Kip Rosser’s solo performances, staged productions, award-winning compositions and industry
recognition have earned him a reputation as one of the most accomplished thereminists
playing in the world today.

When performing solo, Rosser typically moves beyond a standard recital format, making for a
unique event that combines music (ranging from classical to jazz to popular) with humor, stories,
performance art, animation and video, continually pushing the boundaries of the theremin’s
capabilities.

BACKGROUND

Equipped with a BFA in Acting/Directing from Ithaca College and an MFA in Directing from
Northwestern University, Rosser moved to New York City and worked as a director, playwright,
graphic artist and copywriter. Fast forward to 1996; after a twenty-one year hiatus from serious
musical study, Rosser crossed paths with the grandfather of all electronic instruments, the
theremin; he purchased a kit, built one, and practiced like a maniac for two years before daring
to play in public.

In 1998, at the request of renowned author/illustrator, Edward Gorey, Rosser composed 21
Inconsequential Pieces for Theremin for a stage production Gorey himself was directing.
Each of the 21 pieces was 1.5 seconds in length (incredibly inconsequential). Later that year,
Rosser composed music for and directed “Eek!,” a stage production of both published and
unpublished works by Gorey, as well as being Rosser’s first full-length production using the
theremin. During the early 2000s, his original compositions repeatedly won first place in the
Avant Garde and Electronic categories on “Spellbound,” Cygnus Radio’s theremin program. In
2003, his play Rare Times Altogether took FIRST PLACE, Plays for the 21st Century
Playwrights Theater, Inc. of Dallas.

Gradually, he began to find ways to apply all skills together in a concerted effort to be of service by
reaching out with a new type of life-and-music-affirming message. The first result was the
non-fiction A Practical Book of Everyday Miracles, published in 2005. 2005 also
saw his critically acclaimed full-length production, “Unholy Secrets of the Theremin”
presented with concert pianist, Jef Anderson, at the 2005 New York International Fringe Festival.

In 2006, after creating full courseware for using the theremin in a therapeutic environment, Rosser
was chosen by Moog Music, Inc. to represent their theremins at the annual convention for the
American Music Therapy Association.

In 2007, he became a member of MUNY (Music Under New York) and continues to bring
theremin music to the public in the New York City subway. He is featured in the book, the
Noise Beneath the Apple, author Heather Jacks’s compendium of Manhattan street
musicians.

He was accepted on the artist roster of Musicopia in 2008, an organization that sends teaching
artists throughout the Philadelphia area school system; he also served on the Board of Trustees
from 2011-2013. Rosser brings his grade-appropriate music programs and workshops to students of
all ages. In addition, during his time at Musicopia (through 2019), he collected and delivered
donated musical instruments that are given to children as part of the organization’s Gift of
Music program.

March of 2010 saw the release of the CD, Euphonic Verses, a program of classical music
featuring himself on theremin and concert pianist, Jef Anderson. That same year, he began shooting
The Complete Theremin. Finished in 2012, it is the most comprehensive courseware
currently available for theremin instruction, and it’s available entirely free of charge online
at www.kiprosser.com as well as on YouTube.

In 2021, Rosser added to The Complete Theremin by creating lessons that are designed
specifically for the Moog Theremini, all viewable on his YouTube channel.

Rosser is continually interested in working with anyone seeking to incorporate a theremin into
their music, film scores or other projects. He composed and recorded theremin tracks for new
works by Sebastian Yumatle of Argentina (after meeting in the New York City subway!) and Jassem
Darkvain of Kuwait as well as other musicians around the world. His original music was used for
Sabina Ptasnik’s short film, Gravity. In 2014 he provided the theremin tracks by composer Dane
Walker for the Toddy Burton Eames film, Scientists in the Woods.

In 2016, he composed the theremin soundtrack for Michael Jason Allen’s feature film, An Idle Mind
is the Devil’s Playground, as well as starring in one of the principal roles and reawakening his acting
bug. In 2019, he went on to play the leading role in Allen’s feature film, Emulator, earning a
nomination for “best performance in a feature” from the Binge Horror Festival. He also appeared in
the cameo role of “the mad thereminist” in Allen’s 2021 feature, Barely Dreaming.

Rosser’s CD of original ambient compositions for theremin, Lessons from Vinegar Mother, was
released in 2016 and he is currently working on another album of original compositions.

Due to popular demand at the outset of 2021, Rosser now has a web site where thereminists from
countries all over the world can schedule a personal tutorial session, at: www.thereminlessons.com

In 2019, Kip was added to the roster of musicians for Concerts In Motion, a New York
City-based, not-for-profit organization with the goal of bringing everyone they reach the music
they love most. Rosser provides personal, live concerts to “people who are experiencing physical
frailty or cognitive limitation or who find going to concerts in a crowded concert hall too
overwhelming… reaching older adults, veterans, people with disabilities, individuals experiencing
housing or food insecurity, and medical patients of all ages.”

In June of 2022, Rosser embarked upon what he referred to as “an experience that’s been like an
archaeological dig.” Working with Sandra Shaw Murphy, the only surviving daughter of concert
pianist/thereminist, Juliet Shaw, he founded the Juliet Shaw Legacy Project. The project is
committed to preserving Juliet Shaw’s one-of-a-kind theremin, as well as a vast collection of
newspaper articles, photographs, ephemera, concert and recital programs, video footage and dozens
of hours of Juliet Shaw’s live performance recordings. Until now, the story of Juliet Shaw’s life,
music and career as a thereminist, teacher and founder of the Silvermine School of Music
was almost entirely unknown to the theremin and electronic music communities. In addition to
securing Juliet Shaw’s well deserved place in the theremin’s history, the goal is to find an
institution willing to accept the entire collection and put her instrument on exhibition. As of
January, 2023, the venture entered the fundraising phase. At present, the project is complete and
the site is now devoted to featuring elements of the legacy collection, arguably the most significant
addition to the theremin’s history in decades. Now, nearly two years later, the Juliet Shaw Legacy
Collection has been accepted by the Smithsonian Institute.

To learn more, visit:
jshawlegacy.com

Rosser is currently an instructor of both group and private acting lessons at New Jersey’s award
winning Hunterdon Academy of the Arts.