Lippstadt 2022 – The reboot!

The Theremin academy has taken over the organization of the famous “Without Touch” festivals in Lippstadt, founded in 2007 by Barbara Buchholz, Wolfgang Streblow, and Wilco Botermans. Actually, this is the academy where improvisation and experimental music play an important role.

Teachers

Location

The academy will be held at the Conrad Hansen Music School,
Von-Galen-Platz 1, 59557 Lippstadt, Germany 

Program

After a very long time without lessons, making music together, and exchanging due to the pandemic, we’ll try to relaunch and to warm up everything in a way that everyone is comfortable with. Thus, we focus strongly on common activities, workshops, and seminars. Nevertheless, individual lessons and theremin care (if your instrument needs it) can be booked optionally. To ensure that under these special conditions, we may give everybody the attention which they deserve, we might limit the number of participants.

Basic package for all participants

The prices for the basic package and the options can be seen in the registration form

• 1 hour Theremin orchestra class under the direction of Thierry. We will discover a beautiful simple piece, ”Audite, Silete” by M. Praetorius, which should enable all participants, from beginners to professionals, to play polyphonic theremin music together. We will perform that at the final student’s concert.
• 3 hours Parallel classic chamber music and contemporary improvisation classes “Concerto Grosso”. Based on a choral work by J.S.Bach, the participants will work in two groups. A classical group (3 or 4 advanced thereminists) will rehearse the original version of “How bright appears the Morning star” with Thierry, and the experimental group (all others) will create improvised answers under Wilco‘s guidance. At the end we will put the whole thing together, always a piece of original, an improvised echo, etc., until we (hopefully) find everyone together in a brilliant finale. The text for this hymn was written by Philipp Nicolai in 1597 to celebrate the end of a pestilence. This seems to be well suited in the actual situation. This will also be performed at the student concert.
• 1 hour Seminar Playing Technique – Introduction and refresh with Thierry. Participants who wish will play a short piece of their choice. Thierry will point out the most common weak points and make suggestions for improvement. So everyone can learn from everyone!
• 1 hour Workshop Basics of improvisation. Under Wilco‘s expert guidance, the participants will learn basic techniques and elements of improvisation.
• 1 hour Seminar ”New Theremins in the market”. Wilco and Thierry will present Moog’s New Etherwave, the Open.Theremin V4, and, if we can put our hands on a working exemplar, the Claravox. We’ll have an unfiltered talk about the respective strong and weak points of each instrument and we’ll answer your questions.
• 2 hours “General rehearsal” and final student’s concert.

Optionally, you can book

• 2 hours Seminar effect devices with Wilco. Participants who register for this seminar may bring their preferred effect devices with them. Wilco will also present some of his his equipment. Afterwards, there will be time to exchange experiences and try things out!
• 1 or more hours Private lessons with Wilco
• 1 or more hours Private lessons with Thierry
• Theremin Service and Upgrade, please see the registration form below for details

Social program

• On Saturday Nov 12 in the evening, we’ll have the traditional Raclette dinner together with all participants and lecturers at Lui and Wolfgang Streblow’s home in Lippstadt. Everybody should contribute something. For example, Mallory will traditionally bring the Raclette cheese from Switzerland and Thierry the wine from France. Besides of that, a multitude of Raclette accessories like pickles, charcuterie, bread, beer, sodas and so on, either as a speciality from your home region or purchased on the spot, can be contributed. Those whose travel conditions don’t allow to contribute something edible might feed a piggy bank. We’ll ask for details of your contribution later to make sure that we won’t sit on tons of pickles but without bread…
• Last but not least, of course, there will be the final student concert on Sunday afternoon. Not a public concert, but a rather informal gathering where we can have a nice time together, sharing the “results” of our common work and allowing individuals to play for the other students.

All workshops, seminars, and ensemble classes require a minimum number of 3 or 4 registered participants. In case this quota wouldn’t be reached for a particular activity, we will either suggest you an alternative program or reimburse you.

Information for participants

Equipment and presence

• Please bring at least your own theremin and cables. A few amplifiers, music and theremin stands are available at the music school for those who can’t travel with. Please note in the comments section of the registration form what you would need.
• Please make sure that you can be present during the whole academy time, so that we might schedule lessons and classes without constraints. Ideally, you can make your travel arrangement to arrive already on Thursday night so that we can get off to a good start on Friday morning.

Stay and food

Participants book their stay traditionally at the Rixbecker Alpen hotel, via AirBnB, or Booking. Food can be found either in one of the little shops near the music school, or in one of the restaurants in the city which is at a 20 minutes walking distance. Usually, people gather in small groups to have lunch and dinner together when nothing “official” is scheduled.

Registration

Registrations are closed, the maximum number of participants has been reached.