2025:RenCon Results
Contents
2025:RenCon Results
Preliminary (Audition) Round Results
Evaluation Methodology
The preliminary round was evaluated through an online listening test with 25 expert evaluators. The evaluation used a weighted voting system where participants self-rated their expertise level from 1-5 stars, with responses weighted accordingly.
Participant Demographics
Our evaluation panel consisted of highly qualified judges:
Expertise Distribution:
- Expert evaluators (5 stars): 7 participants (29.2%)
- High confidence (4 stars): 5 participants (20.8%)
- Moderate confidence (3 stars): 10 participants (41.7%)
- Lower confidence (1-2 stars): 2 participants (8.4%)
- Average expertise weight: 3.67/5.0
Professional Background:
- Music researchers: 12 (54.5%)
- Music technologists: 10 (45.5%)
- Active performers: 8 (36.4%)
- Conservatory students: 6 (27.3%)
- Music lovers: 15 (68.2%)
- Concert-goers: 8 (36.4%)
Musical Experience:
- Strong representation of classical music expertise
- Diverse musical preferences spanning classical, jazz, pop, and rock
- Substantial piano experience among evaluators
- Mix of academic researchers and practicing musicians
System Rankings
The following table shows the final rankings based on weighted average scores from the preliminary round evaluation:
| Rank | Anonymous Name | Real System Name | Authors/Institution | Weighted Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MidnightOpal | DirectorMusices | Anders Friberg, Gabriel Jones | 4.33/5.0 | |
| 2 | CrystalEcho | VirtuosoNet | Dasaem Jeong, Taegyun Kwon, Yoojin Kim, Kyogu Lee, Juhan Nam | 3.54/5.0 | |
| 3 | FrozenRiver | Midihum | Erich Grunewald | 3.32/5.0 | |
| 4 | VelvetStorm | ElegantAIPianist | Leduo Chen, Xinrui Su, Yuqiang Li, Honyu Andy Shing, Junchuan Zhao, Zihan Chai, Kunyang Zhang, Shengchen Li | 3.19/5.0 | |
| 5 | SilverWave | Contin-U | Jongmin Jung, Dongmin Kim, Sihun Lee, Seola Cho, Hyungjoon Soh, Irmak Bukey, Chris Donahue, Dasaem Jeong | 3.00/5.0 | |
| 6 | EmberSky | YQX+ | Jinwen Zhou, Yuncong Xie, Haochen Wang, Huan Zhang, Aidan Hogg, Simon Dixon | 2.83/5.0 | |
| CrimsonDawn | ScorePerLockNAR | Weixi Zhai | 2.53/5.0 | ||
| AzureThunder | RenConnoisseur | Silvan Peter | 2.53/5.0 | ||
| GoldenMist | CueFreeExpressPedal | Kyle Worrall, Tom Collins | 2.31/5.0 |
Note: Complete rankings and system details will be updated following the live contest and final results announcement.
Qualitative Feedback
Evaluators provided extensive qualitative feedback on the systems' performances:
Common Positive Attributes:
- Natural expressiveness and human-like phrasing
- Appropriate tempo variations and rubato
- Musical sensitivity to harmonic structure
- Dynamic expression and articulation
Areas for Improvement:
- Consistency across different musical styles
- Handling of complex rhythmic patterns
- Balance between technical accuracy and musical expression
Live Contest Results
The live contest was held on September 25, 2025, at the Daejeon Convention Center during ISMIR 2025. All systems rendered a surprise piece in real-time, with audience voting determining the final rankings. A total of 50 evaluators participated in the live evaluation.
Surprise Piece
- Title: Variation on "Mother and Sister"
- Composer: Hayeon Bang
- Duration: ~3 minutes
Live Contest Rankings
| Rank | System Index | Model Name | Authors | Live Score | Preliminary Rank | Score Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | #8 | VirtuosoNet | Dasaem Jeong et al. | 3.62/5.0 | 2nd | ↑1 |
| 2nd | #1 | DirectorMusices | Anders Friberg et al. | 3.06/5.0 | 1st | ↓1 |
| 3rd | #2 | Midihum | Erich Grunewald | 2.90/5.0 | 3rd | — |
| 4th | #4 | Contin-U | Jongmin Jung et al. | 2.90/5.0 | 5th | ↑1 |
| 5th | #6 | ScorePerLockNAR | Weixi Zhai | 2.52/5.0 | 7th | ↑2 |
| 6th | #3 | RenConnoisseur | Silvan Peter | 2.40/5.0 | 8th | ↑2 |
| 7th | #9 | ElegantAIPianist | Leduo Chen et al. | 2.08/5.0 | 4th | ↓3 |
| 8th | #5 | YQX+ | Jinwen Zhou et al. | 1.79/5.0 | 6th | ↓2 |
Human Baseline Performance
A human performance of the same surprise piece was also evaluated by the audience as a reference point:
| Performance Type | Score | Rank Among All Performances |
|---|---|---|
| Human Performance | 4.40/5.0 | 1st (Overall) |
Performance Analysis
Top Performers:
- VirtuosoNet achieved the highest AI system score (3.62/5.0), improving from 2nd place in the preliminary round
- DirectorMusices maintained strong performance (3.06/5.0) but dropped from 1st to 2nd place
- Midihum showed consistency, maintaining 3rd place across both rounds
Notable Changes:
- ScorePerLockNAR and RenConnoisseur both improved by 2 positions in the live contest
- ElegantAIPianist experienced the largest drop, falling from 4th to 7th place
- Contin-U improved from 5th to 4th place in live evaluation
Human vs. AI Performance:
- The human performance scored 4.40/5.0, significantly higher than the top AI system
- This represents a performance gap of 0.78 points between human and best AI performance
- All AI systems scored below the human baseline, indicating continued room for improvement
Final Winner
🏆 RenCon 2025 Winner: VirtuosoNet
- Team: Dasaem Jeong, Taegyun Kwon, Yoojin Kim, Kyogu Lee, Juhan Nam
- Final Score: 3.62/5.0
- Achievement: Highest-scoring AI system in live contest evaluation
The winner was announced at the closing ceremony of ISMIR 2025 on September 25, 2025.
