Carolina Eyck (born 26 December 1987) is a German- Sorb musician and composer who specialises in playing the

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named aft ...

Biography

Eyck was born in 1987, near

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. She is a member of the Sorbian community of East Germany.

Early life

Eyck began learning piano aged five and violin aged six. She began studying the theremin at the age of seven at a school for musically gifted children in Berlin, where she was taught by a niece of

Leon Theremin Lev Sergeyevich Termen ( 18963 November 1993), better known as Leon Theremin, was a Russian inventor, most famous for his invention of the theremin, one of the first electronic musical instruments and the first to be mass-produced. He also worke ...

, the inventor of the instrument. She studied composition, and one of her pieces won first prize in a competition for young composers. A

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The ...

for

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

and orchestra also won awards. At the age of 16, Eyck invented a new and precise way to play the theremin, called the "8 finger position technique". Three years later in 2006, aged 19, she published ''The Art of Playing the Theremin'' in English and German in which she explained this method. Eyck made her debut as a player of the theremin with the

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

in 2002.

Career

Eyck also plays the

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

. In 2010 she graduated from the

Royal College of Music, Stockholm The Royal College of Music, Stockholm () is the oldest institution of higher education in music in Sweden, founded in 1771 as the conservatory of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The institution was made independent of the Academy in 1971, and ...

, after three years of study, with a Bachelor of Music degree in the instrument. She has performed with, among others, the Deutsche Streicherphilharmonie. In 2012, she played the theremin solo at the world premiere of the two symphonies "Mesopotamia" and "Universe" by

Fazıl Say Fazıl Say (; born 14 January 1970) is a Turkish pianist and composer who has worked internationally. Life and career Say was born in Ankara in 1970. His father, Ahmet Say, was an author and musicologist. His mother, Gürgün Say, was a pharm ...

. Finnish composer Kalevi Aho dedicated a theremin concerto to her, which she performed for the first time in October 2012. The theremin concerto "Dancefloor with Pulsing" by French composer Régis Campo was written for her and premiered with the

Brussels Philharmonic The Brussels Philharmonic is a Belgian orchestra located in Brussels. Formerly known as the Groot Symfonie-Orkest, BRT Philharmonic Orchestra, and later as the Flemish Radio Orchestra, the orchestra has been linked to the Flemish public broadc ...

in 2018. Since 2010, Eyck has been the

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

of the Theremin Summer Academy in Colmar, France, and has conducted workshops, lectures and

master class ''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...

es worldwide. She was the winner of the International Competition for Composers, presented by Radio/TV Berlin-Brandenburg in 2006. She has conducted workshops, lectures and master classes in Germany, Sweden, Poland, Great Britain, the United States of America, Mexico and Japan. In 2015, Eyck received the German

Echo Klassik The Echo Klassik, often stylized as ECHO Klassik, was Germany's major classical music award in 22 categories. The award, presented by the , was held annually, usually in October or September, separate from its parent award, the Echo Music Prize ...

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 John Gunnar Rafael Storgårds (born 20 October 1963) is a Finnish conductor and violinist. Biography John Storgårds was born in Helsinki, the son of economist Gunnar Storgårds and his wife Marjatta (Ikonen) Storgårds. He studied violin with E ...

and played with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. She released an album of theremin and voice recordings, ''Elegies for Theremin and Voice'', in 2019. Eyck first travelled to Australia in January 2017 to perform classical music, including Rachmaninoff's " Vocalise", with pianist Jennifer Marten-Smith and

Midnight Oil Midnight Oil (known informally as "The Oils") are an Australian rock band composed of Peter Garrett (vocals, harmonica), Rob Hirst (drums), Jim Moginie (guitar, keyboard) and Martin Rotsey (guitar). The group was formed in Sydney in 1972 by H ...

's guitarist

Jim Moginie James 'Jim' Moginie (born 18 May 1956) is an Australian musician. He is best known for his work with Midnight Oil, of which he is a founding member, guitarist, keyboardist and leading songwriter. Career In addition to Midnight Oil, Moginie ha ...

at the

Mona Foma Mona Foma, stylised as MONA FOMA (an acronym for Museum of Old and New Art: Festival of Music and Art, often further shortened to MOFO) was an annual music and arts festival held in Tasmania, Australia, curated by Violent Femmes member Brian Ri ...

in Hobart, Tasmania. Eyck embarked on her first national tour of Australia in May 2025 with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and pianist Tamara-Anna Cislowska.

