The GRAMMY-winning Dream Theater keyboardist returns to MIT to perform with an AI model trained on his own playing, opening new possibilities for live musical improvisation.

CAMBRIDGE, MA — On Saturday, October 3, 2026, Jordan Rudess will perform two concerts at MIT’s Thomas Tull Concert Hall during the inaugural MIT Future Fest alongside musical guests and jam_bot, an AI model developed with Rudess and trained on his playing. At the heart of the concert is a simple idea: this technology is not here to replace musicians, but to expand their creative possibilities and inspire new ways of making music.

The concert will feature the world premiere of Rudess and jam_bot improvising with the MIT Chamber Chorus, with jam_bot creating music for the singers in real time. Performances are on October 3 at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.

The jam_bot project has been developed over the past three years in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab during Rudess’s Center for Art, Science & Technology Distinguished Visiting Artist residency at MIT. These concerts are a rare opportunity to experience the next chapter of this research project and witness Rudess interact with an advanced real-time system that enables the use of generative AI models in live music performances.

jam_bot was developed in the Responsive Environments group at the MIT Media Lab by Lancelot Blanchard, Perry Naseck, and Professor Joseph A. Paradiso, who have been in continuous collaboration with Rudess since 2023. Its models are pre-trained using an academic dataset of musical transcriptions and then fine-tuned on performances Rudess recorded specifically for the project.

That distinction is central to the project. jam_bot is not intended as a general-purpose music generator trained to imitate a catalog of other artists. It is a system developed in collaboration with a specific musician, using his own playing, to extend what he can create and perform live.

A free interactive installation in the MIT Museum lobby will be open to the public October 1 through 4 as part of MIT Future Fest.

Tickets

$5 MIT community / $10 general admission.
Learn more + get tickets

Media Contact:
Isabella Lanata
Senior Manager, Communications + Media
MIT Media Lab
press@media.mit.edu