My Promotional Flyer: jpg pdf “You are an absolute wizard!” — Erich Kunzel, Conductor, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra   “You were fantastic! Everyone was quite pleased and amazed at your ability. Thanks for an awesome performance.” — Douglas Pipes, Film Composer   “With mouths agape, the throng observed Charles Lester make his instrument literally sing. He covered many bases of precision, melodic theremin interpretations” — S.L. Duff, Los Angeles City Beat   “When Charles Lester took the stage, he kept the whole venue entranced with challenging pieces from his classical repertoire. He played them beautifully. It was very impressive.” — Buck Sanders, Film Composer   “Charles, you’re a wizard!” — Joel Siegel, Good Morning America   “Charles Lester is considered Los Angeles’ top professional theremin player” — Steve Hochman, Los Angeles Times   “Charles Lester is a space-age magician who conjures music out of thin air” — Gazette Journal, Gloucester, Virginia   “‘Phono Royal’ is super. This musical work relates to contemporary music in the same way the Bauhaus concept of ‘Form follows function’ relates to the picturesque and playful lightness of ‘Art Deco.’ Theremin-virtuoso Charles Lester also knows how to play the fatal chord. Hazelwood Music produced this splendid sound track in stereo with a great theremin virtuoso.” — EFA Media, Frankfurt, Germany   Charles Richard Lester   The theremin could be viewed as the great ancestor of electronic music: Virtually every electronic instrument traces its roots to the theremin’s inventor, Russian physicist Leon Theremin (1896-1993), who produced his first instrument in 1918. Furthermore, the theremin was the first electronic instrument with virtuoso performers playing solo and concert repertoire written specifically for it by major composers. Leon Theremin Perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of the theremin – apart from its mysterious sound – is the way it is played:      — There are no keyboards,      — no finger boards,      — no strings, valves, hammers or pipes.      — There is nothing to blow on, or into. The performer literally “plays the air” around the instrument, making absolutely no physical contact with it. The electronic components of the theremin set up low-power, high-frequency electromagnetic fields around the two antennas, one controlling pitch and the other volume. The player’s hands alter the fields by varying their distance to the antennas. The tone-producing portion of the circuitry is known as a beat-frequency oscillator.

 
 

