The History of Hyperscore

2000
Hyperscore Created at the MIT Media Lab by the Opera of the Future Group

Students Morwaread Farbood and Egon Pasztor develop Hyperscore, combining research on computer-assisted composition of counterpoint and visual interfaces.

2002–2003
Toy Symphony

Tod Machover’s Toy Symphony project introduced children to active music creation in collaboration with orchestras around the world. Machover’s group developed novel kid-friendly music instruments and kids composed music for the orchestras using Hyperscore.

2004
Symphony Painter

Then MIT Media Lab sponsor company Fisher Price incorporates Hyperscore into its Symphony Painter program for the Pixter product.

2005
Media Lab spinoff Harmony Line Founded

Harmony Line forms as a spinoff company of the MIT Media Lab in order to continue development and commercialization of Hyperscore.

2006
Hyperscore at Tewskbury State Hospital

Tod Machover and student Adam Boulanger explore the use of Hyperscore as a therapeutic intervention at Tewksbury State Hospital outside of Boston. Resident patients of the hospital with physical and mental disabilities, including Dan Ellsey, compose their own music for a special concert.

2006
H-Lounge Launches

Harmony Line launches an online community and social network for Hyperscore. Participants can share their compositions and sell them as cell phone ringtones.

2007
Hyperscore at AARP Life@50+

Hyperscore is not just for kids. It allows anyone to express themselves musically, as shown at the AARP Live@50+ convention in Boston.

2008
Hyperscore at Bank of America

Bank of America brings Hyperscore to their corporate headquarters in Charlotte, NC to encourage self-expression and collaboration, and team-building among executives.

2011–2012
Personal Opera at Royal Opera House Covent Garden

The Personal Opera project brings London seniors together to tell their stories through their own words, music, visuals, and acting. In workshops, participants composed (using Hyperscore), designed, and performed miniature operas.

2012
Armenia to America: The World in Harmony

A partnership between the Luys Foundation and the MIT Media Lab enabled Armenian children in Yerevan and Boston to collaborate remotely on Hyperscore pieces that were performed in Yerevan by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and DOGMA rock band.

2012–2013
A Toronto Symphony

The first of Tod Machover’s “city symphonies” invited the entire city to collaborate with him in the creation of a symphonic portrait of the city. Using Hyperscore, school children throughout Toronto were able to relate their musical impressions, which woven together into the final composition.

2013–2014
Between the Desert and the Deep Blue Sea: A Symphony for Perth

Young people throughout Greater Perth in Western Australia collaborated using Hyperscore to express elements of the life and sounds of their city. Their pieces and motives were then developed by Tod Machover into a symphony premiered by the Western Australia Symphony Orchestra in 2014.

2015
A Symphony for Lucerne

Hyperscore compositions by schoolchildren joined hundreds of sound recordings by Lucerne residents in contribution to the composition of Machover’s Symphony for Lucerne. The symphony, commissioned by the Lucerne Festival, was premiered in 2015 by the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra.

2019
New Harmony Line Launches

With June Kinoshita as Executive Director and Peter Torpey as Chief Technology Officer, New Harmony Line launches as a 501(c)(3) organization to advance the mission of empowering children everywhere to find their unique voice and express themselves through musical composition.

2021
Hyperscore 5 Debuts

Hyperscore takes an evolutionary leap forward to become more accessible than ever as a cross-platform web-based application.

Fall 2021

Hyperscore for the Web Beta Test

Twenty-two Hyperscore enthusiasts commit to Beta testing Hyperscore with their students and clients.

2022

Hyperscore Cloud

New Harmony Line launches the Hyperscore cloud version that allows composers to easily store and share their compositions online. It also lets educators create and manage Hyperscore classrooms of student composers.

Fall 2022

Second Saturdays monthly composing workshops

On the second Saturday of each month at 10:30 ET, the New Harmony Line team hosts an open workshop in Hyperscore with a focus on collaborative composing and curiosity.

Winter 2023

Hyperscore at TMEA

New Harmony Line hosts Hyperscore demos and presents at the 2023 Texas Music Educators Association Convention.

Spring 2023

Hyperscore is offered on MusicFirst

Hyperscore is integrated into MusicFirst‘s digital music workspace for use by educators.

Spring 2023

Hyperscore at Projectory, Seoul, South Korea

New Harmony Line brings Hyperscore to the Projectory creative workspace in Seoul for a workshop for 20 children led by Tod Machover.