The theremin is unique in several respects. It is considered the first electronic instrument and it produces sound without the player touching it. Invented by a Russian physicist, Lev Segeivitch Termen (Anglicized to Leon Theremin) in 1919, he patented his instrument in 1928, a year after arriving to the U.S. While in the United States, Theremin was introduced to violinist Clara Rockmore, who became the most renown thereminist of the 20th century. Their extraordinary lives are documented in the highly recommended film, Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey.

Although the sound of the theremin (sometimes spelled theramin) is not commonplace, most of us at one time or another have heard the mysterious strains of the instrument. Despite the theremin's public debut in prestigious Carnegie Hall, it was Hollywood that introduced the eerie sounds to the masses. Miklos Rozsa included it in his scores for the films, The Lost Weekend and Spellbound. The theremin can be heard in many Sci-Fi flicks from The Day the Earth Stood Still, It Came From Outer Space and The Thing to the more recent Mars Attacks.

Pamelia Kurstin is a young thereminist who resides in New York City. She visited Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and conversed with WOUB's Mark Hellenberg about her chosen instrument, its inventor, Clara Rockmore, the documentary, and her approach to the Theremin. Warning: She also allowed Hellenberg to play the instrument.