Compositions

* ''Sciciani—Am wendischen Burgwall, Pictures for Accordion and Strings'', world premiere 16 September 2006 by the Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra directed by GMD Reinhard Petersen, Soloist: Aidar Gainullin (Moskau)—Bajan * ''CIANI—Am wendischen Burgwall, Pictures for Theremin and Orchestra'', world premiere 4 February 2007 by the orchestra of the Musikgymnasium Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (specialized high school for musicians) in the French Cathedral, Berlin * ''Syllableaves'', concerto for theremin and orchestra, world premiere 24 April 2010 by the

Gävle Symphony Orchestra The Gävle Symphony Orchestra () is a symphony orchestra based in Gävle, Sweden. The orchestra is resident at the ''Gävle Konserthus'' (Gävle Concert Hall). History Founded in 1912, giving its first concert on 16 January that year, the orchest ...

directed by Fredrik Burstedt at the Konzerthaus Gävle (Sweden) * ''Sauselei'', duet for viola and voice (2010) * ''Fantasias'' for theremin and

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

(2015) * ''Remembrances'' for theremin and orchestra (2020)

Discography

LPs

* ''Theremin'' (2008, Servi) * ''Fazıl Say'' (2013, Imaj) * ''Improvisations for Theremin and Piano'' (2014, Butterscotch Records) * ''Theremin Sonatas'' (2015, Genuin) with Christopher Tarnow * ''Fantasias for Theremin and String Quartet'' (2016, Butterscotch Records) * ''Waves'' (2019, yeyeh) * ''Elegies for Theremin & Voice'' (2019, Butterscotch Records) * ''Thetis 2086'' (2022 Neue Meister)

Singles and EPs

* ''Reja'' (2018, self-release) * ''Elephant in Green'' (2019, self-release) * ''Northern Lights'' (2020, self-release)

Live albums

* ''Kalevi Aho'' (2013, BIS) with Annu Salminen, John Storgård, and the Lapland Chamber Orchestra

Guest contributions

* ''Heinz Holliger Oboe Fantasy'' (2008, medici arts) * ''Dante's Dream'' (2009, Kick The Flame) – track "Episodes" * ''The Little Mermaid'' (2011, BFMI) – as the voice of the mermaid using theremin * ''Cellosophy'' (2012, Timezone) – track "King of Atlantis" * ' film score by Maciej Sledziecki (2013) * ''Clownwise'' film score by Petr Ostrouchov (2014, Fog'n'Desire Films) * ''Yeni Sarkilar'' (2015, Ada Music) – tracks 1, 2, and 4 * ''About April'' by Friend 'n Fellow (2015, Doctor Heart Music) – track "April"

Books

* Carolina Eyck: ''The Art of Playing the Theremin.'' SERVI Verlag, Berlin 2006, * Carolina Eyck: ''Die Kunst des Thereminspiels.'' SERVI Verlag, Berlin 2006, , EAN 4025 1187 0631—German version

References

External links

*
"Profile"

Bachtrack ''Bachtrack'' is a London-based international online music magazine which publishes listings of classical music, opera, ballet and dance, as well as reviews of these genres, interviews and general feature articles. History Bachtrack Ltd was r ...

* , composition by Eyck for theremin and orchestra, performed by Frankfurt Radio Symphony, conducted by

Steven Sloane Steven Sloane (born 1958) is an Israeli-American conductor. Biography Born in Los Angeles, California, Sloane developed an interest in conducting at age 16. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in music. Se ...

, Centennial Hall (Frankfurt), 29 February 2020 * , Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's ''The Magic Flute'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Eyck, Carolina 1987 births Living people Sorbian people Theremin players German classical composers German women classical composers German women in electronic music 21st-century German composers 21st-century German women composers 21st-century classical musicians 21st-century women composers