The Theremin and Me I set out on a new and totally unanticipated musical journey when, in 1995, I discovered the theremin (or, more aptly, IT discovered ME). I became totally enraptured by this enchanting instrument upon watching the documentary about its inventor, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey. Here are some of my theremin-related adventures, more or less in reverse-chronological order— Recital at Buckingham's Choice, Adamstown, Maryland, with pianist Noel Lester.   "Out of This World - Music for the Theremin" -- Recital at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland, with pianist Noel Lester.   Lecture/demonstration and performance at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.   UPCOMING: Guest appearance with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis, Indiana, Jack Everly, Conductor. Four performances October 29 - November 1, 2009.   Three live performances and a CD recording (on Telarc) of Miklós Rózsa’s Spellbound Concerto at the Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio, with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel, conductor. The live performances were presented with the Cirque de la Symphonie. The CD is tentatively entitled The Golden Age of the Hollywood Film Score and will contain excerpts from about 16 great film scores from the early 1930s to the early 1960s. My photos and writeup.   Two performances of the Symphonic Suite No. 1 (adapted from the film score for Komsomol: Patron of Electrification) by Gavriil Popov -- with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor, at Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. This was the U.S. premiere of this work which was composed in 1932.   Performed on the sound track for Finn on the Fly, a family comedy about a dog named Finn and his owner Peter. Both their lives are changed when Finn is accidentally transformed into a human when a science experiment goes wrong. Directed by Mark Jean and starring Matthew Knight, Ryan Belleville, Ana Gasteyer. The score was written by Jeff Danna.   Performed on the sound track for the upcoming Simpsons Video Game (based on the Fox TX animated series The Simpsons). Score by Timothy Wynn and Christopher Lennertz.   Performed live at “SAUMA: Design as Cultural Interface” at the A+D (Architecture Plus Design) Museum in Los Angeles. See Fox 11 New coverage here.   Performance live at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater in conjunction with the upcoming film Monster House (Spielberg / Zemeckis), the 3D animated Sony picture for which I played the theremin on the soundtrack. The film received a special pre-release screening as part of the 12th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival.   Performed on the sound track for Monster House, an animated 3-D feature film scheduled for release in the summer of 2006. (“Three teenagers discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.”) Produced by Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Gil Kenan and starring Mitchel Musso, Jason Lee, Sam Lerner, Spencer Locke, Steve Buscemi, Kathleen Turner and Fred Willard. The score was written by Douglas Pipes.   50th Birthday Party for Kenneth Brecher, Executive Director, Sundance Institute (The Sundance Film Festival)   Appeared with the Bellflower Symphony, Bellflower, California. Featured on the concert was the world premiere of “Concerto for Theremin and Orchestra” composed by Benjamin Harris.   Appeared at GRAND PERFORMANCES, Southern California's largest presenter of free performing arts programs and a landmark nonprofit arts institution, in conjunction with the screening of Steven M. Martin's award-winning documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey.   Performed on the sound track for The Zula Patrol, an upcoming animated feature for PBS. The score was written by Jeff Danna, who was there for the session of course. It was a lot of fun, definitely high-camp but kindly so. Danna said the creators of the show LOVE the theremin and were very anxious to use one in the show's soundtrack. Of course, I portrayed the villain, Dark Truder and his evil toupee, Traxie!   Appeared on the worldwide-airing Country Music Television Channel (cable and satellite) program Most Shocking Ways to Make a Buck. The show profiles people with unusual, odd, strange, bizarre or disgusting jobs ... ranging from armpit sniffers [testing the effectiveness of deodorants], to midget wrestlers, to cattle artificial inseminators, to skyscraper maintenance people, to ... well, theremin players! This show is rebroadcast fairly frequently, so be on the lookout for it!   Noted photographer Nancy Ricca Schiff has documented me for inclusion in her book Odd Jobs 2 - a sequel to her best-selling first volume.   Appeared in concert with Stan Kann at Plummer Auditorium, Fullerton, California.   Played for a private reception (approximately twelve-hundred invited guests) as part of the Dedication and Grand Opening of the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.   Played for a private APLA Fund Raiser at the historic Hollywood home of Global Vision for Peace co-founder Xorin Balbes.   Played for the score of the Hallmark Channel movie The Monster Makers. The score was written by composer Steve Edwards, who has scored over 45 movies and numerous television shows and specials including the series Push, Nevada. The cast includes Linda Blair, George Kennedy, Tim McCallum, and Adam Baldwin. This film is now avaialble on DVD in Barnes and Nobles stores and also on-line at amazon.com.   Performed at the Bigfoot Lounge in Los Angeles, appearing with Seksu Roba and Project:Pimento.   Recorded with the German group Phono Royal for their album “Igelverteiler“. (Also see www.hazelwood.de/phonoroyal) The CD is available at Amazon.de.   Recital in Geisel Library, University of California San Diego.   Recital in San Jose, California at First Presbyterian Church.   Played and demonstrated the theremin for a screening of Steven M. Martin's documentary Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood, California.   Performed with organist Fred Swann for the Noon Recital Series at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.   "Command Performance" with Pianist/Organist Bob Mitchell in the home of Music Pioneer Don Leslie.   Performed in recital with my brother, pianist Noel Lester, at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland.   Performed with the Southeast Symphony in Los Angeles.   Performed at the Moog-a-thon, a tribute to electronic music pioneer Bob Moog, at the historic Hollywood Athletic Club.   Numerous performances for the Los Angeles County Dept. of Recreation and Parks in Hollywood, West Hollywood, and Eagle Rock.   Performed with organist Fred Swann for the “Bach Birthday Bash” in the Crystal Cathedral Arboretum.   Three recitals at Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, California. (2006, 2002, 1998)   Participated in the First International Theremin Festival in Portland, Maine.   Participated in a theremin workshop at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.   Appeared on Good Morning, America. with Joel Seigel, Charlie Gibson and Elizabeth Vargas.   Gave a theremin recital and workshop in Las Vegas, at the Orleans Hotel, for the 79th annual convention of the National Association of Negro Musicians.   Was featured in a full-page article for the Outlook, Santa Monica California’s daily newspaper.   Played the theremin for the score of Rag Doll, a film produced by Big City Pictures, starring Freda Payne, Score & soundtrack recording produced & mixed by Booker T. Jones III.   Played the theremin for three television commericals: McAfee VirusScan, Dell computers and Michelob beer.   Performed the theme for the Discovery Channel — National Geographic show Animalicious. (“Wild Kingdom Meets National Enquirer”!) Score by Mick Muhlfriedel.   Played the theremin in Munich, Germany for a live performance of the “radio space opera” Odysseus7.   Was featured in Los Angeles Magazine's “Best of L.A.” issue (1998).   Gave two concerts in San Francisco, California, as a part of the “Noontime Concerts” series at the historic Old St. Mary's Church in Chinatown.   Featured artist for the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum Grand Reopening.   Appeared in concert with the Continental Consort at the Playhouse, Sierra Madre, California.   Featured artist for the L.A.International Airport “Encounter” Restaurant Grand Reopening.   And many more adventures as well, some of which you can read about in my Updates and How I Fell in Love with the Theremin pages.   For my promotional flyer, click here for JPG, or here for PDF.   Other theremin-related pages on my site, also in no particular order: A Brief History of the Theremin Hear Some of My Work (NEW! I finally took the plunge and went on YouTube!) How I Fell in Love with the Theremin Theremin Updates A Fun Theremin Gig in Ojai Dr. Samuel Hoffman The First International Theremin Festival An Outdoor Theremin Jam Session A Theremin Rogues' Gallery Miscellaneous Photo Gallery Bob Moog Makes a House Call The Man of a Thousand Faces?! Dr. Albert Polsky A Mysterious Tube Theremin Albert Glinsky Book Signing “Command Performance” for Don Leslie The New Moog Etherwave Pro My First Corporate Sponsor, QSC Audio Bela Lugosi, Thereminist?!

