Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR)

Shaping the future of music
Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR)For hero only - don't use for anything else
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research (ICCMR) develops research combining music, science, and technology. We are shaping the future of AI-assisted music composition and production.
The impact of our research has been consistently recognised as world-leading by the last two Research Excellence Framework exercises (REF 2014, and REF 2021), which is the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
We are world-renowned for our ground-breaking research into Brain-Computer Interfacing to enable people with severe motor impairment to play music without physical movement. We are making possible direct communication between the brain and musical instruments. Furthermore, in partnership with the University of Glasgow, Anglia Ruskin University, and the BBC, we are developing revolutionary broadcasting technology using AI to improve the lives of people suffering from dementia.
The ICCMR is pioneering research in Quantum Computer Music, exploring the potential synergies between quantum computing and the music industries. We collaborate with companies such as Quantinuum, Moth and Desy (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) to leverage principles from quantum mechanics to inform new artistic, technological, and scientific developments in music. The impact of this research has recently been celebrated at the Goethe Institute London (UK), the CTM Festival (Berlin, Germany), the Al Ula Future Culture Summit (Saudi Arabia), LOGIN 2024 (Vilnius, Lithuania), Latvia Radio 3, to cite but a few examples.
We offer unprecedented opportunities for collaborative and interdisciplinary post-graduate studies. The ICCMR is based in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business, and affiliated to the Faculty of Health, and the Brain Research & Imaging Centre ( BRIC). We actively report our research outcomes in learned journals and conferences in music, digital arts, computing, engineering, psychology, neuroscience, and medicine.
Should you be interested in pursuing your postgraduate studies and research ambition with ICCMR, please do not hesitate to contact us at doctoralcollege@plymouth.ac.uk for more information.
ICCMR lead, Professor Eduardo Miranda, also welcomes research proposals for student placements, post-doctorate projects and visiting researchers. Do not hesitate to reach out.

Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research news

Professor Eduardo Miranda
Creating a unique experience for artists and listeners

Read how Professor of Computer Music Eduardo Miranda is unlocking the potential of quantum computer music

2 February 2023
Eduardo Miranda ICCR STARTS prize

Grand prize of the European Commission for Innovation in Technology, Industry and Society stimulated by the Arts, ICCMR award

The composition Biocomputer Rhythms, by Eduardo Miranda, won an Honorary Mention at STARTS, an initiative of the European Commission to foster arts and sciences connections. 

RadioMe

A £2.7 million project, RadioMe uses artificial intelligence to adapt and personalise live radio, with the aim of transforming lives for people living alone with dementia. Funded by The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), it addresses key causes of hospital admission for people with dementia, such as agitation and not taking medication correctly. Led by Professor Eduardo Miranda from the University and including other university partners, it will develop a way to remix live digital broadcast so that listeners will receive personal reminders, information and music to improve quality of life and allow people to remain living independently at home for longer.

Contemporary and experimental music concerts

A showcase of extraordinary new technologies and approaches to composition and performance that are pushing the boundaries of music.
ICCMR organises concerts throughout the year to showcase new technologies and creative practices developed by staff, students and associates.
Contemporary Music Festival

A technological leap that will make current computation and AI systems look obsolete?

Tapping into the properties of quantum mechanics, the nascent field of quantum computing promises just that. Please read the article in CTM Magazine, where Professor Eduardo Miranda, gives an overview of the history of computing and sound that led to this new leap and adds examples of his music practice with quantum computing.
CTM Magazine
Harnessing the Impact of Quantum Computing Technology on the Music Industry - Professor Eduardo Miranda, Brian Eno and Peter Gabriel

London Sinfonietta premieres Qubism at Kings Place

“As digital music technology permeates every aspect of the music industry today, the advent of quantum computers is poised to open unprecedented new avenues for musical creativity. To compose Qubism, I programmed a quantum computer to generate data patterns, which I manually converted into a musical score. I also synthesised the electronic sounds using these patterns.” Professor Eduardo Miranda
Watch Professor Eduardo Reck Miranda talking with Jamz Supernova (DJ BBC 6Music,1Xtra) about his work in computer music, particularly the use of AI in composition.
Qubism

Song of the Sea: listening to Climate Change in Action

ICCMR PhD students participated in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) with a method to convey climate change data into music.
Clive Mead
Clive Mead
Dieter Hearle
Dieter Hearle