Soprano Sumi Jo demonstrates fusion of art, technology at Innovate Korea

Soprano Sumi Jo performs during Innovate Korea 2024 at the Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex at KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on June 5. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

DAEJEON -- At Innovate Korea 2024 on Wednesday, jointly hosted by Herald Media Group, Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) and the National Research Council of Science and Technology, celebrated soprano Sumi Jo sang “Dome Epais (The Flower Song),” a duet song from Leo Delibes’ opera Lakme. Her duet partner was an artificial intelligence-generated voice modeled on her own voice.

As Jo performed “Lascia ch'io pianga,” AI technology analyzed the tempo and displayed the Italian lyrics with Korean translation.

Soprano Sumi Jo performs a duo with a voice generated by artificial intelligence during Innovate Korea 2024 at the Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex in KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on June 5. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

In another piece, Jo was accompanied by AI pianist "VirtuosoNet," which not only plays from the given sheet music but also can adapt to the singer's variations.

“The development of science and technology should be human-centered. It should respect and promote our emotions and creativity to the fullest extent. I believe that science and technology should be used to create a more beautiful and abundant world,” Jo said, before starting the performance.

This performance, supported by the Sumi Jo Performing Arts Research Center at the KAIST, highlighted the fusion of technology and music, showcasing the potential for AI in artistic collaborations.

Soprano Sumi Jo speaks during Innovate Korea 2024 at the Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex at KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on June 5. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

Her performance was a follow-up to last year’s Innovate Korea event, where she and the team from the Sumi Jo Performing Arts Research Center also demonstrated AI in the arts for the first time.

KAIST, the country’s top science and technology university, opened the Sumi Jo Performing Arts Research Center under the Graduate School of Culture Technology in 2022. The center, led by associate professor Nam Ju-han, conducts specialized research in performance and arts based on artificial intelligence and metaverse technology, with a focus on virtual performer modeling through AI performance, motion generation and interaction between virtual performers and human performers through sound analysis and motion recognition.

(From left) Herald Corp. President Choi Jin-young, soprano Sumi Jo and KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung pose for photos after awarding a plaque of appreciation to Jo at Innovate Korea 2024 at the Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex at KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on June 5. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald) receiving a plaque of

KAIST appointed Jo as a distinguished invited professor in the Graduate School of Culture Technology in October 2021 and awarded her an honorary doctorate in February 2024.

On June 3, in recognition of her contributions to the integration of art and AI technology, KAIST inaugurated "Sumi Jo Hall," renaming a cultural space on the Daejeon main campus in her honor.

Upon calls for an encore on Wednesday, Jo chose to engage the audience in a traditional manner by inviting volunteers to sing The Beatles’ "Yesterday" with her. She first performed with a student and then with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung, all while playing the piano herself.

Soprano Sumi Jo (left) sings with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung during Innovate Korea 2024 at the Lyu Keun-chul Sports Complex at KAIST in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, on June 5. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

Jo, a world-renowned South Korean soprano, rose to prominence in the late 1980s. Her international breakthrough came when she won the prestigious International Competition of Belcanto Vincenzo Bellini in 1986, followed by her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1987.

By Park Ga-young(gypark@heraldcorp.com)