The University at Albany Performing Arts Center, operating under the auspices of the College of Arts and Sciences, is pleased to be collaborating with Proctors to present the experimental music groups in the Dangerous Music Project in a series of lecture/demonstrations in the Recital Hall of the UAlbany Performing Arts Center on the uptown campus. These events are presented in association with Proctors through support from the New York State Music Fund established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

Last in the series is LEMUR on Friday, April 4, 2008 at 7pm. Founded in 2000 by musician and engineer Eric Singer, the League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists who create exotic, sculptural musical instruments which integrate robotic technology. Their philosophy is to build robots that are new types of musical instruments as opposed to animatronic robots that play existing instruments.

LEMUR's growing ensemble includes over 50 robotic instruments. GuitarBot, an electric stringed instrument, is comprised of several independently controllable stringed units which can pick and slide extremely rapidly. ModBots are a large collection of modular percussion robots in a variety of styles and functions including beaters, singing bells and shakers. The Ill-Tempered Clangier is a robotic xylophone-like tubular bell instrument which clangs percussive melodies on forty-four tuned metal pipes. ForestBot is comprised of a forest of egg-shaped rattles sprouting from long rods that quiver and sway over onlookers. TibetBot is designed around three Tibetan singing bowls struck by robotic arms to produce a range of timbres.

LEMUR operates LEMURPlex -- a performance, gallery and teaching space in Brooklyn that was established to teach and showcase the best in art and technology. At LEMURPlex, performances feature live music, video, dance and interactivity; gallery shows and installations showcase the best in electronic art; and classes are offered in a wide range of art and technology subjects. This year, LEMURplex will initiate artist-, composer- and researcher-in-residence programs. These will enable selected artists, composers and researchers from around the world to work at LEMURplex, to utilize the robots and extensive workshop facilities and to collaborate with LEMUR artists and technologists.

Founder Eric Singer is a musician, artist, engineer, programmer and director of LEMUR. He has over 20 years of music and arts programming, engineering and performance experience in the areas of interactive music and graphics systems, alternative controllers, networked multimedia environments and robotics. He performs and lectures around the world with electronic musical instruments and teaches workshops on a range of art and technology subjects. He is known internationally for his software and hardware products for interactive art and music creation.

An accomplished musician, Singer has toured and recorded with many bands on tenor, alto and baritone saxes. He is also a founding member of the Brooklyn-based arts collaborative The Madagascar Institute and has contributed to many of the group's spectacular projects. As captain of the Madagascar Institute’s Brooklyn Benders, he led the team to the semi-finals on The Learning Channel’s Junkyard Wars television show.

In addition to directing LEMUR, Singer works as an independent Arts Engineer and Consultant; runs Eroktronix, his company which creates and markets electronics technology for the arts; and has been an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NYU Interactive Telecommunication Program.

Admission to the lecture/demonstration is free but a ticket is required. For further information, contact the Box Office at (518) 442-3997 or visit the Performing Arts Center website at www.albany.edu/pac.

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