Lydia Kavina, grand-niece of Leon Theremin, has established herself as the preeminent contemporary thereminist, having performed approximately 500 performances in major venues across the globe, including radio and television broadcasts in Russia, Europe and the United States. Her introduction and early training on the instrument were provided by Professor Theremin himself. She began studying the instrument at age nine and was concertizing by age 14. In the Oscar-winning film Ed Wood, she was the featured theremin soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in the soundtrack score by Howard Shore. Her theremin concerto, The Seasons of the Year, was premiered in 1997 by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under the direction of conductor Gil Rose; and her Field Sound for three theremins was given its world premiere at the 1997 Theremin Festival. With Olivia Mattis and Mode Records she has produced the first-ever CD of music composed especially for the theremin, Music From the Ether, containing premiere recordings of important works by Martinu, Grainger and others.

Peter Pringle is a musician of multi-faceted talents — singer, harpist, recording artist (having made over 20 records in several genres, four of which reached million-sellers); and, now, thereminist. Mr. Pringle’s “no-nonsense” approach to the instrument gives a pragmatic, refreshing viewpoint into the theremin and its folklore. He recently acquired the historic custom RCA theremin which belonged to Dr. Samuel Hoffman and will bring that instrument with him to Theremin Fest 99.

Charles Richard Lester has been studying and playing the theremin since 1995 and, along with so many other thereminists, has forged his own pathway to a viable theremin technique, incorporating elements from Lydia Kavina, Clara Rockmore, and others, as well as devising his own solutions to the unique challenges inherent in seducing the elusive muse of the theremin. A left-handed thereminist, Mr. Lester has performed live in Munich, Germany at the Marstall Theatre; at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California; the First International Theremin Festival in Portland; the Theremin Workshop at the University of North Carolina - Asheville; on Good Morning America; and for music and music-trade conventions in Las Vegas and Los Angeles – even for a Hawaiian Luau!

Courses & Lectures

 
Albert Glinsky will teach a five-part mini-course on Leon Theremin and his times.

Born in New York City, Dr. Glinsky studied composition with Joan Tower and David Diamond. He holds B.M. and M.M. degrees from the Juilliard School, and a Ph.D. from New York University. His association with the theremin extends back to his work as a graduate student at New York University, where he presented a thesis on "The Theremin in the Emergence of Electronic Music." He has served on the faculty of Montclair State College, and is currently Composer-in-Residence and Associate Professor of Music at Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania.

He is the author of Out of Thin Air: Theremin and the Age of Ether, forthcoming from the University of Illinois press. He authored the liner notes to the new Basta Records CD reissue of the three classic Samuel Hoffman theremin recordings.

Electronic music pioneer Robert Moog will be on hand to give two talks and meet people on an informal basis. His first talk will be about the Ethervox MIDI theremin and MIDI functions. Dr. Moog will discuss basic technical principles, as well as their musical correlates. Musical examples will be provided by Peter Pringle. His second talk will be about theremin tone and waveform. He plans to talk about the tone/waveform of the RCA theremin, of Clara Rockmore’s instrument, of Lydia Kavina’s instruments, and of the Ethervox.He will also do some informal one-on-one showing of the Ethervox. Dr. Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer, is a pioneer in the field of electronic musical instrument design. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards, including honorary doctorates from Polytechnic University of New York and Lycoming College; the Silver Medal of the Audio Engineering Society; the Trustee's Award of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; the Billboard Magazine Trendsetter's Award; and the SEAMUS Award from the Society of Electroacoustic Music in the United States. He has written and spoken widely on topics related to music technology, and has contributed major articles to the Encyclopedia Brittanica and the Encyclopedia of Applied Physics. Moog has been building theremins and other electronic instruments since the age of 14.

In addition, there will be master classes, workshops, concerts, films, and a symposium involving leading figures in the world of electronic music. Featured at the mid-week outdoor concert will be the Lothars. The Lothars

Fest '99 is directed by Olivia Mattis. Dr. Mattis, founder and director of the successful First International Theremin Institute and Festival held June 15-21, 1997 at the Portland Conservatory of Music in Portland Maine, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale in 1984 and her Ph.D. from Stanford in 1992. She has taught at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Southern Maine and the Portland Conservatory of Music, and is about to join the faculty of the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Mattis, through her mentor Vladimir Ussachevsky, was the first person to interview Leon Theremin during his emergence from Russia in 1989 and at that time was able to give Theremin a copy of a letter from Edgard Varese originally written in 1941 which Theremin had never actually received. She has written on Theremin and his instrument for Keyboard magazine and Electronic Musician.

Sponsors

Additionally, sponsorship has been provided by Electronic Musician magazine, who has given Fest '99 free ad space in their June issue. Free copies of their July issue – which will include an article by Olivia Mattis along with Lydia Kavina and Albert Glinsky on theremin playing and its history – will be distributed to all Fest '99 participants.

Enrollment & Registration

Registration deadline is Friday, June 4.

The price of tuition has been set at $400 plus a $25 registration fee.

Returnees from previous workshops are welcome and encouraged. As an inducement, there will be a tuition discount of $75 for any alumni of the Theremin Summer Institute of 1997 or the Asheville Theremin Workshop of 1998.

Registration will be on a space-available basis, so early registration is highly encouraged. Those who attended the prior Portland Theremin Festival in 1997 will recall the speed with which its enrollment filled up, so if you plan to be there get your registration in NOW!

Housing is available at the newly-renovated and historic Oak Leaf Inn, built in 1896, the year of Leon Theremin's birth! Discounted weekly rates are available. See their website: Oak Leaf Inn

For a printable registration form, click HERE.

More Details

New Music Alliance
P.O. Box 4836
Portland, ME 04112
e-mail: new-music@webtv.net
Phone: (207) 741-2846 (Allen Lowe, Festival coordinator)

To read some remarks from the 1997 Festival participants, and to see some photos, click here.

See you in Maine!