PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA INQUIRIES ONLY CONTACT: Dina Pearlman • dina@alanrpearlmanfoundation.org
The ARP Foundation Strengthens its Mission
Kingston, NY, AUGUST 31, 2023 – The Alan R. Pearlman Foundation has welcomed three new appointees to its Board of Directors: Chris Meyer, Collin Russell, and Andrew Schlesinger.
Chris Meyer
As a teenager in the 70s, Chris Meyer took lessons on piano, bass, and modular synthesizers. He went on to write code and help design products for Sequential Circuits, Digidesign, Tom Oberheim, and Roland R&D where he was chief engineer. He is perhaps best known as the creator of Vector Synthesis.
Chris also taught synthesis at UCLA Extension, wrote numerous articles for Music Technology Magazine plus a column for Keyboard Magazine, and was technical chairman of the MIDI Manufacturers Association where he authored several additions to the spec including MIDI Time Code.
After a two-decade detour in the video and film industry, he recently returned to modular synthesis, creating videos, courses, and articles under the name Learning Modular, and co-authored the popular book Patch & Tweak. Proving that one who teaches can also “do”, most recently he has been focusing on composing and performing sweeping, emotional electronic music under the name Alias Zone which combines synthesizers, samplers, field recordings, and percussion instruments.
Collin Russell
Collin Russell is a composer, sound designer, and educator specializing in modular synthesis and through-composed electronic music. In addition to creating sound libraries and scoring music for films, Collin releases his own personal music in genres ranging from ambient to harsh noise. His process is rooted in the melding of traditional harmonic and rhythmic structures with organic modulations, bridging the gap between familiar and explorative sound.
Collin is an assistant professor of Electronic Production and Design at Berklee College of Music. His passion for teaching originated from his work as a technical writer in the music technology industry. Currently, Collin is a technical writer, product consultant, and service technician at Instruō Modular. His writing can also be found in the Bjooks publications, Synth Gems 1 and Inspire the Music – 50 Years of Roland History.
Andrew ‘Drew’ Schlesinger
Drew Schlesinger is a renowned professional sound designer who has been involved in creating patches for synthesizers, effects and software products beginning with the Casio CZ-101 in 1984. He’s developed internal presets for over two hundred devices from thirty different manufacturers including Roland, Korg, EMU, Kurzweil, Alesis, Sony, Yamaha, Eventide, Lexicon and Sound Toys among many others.
He’s recognized as one of the most prolific and accomplished sound programmers in the MI industry and has created seminal sounds and effects that include “Crystal Echoes” (Shimmer), the “Black Hole” reverb for Eventide and “Prophetic Steps” for Korg’s Prophecy synthesizer.
Drew was recently presented with the Golden Knob Lifetime Achievement Award at the Knobcon 2022 for his work in synth sound design and the contributions to the electronic music community. He’s also included in NAMM’s Oral History Series and is a frequent podcast guest. Drew also curates an anthology of synthesizer artists, composers and devices on his popular Instagram page.
“We’re very excited to welcome these talented professionals into our Board of Directors,” said Dina Alcalay Pearlman-Ifil, founder and Executive Director of the ARP Foundation and daughter of Alan R. Pearlman. “These three new Directors are well-recognized in their fields and we’re looking forward to their contributions bringing the Foundation’s efforts to the next level.”
The ARP Foundation continues its work with contributors, collaborators, vendors, manufacturers, venues, and synthesizer owners to provide music students with access to vintage ARP synthesizers to explore the endless possibilities of electronic music. The Foundation relies on donors to continue its mission, and encourages everyyone who understands the importance of music education to visit www.alanrpearlmanfoundation.com to learn more and pledge their support.
