Playing the theremin, this odd and unique musical instrument that produces sound straight from the player’s mind by manipulating the air, would seem a sufficient enough selection to make a musician stand out in the electronic music scene. Not for May Roosevelt who prefers the essence of things and complex challenges.

May Roosevelt studied classical violin, then opted for the electronic theremin; she is a graphic artist but prefers composing music; she’s intrigued by the fusion of traditional Greek sounds in her music, yet she doesn’t barter with the idea of exoticism; flirts with the international scene without negating her origin: “When it comes to roots, you win some and lose some”, says the artist.  “Perhaps things would be easier if I was from somewhere else. Nonetheless, Thessaloniki has defined me even if it’s a city that doesn’t really support artists of an unusual perspective. Maybe living near an airport is enough for an artist, being able to travel…”

From her first album (out of four so far) in 2009, to her work entitled Junea, May Roosevelt has been travelling quite a bit and her music travels even farther: TEDx in Berlin, appearances in London, Zurich, Barcelona, Hamburg, collaborations in concerts and exhibitions, she’s a whirring presence who unveils the Greek elements of her identity through her work, without utilizing these elements as composites.

Her first two albums resonated a quite strong Greek influence, while in 2013 the artist’s ten compositions for piano and theremin were counterpoised with a selection of poems written and recited by Thessaloniki’s emblematic poet Dinos Christianopoulos himself,  a collaboration which highlighted the thereminist’s relationship with literature, as well as her personal interpretations.

«My work Junea, which is about a heroine of the modern digital world where reality blends with fiction, possesses qualities of an added dimension to my musical career to date. »