The world premiere of Keiichiro Shibuya’s Android Opera® MIRROR took place over three days starting on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at Théâtre du Châtelet, the oldest theatre in Paris. The production featured the android Alter 4 as its central performer, with Shibuya on piano and electronics, a 47-piece Orchestre Appassionato, five Buddhist monks from Koyasan chanting Shōmyō, and visuals by his longtime collaborator, French artist Justine Emard.

Exactly ten years earlier, the then-director of Théâtre du Châtelet, Jean-Luc Choplin, was so struck by Shibuya’s Vocaloid Opera THE END that he decided to stage it on the spot during their first meeting. The production went on to tour internationally and became a turning point in Shibuya’s European career. A decade after THE END, and on June 21—the day of France’s nationwide Fête de la Musique, where music fills the streets through the night—MIRROR had its long-awaited premiere at Théâtre du Châtelet.

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“Android is a mirror.
Music is a mirror.
It is a reflection of yourselves.
What is the boundary between existence and non-existence?
What is the boundary between past and future?
And where do they exist?
Let’s celebrate this new experience together.”

– Keiichiro Shibuya

 

The Android Opera MIRROR is an opera composed and produced by Keiichiro Shibuya, commissioned as part of Japan’s official program for Expo 2020 Dubai. The performance featured the android Alter 3, Buddhist Shōmyō chanting led by Eizen Fujiwara—representing a musical tradition with a 1,250-year history—and the UAE-based NSO Orchestra. As Shibuya performed on piano and electronics alongside the orchestra, Alter 3 sang AI-generated text improvised, interwoven with the voices of Koyasan’s Shōmyō chanters.

This work explores a new model of artistic harmony by bringing together diverse cultural and technological elements—human and non-human voices, ancient Buddhist music and cutting-edge AI. The stage design placed Alter 3 at the center, encircled by Shōmyō singers, Shibuya’s piano and computer, and an outer ring of 45 orchestral musicians. The performance incorporated powerful electronic sounds and noise, creating a ritualistic and celebratory atmosphere. Unlike Shibuya’s previous android operas, Scary Beauty (2018) and Super Angels (2021), which deconstructed Western opera traditions, MIRROR embraces a festival-like format, serving as the culmination of his recent explorations with androids, Shōmyō, electronic music, orchestra, and piano.

In Dubai, the performance took place on a large outdoor stage within the Expo site. The visuals, projected onto a massive screen on stage, were created by Justine Emard, a longtime collaborator of Shibuya. Additional screens around the venue displayed real-time close-ups of Alter 3’s expressions, interwoven with Emard’s video work incorporating Buddhist motifs from Koyasan, captured and transformed through 3D scanning. Integrating lighting effects on both the venue and Alter 3 further enhanced the immersive visual experience.

Dubai Expo Official Website

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