Profile of the Day: Clara Rockmore

Does anyone in your family play the theremin? Today we celebrate the 112th birthday of master theremin performer Clara Rockmore.

Image: Clara Rockmore / Wikimedia Commons

She was born Clara Reisenberg on March 9, 1911 in Vilnius, Lithuania, which was then a part of the Russian Empire. A talented violinist growing up, Rockmore was forced to give up the instrument due to health problems caused by malnutrition.

After her family fled to the United States, Rockmore met Léon Theremin, inventor of the world’s first electronic instrument, the theremin. The theremin is an electric musical instrument played without any physical contact. Plucking music from thin air, Rockmore’s controlled and precise movements created beautiful melodies that transformed the way the public and critics viewed the instrument. Thanks to her close relationship with Theremin and her mastery of the instrument, Rockmore was able to help suggest changes to the instrument to better fit her needs as a performer.

Explore Clara Rockmore’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re related!