The MusicSphere consortium met in early June in Thessaloniki, Greece, to start work on the first Use Case – the Hydraulis of Dion.
The meeting started with a trip to Katerini to visit the Greek Evangelical Church, home to the largest pipe organ installed within a church in Greece. The partners were given a guided tour and a live demonstration of the organ by Giannis Adamidis. The visit provided consortium members with valuable insights into the preservation, performance, and cultural significance of pipe organs, which remain a central focus of the project.
Original Hydraulis of Dion (left) and the reconstruction by the International Hellenic University (right)
Next, the partners visited Archaeological Museum of Dion to explore the history of the Hydraulis of Dion, the oldest surviving pipe organ ever discovered and the earliest known keyboard instrument in history. Invented in Alexandria during the 3rd century BCE, the hydraulis is considered the technological ancestor of the modern pipe organ and represents a remarkable link between ancient innovation and Europe’s musical heritage. Because the organ is fragmented, MusicSphere will develop a Digital Twin of the Hydraulis, reconstructing missing components through a combination of archaeological evidence, historical sources, material analysis, and advanced digital technologies. The project will combine 3D reconstruction, acoustic modelling, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies to recreate both the instrument and its original performance environment, enabling researchers and the public to experience the soundscape of one of the most important musical inventions of the ancient world.
The last visit of Day 1 was to the SEIKILO Museum of Ancient Music in Thessaloniki which included a guided tour and live concert. SEIKILO is the world’s first interactive museum dedicated to ancient music, offering visitors the opportunity to hear, touch, and play reconstructed ancient instruments while discovering the musical traditions of the ancient world. Particularly relevant to MusicSphere, the museum hosts a reconstruction of the Hydraulis of Dion.
The second day of the meeting was dedicated to consortium meetings hosted by the International Hellenic University who showcased the latest 3D reconstruction of the Hydraulis of Dion, highlighting ongoing work towards its digital restoration and Digital Twin development.Partners reviewed progress across several work packages and discussed upcoming milestones, deliverables, and technical developments.
Find out more about the Hydraulis of Dion and the MusicSphere meeting:
MusicSphere partners at the project meeting, International Hellenic Museum, Thessaloniki
