Rockmore, Clara (1911–1998)

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Rockmore, Clara (1911–1998)

Lithuanian musician. Name variations: Clara Reisenberg. Born Clara Reisenberg in Vilna (now Vilnius), Lithuania, Feb 24, 1911; died in New York, NY, May 10, 1998; sister of Nadia Reisenberg (1904–1983).

Admitted to St. Petersburg Conservatory as a violinist at age 5, the youngest musician to enroll at the time; took up the theremin, an electronic musical instrument, and became its recognized master; appeared in the film Theremin: An Electronic Odyssey (1994).

See also video documentary, Clara Rockmore, the Greatest Theremin Virtuosa (1998); and Women in World History.

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