Yūrei is art, technology, and at its core it is developed from a research project called OPERAI led by Dr Alexandra Huang-Kokina. Yūrei investigates how AI can enhance accessibility and reimagine audience engagement in classical music and opera across cultural and socio-economic divides.
“It is not just an opera; it’s an experiment in how audiences and intelligent machines can co-create, play, improvise, and reimagine the experience of live art together,” says Alexandra Huang-Kokina.
The event was hosted by the Centre for Aesthetics and Business Creativity (ABC) at Lund University School of Economics and Management (LUSEM), as part of its commitment to exploring new intersections between art, technology, and innovation.
Alexandra explains that the opera was the first production emerging from the operaAI project, following a pilot performance in Edinburgh earlier this year. As such the research behind it has artistic, technological and commercial aspects.
“Usually opera has catered to an upper-middle-class audience, but we try to make it more relatable to wider, modern audiences without losing its essence, not least using the operatic voice to tell stories that resonate with contemporary life. At the present most companies continue to restage canonical works, relying on repertory opera. But these narratives differ, and can feel distant, from what today’s people find relevant and interesting. So how do we reinvent these tales and innovate operatic storytelling? The production of Yūrei is one such attempt.”
How does this relate to the business admin aspect?
“We try to make opera more economically sustainable, because so many opera production companies have gone bankrupt. The financial models of opera production are commonly attached to state funding or patrons. If you just rely on ticket sales, you are not going to cover the full cost of production. Even for a small ensemble for a chamber opera it costs like 150 000 sek. Even if you sell out all seats you usually can’t cover the costs”, says Alexandra Huang-Kokina.
She compares this to pop music, which depends less on external funding, as pop stars draw much larger audiences and their productions feature engaging digital content that extends far beyond the live stage.
“In a pop concert, you connect with the artist on stage as well as with other audience members,” Alexandra explains. “In contrast, classical music offers little interaction with the artist, the space, or the social experience itself. At the moment, opera and classical music lag behind in both audience engagement and business models,” Alexandra concludes.
“The performance-seminar on the 21st October was part of our broader commitment at the ABC Centre to fostering new conversations between aesthetics and business creativity,” said Professor Daniel Hjorth, Director of the ABC Centre. “In this context, Alexandra and I are investigating how AI can play an active role in re-energizing audience engagement in classical and operatic music, transforming traditional performances into more interactive and immersive experiences.”
The Swedish production brings together an exceptional international ensemble featuring award-winning coloratura soprano Olivia Moss and baritone John Ieuan Jones, alongside Dr Huang-Kokina (piano), Paul Docherty (violin), and Atzi Muramatsu (cello). Together, they animate a sci-fi retelling of a folklore set in a futuristic Japan where the ghosts of human emotion haunt an AI empire.
Visually and interactively, the Swedish production of Yūrei breaks new ground. Edinburgh-based artist Violet Yu provides stunning digital scenography, from a serene Japanese garden to a washitsu-style interior and whimsical AI laboratory, while Foxdog Studios transform the audience into little Japanese monsters in a “living orchestra” through gamified, participatory design. Meanwhile, custom AI audio models by Neutone enables neural audio synthesis that merges ancient Japanese sonorities with European instrumentation, producing a truly hybrid and intercultural sound-world.
This performance is generously funded by AI Seed Funding from AI Lund Network, the Hamrin Foundation, and Lindéngruppen. The Centre for Aesthetics and Business Creativity (ABC) is supported by Lindéngruppen, the Hamrin Foundation, and Åsa and Jan Söderberg.
About the Centre for Aesthetics and Business Creativity (ABC)
The ABC Centre at Lund University School of Economics and Management fosters cross-disciplinary collaborations between art, science, and business to inspire new forms of creativity and innovation. Through research, performance, and dialogue, the Centre explores how aesthetic experience can inform sustainable and imaginative practices across sectors.
The Centre for Aesthetics and Business Creativity (ABC) – lusem.lu.se