AETHERPHON, global theremin family

I won't be able to go either.  I hope some of you who do will post reports
here and at Theremin World... pleeeease?

My 2 cents, Yes they have a long way to go.  But I always cut them a lot of
slack, Moog is a very small company struggling to keep producing quality,
specialized professional electronic instruments in the U.S where every
single governmental, market, corporate, taxational, and economic factor is
poised against them in favor of the large corporations who produce products
off shore.  And they've lost their founder and chief within the past year.
This festival is still a side line for them, they are not dedicated event
producers and do not seem be able yet  to engage one affordably.  It
reminded me of a local film festival I'm attending, they're a mess and I'm a
bit less forgiving of them because they've been doing it for 18 years and
despite *major* sponsors, massive audiences, and computer ticketing support
they are still badly run.  But a lot of my buddies have films in it and I
won't see those and several others at all if I don't catch them now so I
endure.
Moog hasn't been doing annual theremin festivals for 18 years, and I
understand it's frustrating for us.  But I'd rather have them focused on
keeping alive making instruments and helping me with technical questions
first and event, concert and party planning second.  Forgive me, I admit I
really love that little company that made my EWPro for me, they've always
been a tremendous help when I call.

Out reach is tough, from what I've seen here, theremin players don't support
each other's concerts much.  If we don't even show up for each other how
could Moog entice a broader base?  Part of it is the therevangilism we all
can do, no matter what style or level we work at, if we want bigger
audiences we have to be in those audiences, if we want broader audiences we
have to keep everyone we know frequently reminded of the theremin and it's
diversity, if we want to see more theremin recordings we have to buy
theremin recordings.  If every theremin player constantly shared pictures,
tunes, concert fliers and their own passion with the uninitiated maybe that
would help both players and festivals draw a broader base.  I think the push
has to constant and come from both ends: corporate like Moog, grassroots
like us.

Say "theremin" just keep saying "theremin".

-- 
Skål - John, NYC


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]