Next Upcoming Solo Concert:
Thursday 13 February 2025
Rob's 70th Birthday Bash!

New video: PBS documentary on Rob Schwimmer—Theremin and Haken Continuum. Theremin player evokes the spirit world and outer space

In A Japanese Garden (Rob Schwimmer)

Ravel’s Forlane on Haken Continuum

Rob Schwimmer’s “Romance in B&W”

Paul Simon’s “Sound of Silence” piano arrangement by Rob Schwimmer

Nowhere Man on Haken Continuum-A Dream Meditation

Eric Clapton’s Steppin’ Out on Haken Continuum

HOTEL OVERTURE from Carla Bley’s Escalator Over the Hill (Rob Schwimmer piano arrangement)

ONDIOLINE & PIANO in “CLOSER TO THE GROUND” (Ondioline bass)

Rob plays "I was Wondering", a gentle new original for Ondioline & Piano.

Rob plays Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" on Haken Continuum for Anthony Marinelli at Superbooth '24. Over 60,000 hits!

Rob plays "Beyond the Sky" on Haken Continuum and "Holding You in my Arms" on piano.

Rob plays John Coltrane's "After The Rain" on Ondioline and piano, and his own "Waltz for a Friend" on piano.

ELEGY for THEREMIN by Mussorgsky/Schwimmer

SIX NEW VIDEOS on the Video Page -- Theremin, Haken Continuum, Piano, and Ondioline

LULU & BUSTER in "PLAYTIME!" at the Haken Continuum Playground. Nominated for Best Micro Film 2022 Barcelona WSXA Film Festival!

5 Psychedelic Pieces By Scriabin for Haken Continuum & Piano: new video on Youtube

Improved Rob was name-checked on the BBC TV game show University Challenge on 7/26/21! (at 24:29)

Rob plays Frederic Rzewski "No Place To Go But Around: Variation 4" (piano 3/15/2013)

Rob plays Improv in the middle of Frederic Rzewski’s "No Place to Go But Around"" (piano 3/15/2013)

Rob plays Frederic Rzewski "No Place To Go But Around" (complete; piano 3/15/2013)

The Beatles "Nowhere Man" on Haken Continuum- A Dream/Meditation (6/26/21)

Ravel "Forlane" on Haken Continuum & Piano (7/30/21)

Jeff Beck vs Rachmaninoff on Haken Continuum (from 2011. Improved Remix!)

Beyond a Song host Rich Reardin interviews Rob Schwimmer (6/11 - 6/25/2021)
Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3

Video: Isaac Newton (Good Night) 8/17/2020

TOP TEN! Heart of Hearing makes Slate's Best Jazz of 2019 list (December 5, 2019).

"Highly recommended"
a review of Heart of Hearing by Andy Hamilton in International Piano 3/19/2020

Rob Schwimmer meets the Brainwave Music Project: piano and EEG brain waves improvisation (December 30, 2019).

Lucid Culture has a new review of the concert at Greenwich House Music School by Theremin Noir, the trio of Rob Schwimmer, Uri Caine, and Mark Feldman (10/11/2019).

Rob Schwimmer discusses the theremin on the podcast Play Morricone For Me (first broadcast 10/3/2019)

Read a review of Rob's Heart of Hearing by Fred Kaplan in Stereophile (August 2019)

Read a review of Rob's Heart of Hearing by Stuart Kremsky at Mr. Stu's Record Room

"For anyone who thinks the magical properties of 88 keys are pretty well exhausted, Rob Schwimmer's Heart of Hearing may come as something of a revelation. This is piano music that creates its own field, neither jazz nor classical nor pop, and with a touch of Theremin to boot. The fusion of virtuosity and originality is by turns exhilarating and moving, no less so in his treatment of standards than in his originals, all of it invoking a dazzling clarity of purpose." – Gary Giddins, distinguished jazz writer/critic/reviewer

Rob played Continuum on Esperanza Spalding's new 12 Little Spells album.

Rob on HBO John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight"

Rob talks about the Theremin on the documentary podcast at Twenty Thousand Hertz .

Heart of Hearing "Kooky, crazy, terrifying and gorgeous!" Mark Morris – Acclaimed Choreographer, Director, Dancer

Heart of Hearing "Absolutely stunning" All About Jazz/Mondo Jazz Podcast July 2018

Great review of Heart of Hearing by Allan Kozinn in San Francisco Classical Voice 7/20/2018.

Gotye's Ondioline Orchestra winsHelpmann Award for 2018 Best Australian Contemporary Concert for Tribute to Jean-Jacques Perrey.

Added a new version of Wolfgang Erich Korngold op. 18 #1 from Three Songs on Youtube

Added two more drawings of Rob by artist Yoomi Tsutsumi Kim.

Review of Heart of Hearing by Greg Buium in Point of Departure.