 
 

More Information About the Theremin Albert Glinsky’s compelling biography about Leon Theremin, Theremin-Ether Music & Espionage is a must-read for those interested in the history of the theremin. It can be obtained directly from the publisher, Indiana University Press. The documentary (Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey) mentioned above is generally available for rent or purchase at your favorite video store; or you can buy a copy from Moog Music's website, www.MoogMusic.com. Moog Music also sells theremins, effects pedals, and other electronic music gear, as well as a variety of videos, CDs, etc. pertaining to the theremin. And, not surprisingly, the Internet contains a vast wealth of information. Just start at your favorite search engine (I like google.com) and you will find plenty of information about the theremin and its history. A number of recordings are available featuring various thereminists including Clara Rockmore, Lydia Kavina, Pamelia, James Coleman, Project:Pimento, Seksu Roba, and others. Most of these are available at the various on-line record stores or through other web sites such as www.MoogMusic.com. Another great theremin resource is “Levnet,” a list-server dedicated to theremin enthusiasts. For more information on Levnet, go to Levnet Information. How would you like a mouse-operated “theremin” on your computer? A fun shareware program called “Mousing” is available from Sagebrush Systems.

 
 

~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~       Please note that this entire Website (137.com), and all text and some images* therein, are copyright © 1995-2008 by Charles Richard Lester. You are welcome to disseminate information or graphics from this site for non-commercial use only but only after requesting — and receiving — permission by its author (me). Please apply to Charles Richard Lester: one_three_sevenat137.com (change "at" to the "@" symbol). Thank you for appreciating the value of creativity. (*If you’re not sure whether or not a given image is in public domain, just send an email and ask.) THIS APPLIES WITH SPECIFICITY AND, IN PARTICULAR, TO EBAY AUCTIONS. Under NO circumstances is anyone EVER permitted to use text, photos or images from my web site — or to put links to my site — on their ebay listings, or on any other similar auction web sites.

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