On May 2, 2014, The History Center in Tompkins County, NY, in partnership with the Bob Moog Foundation, will open a new exhibition Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer.

The exhibit will explore the life of Dr. Robert Moog and the creation and evolution of the electronic instruments bearing his name. Based on new interviews with family members, colleagues, and contemporaries, including Herb Deutsch, Bernie Worrell, Bill Hemsath, Don Preston, David VanKoevering, Shirleigh Moog, David Borden, and others, the exhibition will offer a unique view into the life and work of Moog.

Robert Moog came to Ithaca, NY in 1957 to begin his PhD work at Cornell University. He founded the R.A. Moog, Co. in the late 1950s, selling theremins and theremin kits throughout Ithaca.

In 1963, Moog opened a storefront for his small factory, in nearby Trumansburg, NY. It was there that the Moog modular synthesizer and the iconic Minimoog were born. The factory grew to become a mainstay in the region until Moog sold the company in 1971, and the new owners moved it to Williamsville, NY.

Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer tells the story of Moog’s Trumansburg years, through the oral histories of those who knew him, worked with him, and shared his path in shaping a revolution in sound, technology, and music.

The exhibit will also feature a collection of rare Moog instruments. Featured instruments will include a 1950s R.A. Moog Co vacuum tube theremin (below), a Trumansburg-era Minimoog (top), and one of only three R. A. Moog, Co. PMS-15 amplifiers ever sold. Also featured in the exhibit are host of rarely seen photographs of Moog’s young family as well as scores of schematics from the earliest iteration of the company.

Switched-On: The Birth of the Moog Synthesizer will be the first major exhibition on Bob Moog and Moog Synthesizers to occur in the region, and will run through May 31st, 2015.

Photos: Roger Luther