MIT CAST and Music Tech Present: Jordan Rudess

Jordan Rudess, Grammy-winning keyboardist of the progressive metal band, Dream Theater, has consistently pushed the limits of keyboard technology, performance expression, and the relationship between human creativity and emerging tools.

During his CAST residency at MIT, Rudess has been exploring the next frontier: real-time collaboration between human performer and artificial intelligence. He is collaborating with Professor Joe Paradiso’s MIT Media Lab Responsive Environments Group to create Jam_Bot, a new technology exploring the boundaries of AI-driven musical control and expression. The machine-learning model—trained on Rudess’s own playing style—improvises and performs live in duet with its human counterpart. This talk will trace the path that led him from classical training to pioneering work in musical innovation, unpack the development of his live AI collaboration project, and offer an honest look at where the technology stands today—and where it might take us next.

Speaker Bio:
Jordan Rudess is the legendary keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist for the platinum-selling, Grammy Award–winning band Dream Theater. From his beginnings as a classical prodigy who entered The Juilliard School at age nine, Rudess has built a genre-defying career that merges classical precision with rock innovation.

Beyond his work with Dream Theater and his acclaimed solo projects, he has collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists, including Deep Purple, David Bowie, Steven Wilson, Jan Hammer, Enrique Iglesias, Blackfield, the Dixie Dregs, and many others.

A pioneer in music technology, Rudess is the founder of Wizdom Music, creators of award-winning apps such as GeoShred, MorphWiz, SampleWiz, and Geo Synthesizer. He has also served as an advisor and ambassador for groundbreaking instruments including the ROLI Seaboard, Haken Continuum, and Expressive E Osmose. In addition, he is the author of two influential keyboard technique books, including Total Keyboard Wizardry.

Rudess recently served as Artist-in-Residence at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) and is the MIT 2025–2026 Center for Art, Science, and Technology’s (CAST) Distinguished Visiting Artist, where he is collaborating with Professor Joe Paradiso and the MIT Media Lab Responsive Environments Group to create Jam_Bot, a new technology exploring the boundaries of AI-driven musical control and expression. The machine-learning model—trained on Rudess’s own playing style—improvises and performs live in duet with its human counterpart.
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