Future of Opera: Human-AI Improvisation

This workshop, part of Tuning into Opera, a research and engagement initiative from English National Opera and The University of Manchester, and the OperAI: Future of Opera series, invites you to experience live opera reimagined through human–AI collaboration.

Led by Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina, Bicentenary Fellow at the University of Manchester and director of Operactive Arts, and Dr Kamila Rymajdo, Research Fellow at English National Opera, the event showcases scenes from a newly-created immersive sci-fi opera series both about and driven by AI. Witness performers collaborate in real time with adaptive AI systems, responding to live audience data, then take part yourself. As playful Yōkai, the mischievous spirits of Japanese folklore, you will get the chance to play in a gamified orchestra via your smartphone, directly shaping the performance.

Supported by Creative Manchester at The University of Manchester, this workshop explores how AI technologies can make opera more accessible, participatory, and relevant for 21st-century audiences.

Agenda:

4.00pm: Welcome from Creative Manchester

4.15pm: Tech demo

4.25pm: Performance demonstration with Operactive Arts

5.25pm: Break and audience survey

5.45pm: Panel discussion with Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina, Bob Holland, Jennie McCusker, Lauren Monaghan-Pisano (Chair) and Dr Jennifer Cearns

6.15pm: Drinks reception

We want to make the event a positive experience for all participants. If you have particular access requirements, please let us know in advance by providing details when registering for your ticket or by emailing us at [email protected].

About the speakers

Bob Holland is the Executive Producer at English National Opera, where he plays a central role in shaping and delivering the company’s artistic vision. With a career spanning more than 25 years in opera production, Bob brings a wealth of experience, creative leadership, and operational expertise to one of the UK’s most celebrated cultural institutions. Since joining ENO, Bob has overseen a diverse portfolio of productions and international collaborations — ranging from bold new commissions to innovative reinterpretations of the operatic canon — working in close collaboration with directors, designers, and creative teams to bring ambitious projects to life on the London Coliseum stage and beyond. A passionate advocate for innovation and inclusion in the performing arts, Bob is committed to supporting emerging talent and expanding the reach of opera through new formats and partnerships in the UK and internationally.

Jennie McCusker is a strategic leader in cultural development, interested in creating inclusive and impactful opportunities for artists and communities. She is currently Associate Director of New Work and Skills at English National Opera, where she leads on the development of new work and approaches to artist development and skills across the organisation. Before that, she was Head of Artist Development at HOME in Manchester, where she led a wide-ranging programme supporting artists to develop new practices and build sustainable careers, while contributing to organisational strategy. Earlier in her career, Jennie held senior roles at the Young Vic, Royal Northern College of Music and Contact Theatre, delivering large-scale participation and engagement programmes with artists, young people and communities.

Lauren Monaghan-Pisano is a strategic leader in the arts, interested in values-led organisational change. She is currently Director of Strategy and Partnerships at English National Opera, where she leads on company-wide strategy and the evolving partnership with the city-region of Greater Manchester. Before that she spent a decade at the Barbican Centre in the Creative Learning department, starting as an intern, spending several years as a producer in theatre, poetry and dance, and finishing up as Head of Department. She has degrees from the University of Cambridge, King’s College London and the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Lauren is interested in how the practice and values of participatory creative work can lead to institutional shifts which create more equitable, inclusive spaces, where people from a diverse range of backgrounds can thrive.

Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina is a Bicentenary Fellow in Music at the University of Manchester, pianist and creative director whose work bridges music, literature, intermediality, and digital creativity. As a maker of immersive opera and curator of experimental music ensembles, her practice directly informs her research at the intersection of performing arts, digital innovation, and intercultural inclusivity. Her current work employs opera as case study and engine for collaborative creativity, harnessing AI and data science to expand participatory and artistic possibilities. Through radical innovations in storytelling and audience engagement, she has co-written, directed and produced Yūrei (2025) and The Covenant (2026) - immersive operas infused with Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre, improvisation and gamification. She leads the operas' artistic R&D with opera companies, CreaTech partners, and academic institutions across the UK, Scandinavia, Japan and beyond. Her vision is to reimagine the future of opera, making it more accessible, sustainable and relatable for diverse audiences.

Dr Jennifer Cearns is a digital anthropologist specialising in the study of AI and algorithms in social life. Her current research investigates how people relate to one another through emerging intelligent technologies, including the worlds of individuals who maintain romantic relationships with AI avatars, and those who use AI to recreate deceased loved ones. She is a Lecturer in AI in the Department of Anthropology at The University of Manchester, and a Visiting Professor at KU Leuven in Belgium. She was a finalist for the BBC New Generation Thinker Award, and frequently shares her expertise on digital culture through radio, television, and public festivals, most recently on an episode of Word of Mouth on BBC Radio 4, where she discussed AI companionship, language, and semiotics with Michael Rosen. Alongside her academic career, Jennifer is also a busy professional classical soprano, performing regularly with leading ensembles across Europe, including the BBC Singers, Polyphony, Tenebrae, and the Armonico Consort.

