Who: The Bob Moog Foundation & The Museum of Making Music

What: Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog. An exhibit, interactive engagement and opening weekend of performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander.

When: August 28-30, 2009

Where: Carlsbad, CA

Formal Announcement

The Bob Moog Foundation and the Museum of Making Music proudly announce their upcoming exhibition Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog, which will run at the museum from August 29, 2009 through April 30, 2010. The exhibit marks the first of its kind as it will feature many artifacts from the Bob Moog Archives that have never before been shared with the public, including rare photographs, instruments, schematics, project notes, breadboard prototypes, vintage catalogs and other memorabilia.

The exhibit will also include many artifacts from other private collections including the Moog Modular prototype previously owned by Herb Deutsch, a full Moog Modular IIIC and a working and extremely rare Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive Keyboard loaned by avant garde opera composer John Eaton. Of particular note, Keith Emerson’s (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) custom built “Monster Moog” synthesizer will be displayed for the first month of the exhibition along with notes and schematics from Bob’s archives regarding the instrument.

Pictures from Bob Moog’s Archives

 

Hand-drawn schematic Bob created for Emerson's "Master Module"
Hand-drawn schematic Bob created for Emerson’s “Master Module” (Click the image to see a larger version where you’ll Keith’s name written on the top left corner!)

Keyboard (Bob Moog's Archives)
Keyboard prototype from Bob Moog’s Archives

Tatiana Sezinenko_Carolyn Grant_Brian Kehew examine Bob's 1954 Schematic for RAM, Co Theremin
Tatiana Sezinenko, Carolyn Grant and Brian Kehew examine Bob’s 1954 Schematic for Robert A. Moog Co. Theremin

Crumar Spirit Serial #0001
Crumar Spirit Serial #0001 found in Bob’s Workshop

Handwritten Labels on a Prototype Pedal from Bob's Archives
Notice the hand-drawn labels on this prototype controller

Details

While the exhibit highlights Bob’s career, motivations and philosophies, it will also examine the role of the many collaborators who helped shape the sound and design of Moog instruments including Herb Deutsch, Jon Weiss, Chris Swansen, David Borden, Wendy Carlos, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Joel Chadabe, Bill Hemsath, Keith Emerson and John Eaton. Of particular interest will be the exploration of the relationship between the toolmaker and the musician, the evolution of Moog instruments and their application in live performance.

The exhibit will feature an interactive station where attendees can play Moog instruments, many of which are being loaned by Moog Music, Inc.

The opening weekend of the exhibit (August 28-30) will include intimate musical performances by Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander, whose appearance together represents the Moog Legacy being handed down from one generation of musician to the next. Also scheduled are talks by pioneering synthesist Larry Fast and Moog historian Brian Kehew.

Monthly programming will continue through the seven month duration of the exhibition. Announcements of that programming will be forthcoming.

 

About the Exhibit Partners

The Museum of Making Music, a division of the NAMM Foundation, is a small museum located 35 miles north of San Diego. The museum is dedicated to the exploration of the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today. The Bob Moog Foundation has been planning this exhibit for almost two years with the museum’s Executive Director, Carolyn Grant and Curator, Tatiana Sezinenko. Moog historian Brian Kehew has been involved as the consultant for the exhibit and is responsible for introducing the two parties at Winter NAMM 2008.

Here at the Foundation we regard Bob’s archives as a fascinating testament to history, innovation, and a lifetime of perseverance. Since retrieving the archives from unstable storage conditions in January of 2006, we have worked to preserve and protect this priceless collection that traces the 50 year career of a dedicated pioneer. With this exhibit, we are delighted to be sharing an extensive part of the archives with the public for the first time.

A special thanks to Carolyn Grant and Tatiana Sezinenko for their generous energy and thoughtful attention to telling a rich, fascinating story with an emphasis on accurately portraying Bob Moog as the toolmaker he so often described himself to be while giving careful consideration to the many people who make up the Moog Legacy. Thanks also to Brian Kehew who has worked (and will be working over the next six weeks!) tirelessly to help bring this exhibit to fruition. Finally, our deepest thank to Douglas Babb, who made the trek from Indiana to North Carolina five times (on his own dime) to help us sort out and understand Bob’s archives.

We encourage all of you who are in the San Diego area to attend this unique exhibit. It will be an excellent opportunity to share in the life and work of Bob Moog – and for all you gearheads out there, it will be a chance to see many rare, if not one-of-a-kind pieces. Come share in the legacy that continues to inspire!

Continue to check this blog and the museum’s website for updates.