The theremin cello represents one of the early applications of electronic technology to musical instruments. Leon Theremin's instruments, though fiendishly difficult to master, are extraordinarily simple to play, and thus represent a democratization of musical means of production. To observers in the 1920s and 30s, they appeared to be magical; for their inventor, they also provided a tool for measuring basic musical aptitudes. Mental Radio is an original musical-dramatic realization of Upton Sinclair's 1930 Mental Radio: Does it work, and how?, in which the author recounts his attempts to test and verify what he believed to be his wife's natural psychic abilities. A discussion of the instrument and composition will follow the performance.

Cellist Jonathan Golove is a dedicated performer of both new and traditional works, as well as of improvised music. He has performed throughout the United States and Europe at venues including Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), Zipper Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and London's Southbank Centre. He has been featured as cello soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Slee Sinfonietta, and New York Virtuoso Singers. One of only a handful of performers on the theremin cello, Golove has appeared as soloist with the Asko/Schoenberg Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, and International Contemporary Ensemble. He is also active as an electric cellist, particularly in the field of creative improvised music. He has performed and recorded with jazz groups including the Michael Vlatkovich Tryyo and Quartet, Ubudis Quartet, and Vinny Golia's Large Ensemble, and made appearances at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, the Eddie Moore Jazz Festival (Oakland), and the International Meeting of Jazz and New Music (Monterrey, Mexico). He has recorded for the Albany, Centaur, Albuzerque, pfMENTUM, and Nine Winds labels, and his performances and interviews have been heard in broadcasts by numerous National Public Radio stations, as well as on Radio Nuevo León, West German Radio, CBC, and Radio France. His summer appearances include numerous festivals devoted to new works, including the Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Festival d'Automne (Paris), Lincoln Center Festival, June in Buffalo, and the Festival del Centro Histórico (Mexico City). Also an accomplished composer, Mr. Golove's original compositions have been performed at venues including the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C., Venice Biennale, Festival of Aix-en-Provence, Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society II, and the Kitchen, and he has received awards and grants for his work from organizations including ASCAP, the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music, and Meet the Composer.