computational power that enable us to do things better than we do now, such as quantum advances in machine learning, applications in finance, risk and arbitration, or even materials science advances that allow us to explore new materials for musical instruments. One can easily imagine how quantum computers will impact the music industry as a whole.
It is natural to consider quantum computing as a potential tool for musical creativity, given the legacy of classical computation in music. Back in the early 1950s, Mathematician Geoff Hill programmed a CSIR Mark 1 to play a tune, and by the 1960s composers like Iannis Xenakis and Pietro Grossi were using both computers as well as computer logic to create music. Computers today are now central to music creation and production, from mainstream composing and sound editing software, to sound design, avant-garde sound art, and live coding performances. Applying the mathematics of quantum computers could lead to impacts of its own, the same way that classical computing principles have already impacted music.
This symposium serves to unite musicians and researchers working at the intersection of quantum and music, foster collaborations, and help lower the bar for musicians interested in applying quantum computing concepts to music composition.
It will feature tutorials, research papers, and introduce two tools: the Quantum Music Playground made for the Ableton Live music production software by James Weaver and The QAC Toolkit, a package for the Max programming environment by Omar Costa Hamido.
Finally, participants will be able to watch the performances of three compositions demonstrating the use of quantum computing in music composition and performance.
We’re excited about what new work might come out of the symposium, and what impact quantum computing might have on music overall in the future. We hope you’ll tune in to some of the conference, try out these new tools, and continue to engage with the Quantum Computer Music community.
Learn more about the symposium here.
