Moogfest, an eclectic annual festival that celebrates the fusion of music, art, technology, and life, is scheduled to kick off today in North Carolina. Performers and guest speakers include M.I.A., Giorgio Moroder, and Chic’s own Nile Rodgers. Before Asheville gets completely turned on its head, Performer caught up with Brand Director Emmy Parker to discuss her role in Moogfest and what excites her most about this year’s lineup.
As Brand Director of Moog and Moogfest, what are some of your primary responsibilities?
PARKER: Essentially, the team I work with is responsible for any relationship an individual has with Moog or Moogfest that is not related to the sound coming out of a Moog synthesizer. Thankfully, I work with some amazingly talented and energetic people. They handle multimedia design, original content creation, artist relations, product marketing, and media promotions. We have a deep in-house team that runs on passion and mostly coffee.
There are dozens and dozens of music festivals every year. What makes Moogfest stand out from all the rest?
PARKER: Moogfest isn’t just focused on the art of music. It’s also focused on the apparatus’ that enable the creation of the art, and by extension the genius minds that design and build those tools. Moogfest is about the music, the machine, and the designer behind the machine. It’s about the synthesis of art, music and technology. It’s as much for your mind as it is for your ears.
In terms of lineup, Moogfest has always been very unpredictable. Was it easy to get artists and panelists on board? What was your vision for this year?
PARKER: This year, we focused on exploring how technology enhances our ability to creatively express ourselves. We will also explore what future technologies will enable us to create. Technology and art are intrinsically and intimately connected, so it’s not hard to find artists, futurists, scientists and musicians that want to celebrate that.
In what way is Moogfest interactive with its festival goers?
PARKER: We encourage festival goers to actively participate in an exchange of ideas related to art, music and technology through workshops, interactive art installations, couch conversations and panels.
What are you most excited about seeing this year?
PARKER: I’m most excited about seeing what happens when some of the brightest minds in science, music and art engage with the vibrant community in Asheville. Anything is possible when you have an event focused on inspiring people to create something new.