Interactive piece between human and machine

Kimura will produce an interactive piece between human and machine that uses MAX/MSP to pitch-track the violin and generate figures and motives for the Guitarbot. As a Japanese violinist/composer, Kimura is known in over 18 countries for her extended technique (including the creation of the bowing “subharmonics”), her use of interactive computer systems, and performance of specially composed pieces by Toshi Ichiyanaga and Jean-Claude Risset.


Mari Kimura is a violinist, composer, technologist, and entrepreneur known for inventing the subharmonics technique, which lets violinists play an octave below the instrument’s range. The New York Times called her a “virtuoso playing at the edge.” A Guggenheim Fellow and 2025 SEAMUS lifetime achievement honoree, she has premiered works by Adams, Sciarrino, Berio, and Tania León, and collaborates with IRCAM on SOMAX – AI improvisation. A Juilliard faculty member since 1998 and UC Irvine Professor Emeritus, she created MUGIC®, a motion sensor used at Lincoln Center, the Venice Biennale, and Osaka Expo 2025.