BRATTLEBORO — Epsilon Spires, 190 Main St., will host two events and a workshop featuring the theremin, an electronic musical instrument invented by Russian physicist Leon Theremin in 1919.
Composed of a box with two metal antennae, the theremin is unique among musical instruments in that it is played without being touched. An electromagnetic field is created between the antennae and, when a hand is moved between them, pitches raise and lower. The electric signals from the theremin are amplified and sent to a speaker system.
Think of the eerie music in old science fiction movies and you will most likely be hearing a theremin.
On Nov. 1. at 8 p.m., musician and composer Carolina Eyck will fill the Sanctuary at Epsilon Spires with original compositions for theremin and voice.
World renowned since her 2002 Berlin Philharmonic debut, Eyck began her studies of theremin when she was 7 years old.
At the age of 16, she developed an innovative playing technique and published the first extensive theremin method book, “The Art of Playing the Theremin” in 2006. This practice is now being used by thereminists around the world and has revolutionized how the instrument is played.
Eyck has collaborated with musicians, conductors, ensembles, and symphony orchestras such as the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Bern Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Argentine National Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.), and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, as well as touring as a duo with pianist Christopher Tarnow.
In 2016, she began presenting solo performances for theremin and voice. Employing loops and a variety of sound effects, she develops whole choirs onstage and extends the theremin's color palette. By singing in swooping tones, voice and theremin often merge symbiotically and can no longer be distinguished from each other.
Tickets are $20 at the door. For more information, visit epsilonspires.org.
On Nov. 16 and 17, the theremin returns to Brattleboro, this time in the able hands of the New York Theremin Society from Brooklyn, including Berlin-based musician Dorit Chrysler, dedicated to promoting the visibility and application of the theremin in performing arts, music and education.
Begun in 2005, the Society performs and provides hand-on workshops worldwide. There will be a Saturday night concert at 7 p.m. and Sunday morning workshops starting at 11 a.m.
Tickets for the performance are $20 and $35 for the workshops. There will be two workshops for adults and one for children. Workshop spots are limited. To reserve a spot, RSVP on the Events page at epsilonspires.org.
Epsilon Spires is housed in the First Baptist Church.