Invented in 1919, the Theremin, which generates sound without being touched, was the first electronic instrument. Following the Mixed Level Theremin Workshop, The NY Theremin Society and Pioneer Works invite you to build your functional Theremin using Open Theremin, an open source hardware and software project.

Price: $150 + $50 materials fee

Materials: Each participant will be provided with an Open Theremin kit. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops and USB cords, and there are a limited number of computers available at Pioneer Works for those who are unable to bring one.

Audience: Open to all.

Dorit Chrysler has been dubbed a superior wizard of the Theremin. She obtained her Masters in Musicology at Vienna University, and has since worked in performance art, composition, and fiercely promoting the Theremin by teaching and playing all over the world. Chrysler co-founded The NY Theremin Society and founded the first International Theremin School and the “Dame Electric” a festival dedicated to female pioneers in Analog Music. She performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and is featured on the soundtrack of the HBO documentary “Going Clear”. She has recently completed a soundtrack for the remake of “M”, a TV Crime Series. Her works have also been commissioned by MoMA, the Venice Biennale, and The French Cultural Ministry. Chrysler has received a Knightsbridge Foundation Grant and lectured at Radcliffe Harvard University, RISD and the Sibelius Academy as well as a keynote speech for NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression). Her residencies include the Gaite Lyrique Museum in Paris, Schlachthaustheater Bern and Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. Chrysler co-produced the ten piece Theremin Orchestra Performance at the LA Disney Hall and has collaborated with CERN, Carsten Nicolai, Cluster, Jesper Just, Anders Trentemoeller, Elliot Sharp and Phillippe Quesne. She performed her works at the Lincoln Center, Palais Tokyo, the Louisiana Museum, Coachella, Roskilde, Cern, Konzerthaus Vienna and MMCA Seoul as well as concerts in Brazil, Australia, Japan, China, Mexico and Canada.

Charlie Hobbs is an artist, musician, teacher and engineer living in Brooklyn, NY.  His haunting and often humorous sculptural work ranges from robotic ghosts to collapsing spring-loaded ladders and inflatable breathing Doritos Bags. He is the creator of the Hobbs Theremin–a contemporary professional-grade electronic musical instrument inspired by the distinct circuitry and unique sound of the original instruments from the 1920’s.

Founded in 2005 by Suzanne Fiol, director of Issue Project Room and Dorit Chrysler, the NY Theremin Society (NYTS) promotes the visibility and application of Theremin in performing arts, music and education.