Kevin Kissinger

Hailing from Kansas City, composer and electronic musician Kevin Kissinger’s chief instrument of choice is the theremin, that wondrous, tactile, literally hands-on soundwave machine named after its inventor Leon Theremin. What looks like an amazingly simple device—a vertical antenna bar above a horizontal ring bar mounted on a smooth slab/module, played by fingering the air surrounding each bar—can, via the fingers and dexterity of someone like Kissinger, produce what could be described as celestial music of the spheres.

Kissinger’s skill and ease with the Theremin, in addition to his adept handling of synthesizer processing and programming, is evident in the sweeping symphonic grandeur of his creations. The theremin was embraced by many a soundtrack composer in the mid 20th century for its often flanged, warbling, sci-fi effects, as more of a ‘novelty’ instrument than a fully-formed compositional tool. Kissinger thinks otherwise: he musters complex eddies of sound that alternate between languid poses and poignant semi-stillness, a wholly immersive mix of deep ambience, post-classical melancholia and contemporary minimalism.

Active theremin players comprise something of a small club; Kissinger is undoubtedly one of its most accomplished members. We look forward to hosting his translucent brand of hand-wrung electronica here at OTP.

> www.kevinkissinger.com
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ADMISSION:
> $8 for advance/reserve seating
> $10 at the door