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Biography

Lydia Kavina (born September 8th, 1967 in Moscow) is the great niece of Lev Theremin and one of the rare professional thereminists in the world. At age 9, Lydia began a five-year study of the theremin with Prof. Theremin as her personal instructor. She studied musical theory at the Moscow Music Academy "October Revolution". Her stage career as a thereminvox-player began at the age of 14. Since then, she has given over 400 performances in Russia, Europe and the USA. Kavina is a composer herself and frequently uses the Thereminvox in her own pieces.

Lydia studied composition at the Tschaikovsky State Conservatory in Moscow where she graduated "summa cum laude" in 1992. She was on the lecture staff of the Moscow Glinka Museum (Central State Museum for Music Culture) from 1986 until 1987 and from 1991 until 1992.

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Compositions for Theremin by Lydia Kavina:

• "The statue of a soldier" for Theremin and piano (1984)
• "Romance" for voice, Theremin and piano (1985)
• "Two Preludes for Thereminvox and piano" (1986)
• "Antique Russia", Fantasy for Theremin, piano, viola, bassoon and chimes, (1987)
• "Landscape" for four Theremins (1989)
• "Suite" for Theremin and piano (1989)
• "Chacone" for Thereminvox and Synthesizer (1990)
• "Requiem" for Theremin and Synthesizer (1990)
• "Swamp Music" for Theremin and Digital Sampler (1992)
• "In Whims of the Wind" for Theremin, voice and piano (1994)
• "The Monologue" for Theremin (1995)

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Repetoire (Selected)

• Lydia Kavina's own works (see above)
• "Fantasy", Martinu
• "The First Aerophonic Suit", for theremin and orchestra, Joseph Schillinger, 1929
• "Vietnam-Album", for theremin and orchestra, Tatjana Nasarowa-Metner
• "Self Portrait", for theremin and organ, Valery Beluznow
• "Phantasy", for theremin, xylophone, and piano
• "Long Song", for theremin and radio baton
• "The Sketch", for theremin and clarinet, Olga Rajewa
• "Remote Star", for theremin and synthesizer, Sergej Kosenko
• "The Song on the Ruin", for theremin and synthesizer, Anatoly Kisselov
• "Mixolydia", for theremin and computer, Jorge Antunes
• "The Swan", Saint-Saëns
• "The Elephant", Saint-Saëns
• Vocalise, Rachmaninoff
• "Romance", Svendsen
• "Claire du lune", Debussy
• op. 11 No. 2, Schönberg
• Music for the Entertainment Stage, Soviet Composers
• Phantasy on Melodies as sung by Ima Sumak, Igor Peschkow

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Recordings:

• Music from the Ether - Works for Theremin (June, 1999)
• "Beyond the Mirrors", Adrian Marcator. Prudence 398.6516.2 (1996)
• "Ed Wood" Original Soundtrack Recording, Hollywood Records HR-62002-2
• "Music for films" - various. Opal records (4/2/1-25766)
• The Radio Science Orchestra - Memories of the Future (1996)
• SERVIsound - Meditatio in Variatione (1995), CD 1.1495-3
• Theremin-Demonstration with explanations on CD-ROM of the German magazine for music & computer, KEYS (3/95)

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Film/Video-Appearances:

• Big Briar, Inc. Mastering the Theremin (Instructional video by Lydia Kavina and Robert Moog), Asheville/NC 1995.
• Martin, Steven M. Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey, USA 1993.

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Radio Appearances: (Selected)

• Florence, John. BBC Radio 2 (UK), 11 June 1996.
• Garland, David: Spinning on Air. WNYC (USA), 24 May 1993.
• Wagner, Christoph: Töne aus der Luft. Die erstaunliche Karriere des Theremin-Instruments. Deutschlandfunk (Germany), 27 October 1995.

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Performances:

Among Lydia's public performances around the world are:

• "International Festival for Electronic Music" in Bourges, France (1994) - European premiere of "Song On Ruins" by Anatoly Kisselov
• "Festival of Arts" in Bad Gleichenberg, Austria (1994) - Composition and performance of a "light-music" installation by Friedrich Förster and Peter Eitle
• KlangArt Festival in Osnabrück, Germany (1995) - "Suite" for theremin and piano, "Monologue", "In Whims of the Wind" by Lydia Kavina and "Mixolydia" for theremin and tape by Jorge Antunes.
• Charles Ives Festival, Barbican Centre in London, United Kingdom (1996) - "Symphony No. 4", BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis (conductor)
• Europäische Kulturtage Karlsruhe 1996 - "St. Petersburg" Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe "First Airphonic Suite", Joseph Schillinger (1929) German first-night premier, 1996.
• Live Radio Broadcast, WNYC, "WNYC's Around New York", July 8, 1996
• Caramoor Center for Music and THE ARTS Inc., New York., July 12, 1996 - "Monologue", "Suite", and "Fantasy" (Martinu). Read a review of this event by Ira B. Kraemer.
• August 12, 1996 - Sonambiente - the festival fuer hoeren und sehen in the Academie of Art in BERLIN. Steve Martin will show his film, "Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey" there.)
• August 28,1996 - a concert in the Theater of Light in Moscow (Optical Theater). The director of this Theater, Sergey Zorin, makes a series of evenings, memored to Theremin during some monthes from July.
• September 11, 1996 - ENGLAND, concert in Birmingham, the workshop week in Science Museum, London. Venue: Barber Institute of Fine Arts, 7:30pm. For tickets, call 0121 454 6022 until 8 September, then 0121 414 7702 after the 8th.
• October 7-11, 1996 - KAZAN (Russia) conference honored to 100th anniversary of Theremin's birth. 3 concerts will be given.
• October 14-20, 1996 - MOSCOW - mini-conference 'Theremin's Days' in the conservatory. Large theremin concert on the 18th of Oct.
• November 4-10, 1996 - DENMARK - two concerts in the Lydl@boratoriet, Copenhagen
• November 19, 1996 - MOSCOW - the Festival of contemporary music 'Moscow autumn'. Concert of the Russian Association of Electro-acoustic Music, in honor of the Theremin's 100 Anniversary
• November 22-29, 1996 - ST.PETERBOROUGH, 'Theremin's Days' in the conservatory, mini-conference
• December 15, 1996 - BRASILIA, Brazil, Solo Theremin Concert and the "SYMPHONIC" Concert with "Brasilia Keyboard Orchestra", on the Second International Meeting of Electroacoustic Music
• April 19, 20, 1997 - Live in Munich at the Marstall Theater in the first public presentation of a live radio play by Andreas Ammer, FM Einheit (former member of the Einstuerzende Neubauten), and Ulrike Haage. The play is entitled "Odysseus 7 --- Radio Space Opera" and will be broadcast live in Bavaria Saturday, April 19th, at 8:30 pm CET via Bayern2Radio, the culture channel of the public radio service "Bayerischer Rundfunk".
• April 25, 1997 - Manchester University, England, a concert-lecture of theremin.
• May 10-13, 1997 - Participance in the 2nd International Electroacoustic Music meeting in Brasil, The University of Brasil.
• May 10, 1997 - Performance - "The First Airophonic Suite" for theremin and orchestra by Ioseph Schillinger.
  
• May 11, 1997 - Chamber concert
  • Kavina - Suite for theremin and piano
  • Rayeva - the sketch for theremin and clarinet
  • Antunes - Mixolydia for theremin and tape
  • Martinu - The Fantasy for theremin, string quartet, Oboe and piano Glissandy for theremin and tape
• May 17, 1997 - Performing works by Varese and Martinu with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (http://www.bmop.org).
• May 23, 1997 - New York. NY University Theater. MicroMay 97 (American Festival of Microton Music). Performance Percy Grainger "Free Music" for four theremins.
• June 15-22, 1997 - Portland, Maine, Theremin Summer Institute and Festival, lecture, Master class and solo concert on June 20.
• September 27 Rathaus in Hamburg, Music Festival "KalssikKom", Multimedia concert
• October 26 Gala koncert in the opening of "Phaenomenta" house in Luedenscheid
• October 31, November 1 and 2 Medientheater, ZKM in Karlsruhe. Performance in "Die Ungeborenen Goetern", a multimedia oper by Kiyoshi Furukawa.
• November 9 Berlin, Jazz Festival. Performance in the concert of Eric Ross and concert presentation in Bauhaus theater stage in Dessau.
• November 20 Tuebingen, concert presentation
• November 22 Braunschweig, concert at the Festival "Medien-Night"
• December 16 and 17 performance at the Bohuslav Martinu Festival in Martinu Hall in Prague, with Suk Quartett, the International Chamber Music Academy Sandor Vegh. Master Class at the Prague Academy of Music.
• February-June, 1998 Cologne, Germany, 'Black Rider' by Tom Waits and Robert Wilson, Halle Kalk
• April 4 Vienna, Austria, April 4, performance on the festival 'Hoergaenge' in Schoemerhaus/Klosterneuburg. April 6, solo concert in 'Alter Schmiede'
• April 28, 1998 Paris, France, solo concert on the Third Recontres International Art cinema/video/ordinateur, Le Cinema des Cineaste
• June 13 & 14, 1994 Italy, Colletta di Costelbianco, Televilage solo concerts
• July 18-25, 1998 USA, Asheville, NC Theremin Workshop organised by Big Briar Inc. and Asheville University

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Stage Productions:

Lydia Kavina performed in the following stage productions at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg, Germany:

• "Alice", directed by Robert Wilson, music by Tom Waits
• "Othello", directed by Guy Joosten, music by Fred van Hofe
• Soiree: "Liebesarten Todesspiel" ("Love forms, Death Games") with music by Lydia Kavina

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Lydia Kavina and Professor Theremin

Contact Information:

To contact Lydia Kavina:

    Lydia Kavina
    Krasnostudencheskyproezd 7-16
    127434 Moscow, Russia
    phone/fax 7-08509776957
    email: tvox@postman.ru

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Special Thanks to Matthias Sauer for providing much of the information on this page!!