Praise for Heart of Hearing from Michael Feinstein, Cooper-Moore, and Yuka Honda.

LA Times review of Pepperland featuring Rob Schwimmer on theremin.

Posted two beautiful drawings of Rob by artist Yoomi Tsutsumi Kim.

Rob played the Haken Continuum with Wyclef Jean on the premiere of Action Bronson's TV show.

The Haken Continuum Trio plays Arvo Pärt at ContinuuCon 2017

The Haken Continuum Trio plays Bach at ContinuuCon 2017

Reviews of Mark Morris Dance Group's "Pepperland" feat. Rob Schwimmer on the theremin

Review of ‘Come Together: A Celebration of John Lennon’ at The Kennedy Center

Reviews of Gotye's Ondioline Orchestra at Moogfest

Rob Schwimmer: Holding You in My Arms
Song of the Day (11/28/2016)
Steven Blier – Artistic Director, NY Festival of Song

Mr. Joy: A Celebration of Paul Bley in the New York City Jazz Record February 2016 (page 4, PDF)

Mr. Joy: A Celebration of Paul Bley in the New York Times (2/5/2016)

On Friday, October 30th Rob Schwimmer will be featured on the Theremin at the Boston Pops' world premiere of the new symphonic score for F.W. Murnau's silent classic Nosferatu.

Sean Michaels wrote a book called Us Conductors based on Leon Theremin's life, which just won the Giller Prize. Rob played a few pieces when he was doing his book reading last summer at GreenLight Books over on Fulton in Brooklyn as you can read in his article for The Wire

Great quality video of Scene d'Amour from Vertigo at Joe's Pub (Halloween 2014)

"Rob Schwimmer on NPR's Song Travels" with Michael Feinstein (rebroadcast, Sunday, October 26 2014 at 6 pm on Classical Stations or 2 pm on News Stations)

Rob Schwimmer's solo piano version of "Stormy Weather" at Said the Gramophone (9/15/14)

"My First Theremin" Rob Schwimmer in Keyboard Magazine (August 2014)

Pioneer Works concert video. Sets by Dorit Chrysler and Rob Schwimmer, and the 12-theremin NY Theremin Society Orchestra (3/29/20014)

NY Theremin Society
Kids' Theremin Workshop
Saturday, June 14
Kids 4-6 years: 11:00 - 11:45am
Kids 7+ years: 12:15 - 1:15pm

NY Theremin Society
Adults' Theremin Workshop
Saturday, June 14 — 3 - 5 p.m.

For the Theremin, Music Lessons Are Hands-Off Wall Street Journal (3/26/2014)

Making Music From Thin Air Wall Street Journal Photo Gallery (3/26/2014)

Electric dreams The Brooklyn Paper (3/26/2014)

Rob Schwimmer plays Eric Clapton's "Steppin' Out" on the Haken Continuum. YouTube (1/5/2014)

Rob Schwimmer plays Scriabin's "Feuillet d'Album" on the Haken Continuum. YouTube (7/14/2013)

CBS Sunday Morning video on YouTube (10/27/2013)

Rob Schwimmer interview and footage from the last NY Theremin Society concert (CBS Sunday Morning October 27th.)

Rob Schwimmer and Dorit Chrysler interview on Fox 5

The Invisible Instrument: NY Theremin Society at witf.com

The New York Theremin Society at Bucknell University 10/30/2013

CNN article on "pianos of the future" including Rob Schwimmer on the Haken Fingerboard Continuum

"Rob Schwimmer on NPR's Song Travels with Michael Feinstein 8/23/2013"

"Rob Schwimmer on Theremin at Bargemusic": Review in the New York Times 5/27/2013

John Hammel of the Mozart to Motorhead Radio Show writes of Rob Schwimmer: "...beneath that unpretentious exterior there is a master of his instrument and an artist of supreme insight and sensitivity." Read the whole review of the NY Theremin Society concert.

Simon and Garfunkel--The Boxer (Rob Schwimmer--theremin)

Theremin and Orchestra--Bernard Herrmann's Scene d'Amour from Hitchcock's Vertigo (Rob Schwimmer--theremin)

Polygraph Lounge Family Concert at Carnegie Hall 4/21/2013

The NY Theremin Society at Joe's Pub 3/27/2013

WQXR Bach Lounge 3/24/2013

The NY Theremin Society in the Wall Street Journal 1/1/2013

"CONTINUUM" for Haken Continuum Fingerboard played by Rob Schwimmer (New Version)

I played theremin, clavioline, piano, organ and celeste on the video Land of Nod from Trey Anastasio's latest CD

Solo Concerts at the Old Stone House (Park Slope) on 3/15 and 3/17/2013

The Zmiros Project at the Thalia on 2/6/2013, Rob Schwimmer with Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg

