Biography
The Beginning
German-Sorbian musician and composer Carolina Eyck was introduced to the theremin by her parents at the age of 7. She took her first theremin lessons with Lydia Kavina.
After her debut in the Berlin Philharmonie in 2002 she has been invited to concerts and festivals around the world. It was not long before she was known as one of the best theremin soloists worldwide.
Carolina playing her Moog Big Briar 91A (1995)
How to play a scale on the theremin
Method
At the age of 16, Carolina developed a new precise playing technique, called the 8 finger position technique. She published the first extensive theremin method book entitled "The Art of Playing the Theremin" in 2006.
With this technique the player is able to tune the theremin to their hand and rely on their finger positions, rather than correcting notes after they are audible. This method is now being used by thereminists around the world and has revolutionized how the instrument is played.
“If there’s anyone who can harness the theremin’s wild potential, it’s Eyck, who as a teenager developed her own method of playing the instrument.”
Theremin & Voice
In 2016, Carolina began touring her solo Theremin & Voice program. She breaks new ground by using a surround sound system, allowing her theremin to break free and fill the space. Loops and choirs developed on stage fly through the room in sync with the movements of her dance-like performance. Balancing between minimal and progressive electronic music, Carolina's melodic and partly fixed composition style leaves plenty of space for her virtuoso improvisations.
Her transcription of Ennio Morricone's "The Ecstasy of Gold" got more than 15 million views online. Carolina has released several solo albums, including "Elegies for Theremin & Voice" (2019) and "Thetis 2086" (2022).
Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold
“Plainspoken and funny on stage, she’s a serious artist and avid advocate of her instrument, which she has worked into numerous musical settings.”
Classical music and new works
Over the years, Carolina has collaborated with various musicians, conductors, ensembles and symphony orchestras, such as Fazil Say, Heinz Holliger, Michael Sanderling, Gürer Aykal and Brad Lubman, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Bern Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Argentine National Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.) and Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg.
Carolina has performed in concert halls around the world, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., MONA (Museum of New and Old Art) Tasmania, Konzerthaus Berlin, Bozar Brussels, Rudolfinum in Prague, Großes Festspielhaus Salzburg, Centro Cultural Kirchner (CCK) Buenos Aires, Teatro National de Guatemala and Centro Gabriela Mistral Santiago, Chile.
Since 2013, she is performing with pianist and composer Christopher Tarnow as a duo. In October 2015, they published an album with contemporary compositions for theremin and piano "Theremin Sonatas". In 2016, Carolina released an album with her own composition "Fantasias" for Theremin and String Quartet with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME).
Carolina Eyck - Remembrance for Theremin and Orchestra
Carolina has premiered a number of works, among others:
• Jan Bilk - "Stigma Integrum" for Theremin and String Quintet (2007)
• Andrew Norman - Theremin Concerto "Air" (2011)
• Fazil Say - Symphonies "Mesopotamia" and "Universe" (2012)
• Kalevi Aho - Theremin Concerto "Eight Seasons" (2012)
• Christopher Tarnow - 1st and 2nd Theremin Sonata (2013, 2014)
• Carolina Eyck - "Fantasias" for Theremin and String Quartet (2015)
• Régis Campo - "Dancefloor With Pulsing" for Theremin and Orchestra (2018)
• Dalit Warshaw - "Sirens" for Theremin and Orchestra (2019)
• Carolina Eyck - "Remembrance" for Theremin and Orchestra (2020)
“Carolina Eyck is the Queen of Theremin.”
AWARDS
In 2006, Carolina won the International Competition for Composers arranged by Radio/TV Berlin-Brandenburg for her orchestral composition "Sciciani".
In 2015, she received the German Echo Klassik in the category "Concert Recording of the Year (20th/21st century music)" for playing the Theremin Concerto "Eight Seasons" by Kalevi Aho, conducted by John Storgårds and played with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra, published in 2014 by BIS records.
“Carolina Eyck has done much to rid the theremin of its gimmick status and legitimize it as an instrument that can credibly take its place in any number of serious music contexts.”
Carolina performing with Steve Vai (2018)
Collaborations
Besides her classical performances and solo concerts, Carolina enjoys to collaborate with contemporary artists and has performed or recorded among others with rock legend Steve Vai, singer-songwriter Gotye, DJ Jeff Mills, guitarist Jim Moginie, Tangerine Dream, multi instrumentalist Jacob Collier and vocalist Theo Bleckman. With electronic musician Eversines she relesaed the album "Waves" in 2019.
Teaching
Carolina regularly conducts workshops, lectures, and master classes worldwide. In 2018, she gave a TEDx Talk about the symbiosis of self-control and freedom while playing the theremin. She is the artistic director of the Theremin Academy in Colmar (France), Leipzig and Berlin (Germany). In her regularly produced instructional videos, Carolina demonstrates her playing technique and theremin basics. Introductions are given in English, German, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, French, Chinese and Turkish.
TEDx Talk Dornbirn 2018 - Getting in Tune