Georgia Tech Uses Yamaha Clavinova Pianos for Innovative Research & Multimedia Performances

                Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta is committed to improving the human condition through advanced science and technology, and in keeping with that mission, its music department recently expanded in both facilities and content.

           The institute uses  Yamaha Clavinova CVP digital pianos for band, choir, symphony and orchestra rehearsals, multimedia performances, research, and in faculty offices. These instruments were acquired from England Piano; with whom the institute has a longstanding relationship. “They do a great job for us,” says Dr. Frank Clark, music department director. “There is virtually no latency time, and they perform like champs.”

          For Dr. Gil Weinberg, director of music technology and assistant professor of music,  the ‘real time’ capability of the Clavinova is especially important in his research on interactive music networks. He chose “Iltur,” the Hebrew word for improvisation  as the name for his series of compositions for jazz ensemble and Beatbugs, his new electronic instruments. Beatbugs record live input from acoustic and MIDI instruments, and respond by transforming recorded material, creating motif-and-variation call-and-response routines and allowing players to respond and modify their peers’ musical ideas, all in real time. Performances featuring Beatbugs, acoustic instruments and the CVP were featured at open houses for the institute’s Graphics and Visualization Unit (GVU) and its renovated Couch Music Building.

          Dr. Clark presented his multimedia composition, “A Sensation of Music", Works by Walter Anderson; in a 2001 performance at Carnegie Hall.  A Yamaha CVP was used to control video, graphics, animation and audio in real time.

          “The Clavinova worked perfectly, and as a result, I’ve been invited to present a multimedia piece in July at the opening ceremonies of the Bejing Music Festival and School (www.BMFSchool.org) in The People’s Great Hall in Bejing,” he says. “Very exciting – the Minister of Culture, foreign dignitaries and the international press will attend.” 

          The CVP Pianos are also used for rehearsals. The school’s new choir director, Dr. Jerry Ulrich,  relies on the CVP Pianos to compose and work with students. “All the CVPs offer reliable technology and work beautifully,” says Clark. 

          At Georgia Tech, students are exposed to a host of careers that join music with science and computer technology. “As part of a major research institution, our music department is positioned to do some wonderful things,” says Clark. “We’re thrilled to have the Clavinovas and the partnership with England Piano and Yamaha.”

         Georgia Tech is home to over 700 full-time faculty and more than 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. It consistently ranks in U.S. News & World Report’s top ten U.S. public universities. Additional information can be found at the University’s Web Site.