Special Bucknell University performance March 6th

Polygraph Lounge at Joe's Pub on 2/19/2013

Read the New York Times review of Bargemusic's Here and Now Labor Day Festival

Listen to Trey Anastasio's Scabbard (from his new CD "Traveler") with Rob Schwimmer on piano, celeste, vibes, clavioline and combo organ

New Continuum video: Rob Schwimmer plays The Beatles' "Because" on the Haken Continuum (YouTube)

Beck vs Rachmaninoff on the Haken Continuum Fingerboard played by Rob Schwimmer (YouTube)

Rob Schwimmer on Colorado Public Radio

Rob Schwimmer's BreakThruRadio interview

Rob Schwimmer played at the WQXR Celebration of Bernard Herrmann's 100th Birthday
(bottom of the page)

Three videos of Rob Schwimmer's theremin demonstrations at Caramoor on September 21, 2010.

Rob Schwimmer playing Christian Marclay's Chalkboard at the Whitney 9/12/10 (Flash video).

Rob Schwimmer plays the Christian Marclay exhibit at the Whitney (Roberta Smith and Nate Chinen and Roberta Smith --The New York Times)

Rob Schwimmer and his theremin will appear on PBS's History Detectives on Monday, June 28th at 9pm ET/8pm CT.

The New Yorker called Rob Schwimmer a "Theremin hero". June 2010.

"Beyond The Sky" was featured on NPR's Morning Edition on March 31, 2010.

WQXR played Waltz for Clara from "Beyond The Sky" on Monday, March 8, 2010

Back from tour with Simon and Garfunkel this summer in New Zealand, Australia and Japan!

Rob Schwimmer played theremin on the sci fi movie Alien Trespass, now out on DVD

Beyond The Sky was featured on WNYC on March 8 and April 11, 2009

Listen to Rob Schwimmer play the theremin on "Spinning On Air" WNYC Radio (10/26/2008)

Concert Review --All About Jazz 9/12/08

"Freeheld" 2008 Academy Award Winner (composer)

"Extraordinary...harmonically ravishing...a dazzling two-handed ostinato-based piece where Oscar Peterson and Sergei Prokofiev break bread... a most stimulating release that stays fresh after countless rehearings" – Gramophone January '08

"Shaping up to be the finest solo piano CD of the year... Once in a great while in the musical incubator of the NYC downtown club scene, a truly musically sophisticated work with broad appeal emerges as if from nowhere... Short pieces and miniatures display dazzling technique and use brevity to enhance their passion. His complete mastery of dynamics and transition remind of how that which is left unsaid can be delicately powerful, with achingly beautiful quiet passages deftly contrasted with forte." – Elliott Simon; All About Jazz--New York

"Dancing easily between both (classical and jazz) worlds ... machine-gun speed and clarity ... dense, rhythmically involving work ... unequivocally classical pieces... Mr. Schwimmer draws on the kind of dark harmonies more typical in Frederic Rzewski's concert music than in jazz ... crisp, disciplined keyboard technique that thrives best in rhythmically complex and coloristically varied music..." – Allan Kozinn; The Sunday New York Times, Arts & Leisure section

"Utterly unique ... Virtuoso in the extreme ... One of a kind ... Such great surprises! The structures are so thoughtful and complete ... I couldn't wait to hear the next track ... The most imaginative version of Stormy Weather I've ever heard ... The world deserves to hear you!" (Beyond the Sky) – Leonid Hambro; renowned classical pianist/ competition judge

"Substantial artistry...a genuinely impressive sense of structure (in his compositions) with a jazz-fueled spontaneity and an ear for instantly memorable melodies in these clever, attractive miniatures...an original, compelling voice...a vivid imagination that recognizes no borders." – Steve Smith; Time Out New York

"Legendary keyboard talents ... astonishing artistry ... amazing pianistic skills, incredible improv abilities, compositional brilliance, and theremin chops. This is exquisitely beautiful music." – Ernie Rideout; Keyboard

"Brainy and dreamy" – Charlene Baldridge; San Diego News

"Beyond the Sky is fantastic. In every way ... writing, playing and pianistically. Dynamically. Lyrically. I could go on. Congratulations. You're killin', man!" – Michael Brecker; Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist/ composer

"Meaningful, intelligent and evocative music--Not to mention great piano playing!" – Paul Simon

"Not only is Rob Schwimmer one of my first call piano players, he's also a great artist in his own right. His compositions, technique and interpretation all come together on Beyond The Sky —Some of the best piano playing I've ever heard!" – Arif Mardin; legendary producer/arranger, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

"(One of) downtown's best piano talents" – The New Yorker

"With Schwimmer, more is more" – Jazziz

"Theremin master" – The New York Times

Rob interviewed on WNYC by David Garland