So Far, Yet So Close: Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson Unites Three Locations and Two Time Zones in One Remarkable Performance
So Far, Yet So Close: Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson Unites Three Locations and Two Time Zones in One Remarkable Performance
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DAVIS, Calif. Musicians in three locations – University of California (Davis, Calif.), SFJAZZ (San Francisco) and New World Symphony (Miami) – performed together simultaneously, in two time zones, in a single, extraordinary live musical event, thanks to Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson technology.
This "co-located" performance on Tuesday featured renowned pianist and educator Geri Allen, who performed live in Davis; Chris Chafe of Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), who played cello from the New World Symphony in Miami, and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, who performed in San Francisco.
The presentation also highlighted the use of the CENIC network by SFJAZZ, and its potential for other cultural organizations to use the network.
Remote Lesson technology, developed by Yamaha, makes it possible to connect two, three, or even four Disklavier reproducing pianos via the Internet. When a teacher, performer, or student plays a Disklavier using this technology, each remotely connected Disklavier produces precisely the same key and pedal movements in real time. Allen performed on a Yamaha Disklavier at UC Davis, and her performance was recreated on Internet-connected Disklavier pianos in San Francisco and in Miami. The artists in the remote locations played "live" with Ms. Allen, and audiences in Miami and Davis were able to experience her actual performance in other cities – live and in real time – watching on large-screen monitors behind the artists onstage.
"Performing live in California simultaneously with the distinguished Stanford faculty member Chris Chafe from the New World Symphony in Miami and the gifted students from the SFJAZZ Program in San Francisco is an incredible artistic experience," said Geri Allen, Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. "Not only does Remote Lesson technology represent an entirely new and liberating way to create equity and access to diverse audiences, it also brings musicians closer together over long distances into one collaborative musical space."
Added Jim Levesque, Disklavier marketing manager, Yamaha Corporation of America: "By shattering geographical and logistical barriers between musicians, audiences and educators, Disklavier Remote Lesson continues to push the boundaries of musical expression. This technology has powerful implications for musical performance and pedagogy, by enabling musicians to perform, teach or collaborate from anywhere in the world."
The Yamaha Disklavier is a special acoustic piano built from the ground up with a sophisticated system of sensors that record every aspect of a performance, including pitch, dynamics, phrasing and pedaling. The performance information can be stored and recalled for later playback.
The latest models of Disklavier can also be connected to one another via the Internet. Once connected, the performance information can be transmitted from one instrument to the others – and be immediately reproduced with perfect precision, even on the other side of the globe.
To learn more about Yamaha Disklavier Remote Lesson technology, visit http://4wrd.it/YAMAHAREMOTELESSON.