Tod Machover, celebrated as a 'musical visionary' and 'America's most wired composer,' will be the commencement speaker for the Peabody Conservatory's graduation ceremonies on May 20, 2026. As the faculty director of the MIT Media Lab, he will address both undergraduate and graduate students and will be awarded the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music and Dance in America, a prestigious honor awarded annually since 1980. Fred Bronstein, dean of the Peabody Institute, emphasized Machover's significant impact on the American music scene and his role in shaping tech-based arts training programs. Machover's career is marked by groundbreaking works such as the AI-infused opera VALIS and the interactive Brain Opera. This year marks the Peabody Conservatory's 144th graduation, with 95 Bachelor of Music degrees and 120 Master of Music degrees to be conferred. The ceremonies will be held in the renovated Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall on the Peabody Institute's Baltimore campus and will be available via livestream.