AI for Performing Arts Practice: a human-centred approach to AI integration across Europe’s live, creative and participatory performing arts ecosystem.

We are working on an emerging project concept centred on AI for Performing Arts Practice.

We believe the performing arts deserve dedicated attention within this topic. Across theatres, choirs, orchestras, festivals, ensembles, arts schools, venues and community-based cultural organisations, performing arts practice depends on complex interactions between artistic, educational, organisational, technical and social activity.

It is a space where professional and amateur practice often meet, where live coordination and embodied creativity matter, and where the social, cultural and economic value of human performance remains vital to Europe’s future.

So imagine a human-centred European project exploring how AI can support the live, collaborative, creative and participatory workflows of performing arts organisations, while preserving the human judgement, relationships and cultural value at the heart of the sector.

In an increasingly AI-pervasive society, this raises important questions:

How can AI strengthen rather than weaken human-centred cultural work?

How can it support creation, production, participation, education, entrepreneurship, employability, audience engagement and community impact in ways that are ethical, inclusive, trusted and useful?

How can performing arts organisations of different scales adopt AI without losing their human core?

We are looking to shape a project that addresses the full breadth of performing arts work practice, rather than a narrow single-use-case approach. Possible work package areas could include, for example:

• AI readiness, ethics and governance in performing arts settings

• performance planning, coordination and organisational workflows

• artistic creation, production design and live delivery

• education, employability, entrepreneurship and future professional roles

• community participation, audiences, venue activation and cultural impact

• pilots, validation, sector toolkits, adoption pathways and wider uptake

This means there is room in the concept for a broad range of complementary expertise, provided that performing arts remains central to the research and innovation logic.

We are not presenting a closed consortium or fixed proposal. We are actively seeking partners who want to shape the project together, help define the strongest work packages, and build a compelling European collaboration around this theme.

At Choirfarm, we can contribute:

• expertise in choirs, live events and the wider performing arts ecosystem

• innovation insight linked to Choirfarm, Choirslist and the evolving VoxOffice roadmap

• use-case development grounded in real sector needs

• stakeholder engagement and access to practitioner communities

• potential pilot environments in community and participatory performing arts settings

• a strong interest in linking grassroots, educational and professional performing arts contexts

We would be especially interested in connecting with:

• experienced Horizon Europe coordinators

• universities and research groups in SSH, arts, education, work practice, AI adoption, governance and policy

• conservatoires, arts schools and performing arts education providers

• theatres, orchestras, choirs, festivals, venues and performing arts networks

• creative tech, AI and digital production partners

• cultural intermediaries, social innovation organisations and civic participation partners

• organisations interested in audience development, employability, entrepreneurship and future workforce questions in the performing arts

We are open to:

• joining an existing consortium

• co-designing a proposal from an early stage

• leading or co-leading a work package

• or helping a coordinator shape the performing arts dimension of a wider HERITAGE-03 proposal

If you are interested in building a strong European project on human-centred AI for performing arts practice, I would be very glad to connect with you, get in touch.