Born in Russia in 1911, Clara Rockmore grew up to become a trailblazing performer of the world’s first electronic instrument—the theremin. Rockmore was a child musical prodigy with perfect pitch, but by the time she was a teenager, an arm injury forced her to give up her beloved violin. Still, music called to her, and after Rockmore was introduced to a brand new instrument—one that made the player look like she was pulling notes out of thin air—she embraced the theremin’s magic, amazing the world with her virtuosic talents.

About the Narrator

Jess Gillam is a British saxophonist and BBC radio broadcaster. She is the first ever saxophonist to be signed to Decca Classics and recently released her second album, ‘TIME’. Gillam is also a presenter on TV and Radio. She became the youngest ever presenter for BBC Radio 3 and hosts her own weekly show and podcast called “This Classical Life” where she chats to musical guests to swap tracks and share the music they love. She has been the recipient of a Classic BRIT Award (in the Sound of Classical Poll), and was the first ever saxophonist to reach the final of BBC Young Musician. Jess studied and was mentored by the legendary saxophonist John Harle and graduated from Guildhall School of Music with a Masters with distinction in 2020. 

Credits

This podcast is a production of Rebel Girls. It’s based on the book series Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls. This episode was produced by Camille Stennis, written by Alexis Stratton, and proofread by Ariana Rosas. Sound design and original theme music was composed and performed by Elettra Bargiacchi, final mix by Mattia Marcelli. Executive Producer is Katie Sprenger. A special thanks to the whole Rebel Girls team, who make this podcast possible! For more, visit www.rebelgirls.com.