Synthesizer enthusiasts will this week celebrate Dr. Robert Moog, who developed the Moog synthesizer. On March 5, Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., will unveil the inventor’s official archives. Relics from Moog’s early days of electronic music discovery have been kept safe at his alma mater, Cornell, since 2013, and are now ready to be showcased after years of meticulous cataloging and curation. The collection generously donated by his wife, Dr. Ileana Grams-Moog, includes academic works, early circuit drawings and diagrams, Moog’s own soldering iron, and synthesizer module prototypes.
Starting March 6, all of this will be on display and open to the public at Cornell’s Carl A. Kroch Library.
To kick off the exhibit honoring Bob Moog’s lifetime of achievements and contributions to science, music and technology, the university on March 5-7 is hosting “When Machines Rock: A Celebration of Robert Moog and Electronic Music,” which will feature on- and off-campus panels, lectures, concerts and workshops. Among the event’s distinguished guests are renowned synthpop and electro-industrial artist Gary Numan, five-time Grammy-nominated electronic music composer and synth pioneer Suzanne Ciani, and Moog synthesizer co-inventor Herb Deutsch.
As part of Saturday’s programming, Deutsch will join Moog Music president Mike Adams and senior hardware engineer (and student of Bob Moog) Steve Dunnington to discuss the evolution of analog sound in celebration of more than 60 years of Moog instruments and innovation.