Under the theme 'Music and Artificial Intelligence,' the 5th Seminar of the UNESCO Pau Casals Chair draws on the Maestro’s legacy to reflect on the evolving musical landscape and the opportunities presented by AI. Casals' humanistic vision—viewed as a catalyst for social and cultural transformation—serves as a framework to explore how innovation can enhance artistic expression. This event aims to share knowledge, experiences, and research methodologies in sound creation, providing a collaborative space for researchers, artists, and music industry professionals."

As part of the program, Xavier Serra will deliver a keynote speech titled: “Representation and Understanding of Pau Casals in Artificial Intelligence Systems”

In his presentation, he will examine the capabilities of AI systems to represent knowledge about Pau Casals and his musical legacy. The talk will cover information access and generation mechanisms, while also addressing current limitations in capturing contextual, cultural, and interpretive dimensions. Furthermore, he will discuss the ethical challenges involved and propose future directions for developing more robust and context-aware musical technologies.

The seminar will also feature roundtables with researchers, thinkers, and artists, concluding with a live coding performance.

Event Details:

• Date: May 5th, 2026

• Time: 09:30 h – 14:30 h

• Location: UOC (Carrer del Perú, 52, Barcelona)

• Organizer: Cátedra UNESCO Pau Casals

For more information and the full program, visit the Cátedra UNESCO Pau Casals website.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSlbkK1_1DQ

Activity within the framework of:

Cátedra UPF-BMAT en Inteligencia Articial y Música (TSI-100929-2023-1). Project funded by Secretaría de Estado de Digitalización e Inteligencia Artificial, the European Union-Next Generation EU, and by BMAT Music Innovators, the Music Operating System