Untouchable Encounters: Edelweiss
Dorit Chrysler
2015
Artist Statement
In 2015 I traveled to Japan for several concerts - I was invited by the Matryomin Theremin Orchestra to perform with them in Hamamatsu. Despite cultural differences, we all share our passion for the Theremin, a 100 year old electronic instrument based on electromagnetic waves that is played without being touched. The Matryomin Orchestra chose the song "Edelweiss" to perform together - despite the language barrier we spend a glorious day in creative interaction, not touching anything - together.
2020 marks the year of the centennial of the THEREMIN - invented in 1920 by Russian Scientist Lev Theremin, worldwide celebrations were planned in 2020, now canceled due to Covid 19. Trying to find new creative outlets for creative exchange across physical distance have led to a current collaboration with my Japanese Theremin Colleagues, the Matryomin Orchestra, each of us recording in lockdown over the same music, as to edit the final results together. Nothing replaces real interaction though and we hope to perform the resulting composition together in person in Japan in 2021.
Artist Bio
Dorit Chrysler's work is inspired by microtonality and the sonic capacities of the Theremin, one of the first electronic instruments, invented by Lev Termen in 1920. Wall Street Journal dubbed Dorit a "Futuristic Lotte Lenya" and Ann Magnuson described Dorit's music for Paper Magazine: "Imagine, if Marianne Faithful and Nikola Tesla had a love child, with Jane Birkin as the nanny and Bjork as the wayward Girl Scout Leader!" Dorit Chrysler is the founder of the NY Theremin Society and KidCoolThereminSchool, America's first Theremin School for Children. Hailed as one of the world's best Theremin Virtuosos by Arte TV and Noisey, she has been commissioned by MoMA and the Venice Biennale. Most recently performing with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and featured in the soundtrack of the HBO documentary "Going Clear", she has composed music for Film (u.a. the soundtrack for M by David Schalko), TV (Lars VanTriers) & Video Installations (Jesper Just). Dorit is the founder of “Dame Electric” Festival dedicated to Female Analog Pioneers in Music. She is the recipient of the Knightsbridge Foundation Grant and has produced a ten-piece theremin concert for the LA Disney Hall.