Graduate, Julliard School, New York. Composer and designer of new technology for music; inventor of hyperinstruments, a technology that uses smart computers to augment virtuosity. 1978-85, Director, Musical Research, Pierre Boulez's ICRAM Institute, Paris; since 1985, Professor of Music and Media, Head of the Music Group and since 1995, Co-Director, Things That Think (TTT) and Toys of Tomorrow (TOT) consortia, Media Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1998, collaborated on the design of the underground Meteorite Museum, Essen, Germany, creating a series of interactive spaces and composing a walk-through opera, Meteor Music. Composed the opera VALIS for the 10 anniversary of the Centre Pompidou, Paris; wrote the mini-opera Media/Medium; composer of Brain Opera. Current projects include Ressurection (a new opera, 1999) and a Toy Symphony. Recipient of awards and honours, including the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1995).