About the performers

Principal (Soprano)

Coloratura soprano Olivia Moss is known for her flair for contemporary repertoire. This season she performs Caelia in the world premiere of Launis’ Les Flammes Gelées (Urkuyö ja Aaria Festival), Oiwa in Yūrei: Ghost of the AI Empire (Muramatsu & Huang-Kokina, Operactive Arts), Love Expert in the world premiere of Trbojevic’s The Art of Loving, and tours with the Finnish Baroque Orchestra. Previous roles include Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte at Bergen National Opera Academy, soloist in Bernstein’s Mass at the Royal Festival Hall, and Charlotte in Krenek’s Der Diktator with Tapiola Sinfonietta. Olivia sings with the Helsinki Chamber Choir and the Finnish National Opera chorus.

Principal (Baritone)

John Ieuan Jones is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music. Recent engagements include Antonio in The Gondoliers and Silvio (cover) in Pagliacci (English Touring Opera), Trio in Trouble in Tahiti (Mid Wales Opera), Fosseyer in Hamlet (Buxton International Festival), and Jacob in Yurei: The Ghost of the AI Empire (Operactive Arts, European premiere). Concert highlights include appearances at the Lerici Festival (Italy) and a UK tour of West End Musicals with London Concertante. He is also passionate about outreach and education in the arts.

Principal (Soprano)

Rosalind Dobson is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, Royal College of Music, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Opera Studio. This season her operatic engagements include Elle (La Voix Humaine, Kyiv Symphony Orchestra) and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel, Longborough Opera), as well as concert appearances performing Strauss’ Vier Letze Lieder in Zürich, and a new song cycle written for her by composer Ben Lunn which will premiere with the Royal Northern Sinfonia in June.

Improvisation coach

Cliona Cassidy is an Irish soprano, composer and experimental vocalist working at the intersection of opera and improvisation. She has worked regularly with Scottish Opera since 2012, and is a member of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra. Her work centres on operatic improvisation. Her song-cycle Hiatus was performed at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Tectonics Festival, and she co-created the opera Silk Threads with Raymond MacDonald, featured on BBC Radio 3. She has also been a guest lecturer in improvisation and choral singing at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Cello

Amy Jolly was awarded an MA, DipRAM and PhD from the Royal Academy of Music. She completed diplomas at RNCM and Stavanger University and studied previously with Valter Dešpalj in Zagreb and Jakob Kullberg in Copenhagen. Amy enjoys collaborative work through her duo Bonjour Claude, who run tri-annual Scratch Nights for mixed-media artists. She recently toured with low-flute specialist Carla Rees and is a member of trio Missing Pillars. Amy has appeared as a principal player with BBC Philharmonic, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Opera North; and with chamber ensembles Psappha, UPROAR and Riot Ensemble. She has been supported by Help Musicians UK, Holst Foundation, Daiwa Foundation and the Britten-Pears Foundation and she won the Royal Warrant Holders Aldeburgh Bursary and Charles Hallé Award. Amy twice received Dame Gillian Brown Scholarship to support her studies in Norway and a Richard Stapley Foundation award towards her PhD studies.

Violin

Anna Tulchinskaya has enjoyed a versatile career as a violinist and performer. She has performed a range of chamber music, taking part in festivals such as Whittington, Delft, Cambridge Summer Music and Wonderfeel music festivals. Anna frequently tours with different ensembles, such as Manchester Collective, United Strings of Europe and Sinfonia Cymru, playing a variety of chamber music. Anna has performed chamber music in a variety of different concert halls, including Shanghai Symphony Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room.

About Tuning Into Opera

is a bold new research and engagement initiative from English National Opera (ENO) and The University of Manchester, exploring what it means to have a national opera company based in Greater Manchester, alongside our partners in the city-region. As ENO prepares to establish a new base in the region by 2029, this project invites local communities, artists and audiences to help shape a new chapter for opera – one that reflects the voices, stories and spirit of Greater Manchester. Led by Research Associate Dr Kamila Rymajdo, the project uses a mixed-methods approach including surveys, interviews, community-led workshops and creative collaborations.

About Operactive Arts

Operactive Arts is a UK cultural enterprise founded in Edinburgh in 2024 and now based in Manchester, dedicated to reimagining opera for the digital age through the fusion of classical performance and cutting-edge technologies. The company commissions and produces experimental music and opera, integrating data-informed design, gamified participation, and real-time audience choice to transform spectators into active collaborators. Alongside its productions, Operactive Arts develops bespoke creative tools and collaborates with leading research institutions to explore how technology can deepen human connection and expand access to the performing arts. With a mission to dismantle opera’s perceived elite barriers, the company champions artistic democracy, digital inclusion, and civic engagement, working with emerging talents across the UK and internationally to shape new futures for live art.

About Creative Manchester

Creative Manchester is an interdisciplinary platform based at The University of Manchester. The platform champions research in creativity and creative practice, bringing together research communities with external stakeholders to explore new research areas and address strategic opportunities. Please visit the website for more information: Creative Manchester.

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