The words on the page come to life with the sound of the theremin

As the clock strikes midnight after Halloween, in rolls the most anticipated season of the year. It’s the Scotiabank Giller Prize season, of course. On November 17th, last year’s Giller Prize winner Sean Michaels made his way to York to perform a reading of his award winning novel Us Conductors.
Michaels appeared as part of York’s Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series by the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. Those who attended the event were treated not only to an entertaining reading and Q&A with Michaels, but also to the unique music of the theremin played by york alumna Hillary Thomson.
A long-time blogger and founder of the mp3 blog Said the Gramophone, music reviewer, and weekly columnist for The Globe and Mail, the 2014 novel is Michaels’ first and only book. It tells the story of Léon Theremin, the Russian inventor and creator of the theremin, an instrument best described as the love child of music and science.
The novel follows the true events of Theremin’s life, though Michaels reveals that he mercilessly embellished the plot and characters, using Theremin’s history as the vessel to carry the story he wanted to tell. He describes an image he has, where every writer carries around a bindle on a stick in which they collect ideas, setting it down when it gets too heavy to piece the ideas together into a story. In Michaels’ bindle, the ideas of the theremin, and of true love that’s not really true, were ones that he pieced together into the story of Us Conductors.
As for Michaels’ performance of the readings, what he delivered was truly that, a performance. His animated personality brought his story to life, and he made sure to engage the audience in his reading as well. With only a brief instruction, the audience chorus managed to master the “dzeeeooooooo!” sound of the theremin needed for the plot.
His readings alternated with performances by thereminist Thomson and pianist and vocalist Kristin Mueller-Heaslip of the group Therevox. They performed the likes of Schubert’s Ave Maria and Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise, the latter being a duet between the theremin and Mueller-Heaslip’s soprano voice to show how closely the sounds resemble each other. Except for the slightest electronic twang to the sound of the theremin, the two are practically indistinguishable.
With the addition of the performances by Therevox, Michaels’ reading became a highly entertaining display of talents through words and music.
The Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series takes place every other Tuesday night and is open to all York students and members of the community. To catch the next lecture, head to 206 Accolade West on December 1st for Lee Maracle’s reading from her novel Celia’s Song.
Madelaine Pries
Contributor