Santa Cecilia Conservatory – Masterclass on AI and Music
Rome, September 29, 2026
Santa Cecilia Conservatory
Masterclass by Mauro Cardi and Gino Roncaglia
Medaglioni Hall, 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
“From Algorithmic Composition to Artificial Intelligence.” A brief overview of how AI is changing the way composers work, with examples and live performances.
Music by Bach, Cardi, and Donatoni
Mauro Cardi
DBN3 (Drowning by Numbers) vers. 3
for guitar and four-guitar choir AI (2026)
world premiere
Featuring:
Marco Cappelli and Arturo Tallini (guitar professor at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory) and their students Gabriele Lotichius, Andres Olmos, Lorenzo Passerini, Carlo Geraci, and pianist Anna Bellagamba



During the masterclass, after a brief chronology of the historical antecedents and progressive milestones that have marked the history of Artificial Intelligence (AI), we will focus on algorithmic composition, with listening and even live performances of several historic works from various periods and composers (Bach, Mozart, Donatoni, Brian Eno), which can be considered fully part of a compositional thought process that anticipates AI in music. We will then examine in more depth some of the methodologies and resulting algorithms used for AI training (such as machine learning or neural networks). Particular attention will be paid to generative AI, with reference to musical applications, including comparing, in a sort of musical Turing test, performances of authorial works alongside those generated by an AI. Finally, we will discuss the role of AI in supporting creativity, beyond the simple production of “styled” music, which can truly fulfill such a resource in the hands of a composer today. The piece “DBN3 (Drowning by Numbers), vers.3, for guitar and choir of four IA guitars will be performed for the first time at the end.