Eric Ross is a serious musician who has premiered his Concerto for Orchestra at the Lincoln Center and has written symphonies, chamber pieces and works for solo instruments, and has performed concerts at the Newport Jazz Festival, Montreaux, and the Brussels Palais des Beaux Arts. So what’s this guy doing with that funny-looking instrument with the antennae sticking out?
Ross began playing the theremin in 1975, and has written an overture for 14 theremins playing simultaneously. He even got to play for Russian physicist Lev Termin (who later changed his name to Leon Theremin) in 1991. The theremin is distinguished for being the only instrument that’s played without being touched (if you think you’ve never heard one before, listen closely the next time the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” comes on the radio).
The North Carolina Museum of Art presents two evenings of theremin appreciation on June 8 and 9 at 9 p.m. “Good Vibrations! Celebrating the Theremin” will feature live theremin performances by Eric Ross, and a showing of The Day the Earth Stood Still. On Saturday, June 9, at 2 p.m., Eric and Mary Ross present Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, a demonstration and talk followed by a documentary on the instrument. Call 839-6262 for details.
