Book Launch and Showcase Opening: The Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments

Join us for the launch of The Museum of Imaginary Musical Instruments, a new book by Deirdre Loughridge and Thomas Patteson tracing centuries of instruments that never existed. From ancient myths to futuristic media, these imagined devices appear in literature, theory, video games, and art, at times echoing real instruments, other times pushing far beyond the bounds of technology.

To mark the occasion, a companion showcase opens in the Ryder 3rd floor music hallway, bringing a selection of these imaginary instruments off the page and onto the wall. The showcase will also feature new work from students submitted through the Imaginary Instrument Awards.

The event begins with a short presentation and discussion with the authors moderated by Emily Dolan (Brown University). A reception with light refreshments will follow, and copies of the book will be available for purchase. We invite guests to visit the 3rd floor showcase before or after the talk. This event is sponsored by the Center for the Arts, the Center for Design, and the Department of Music.

Deirdre Loughridge is a professor of music at Northeastern University and music historian specializing in the history of music and technology. Her scholarship draws on the history of science and media studies to illuminate music from material and multisensory perspectives. She is also a cellist in the chamber pop band The Wiggly Tendrils.

Thomas Patteson is a writer, teacher and musician based in Philadelphia, and a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. His research as a musicologist encompasses sound technology, improvisation, and consciousness studies. As a musician, Thomas plays and organizes concerts and other events for the People’s Music Supply, a group he co-founded in 2023.