The First Moog Quartet was formed by Gershon Kingsley in 1970. When Kingsley one day demonstrated the Moog's capabilities to Sol Hurok, an influential New York promoter and impresario, Hurok asked Kingsley if he could get together a group of musicians for a live performance. Many at the time considered the Moog to be a studio-only instrument, incapable of live performance. But Kingsley jumped at the opportunity. He called Bob Moog to order four more Moog modular synthesizers and immediately began to audition players from the Columbia, Berkeley and Julliard schools of music.

Hurok arranged a date at Carnegie Hall in New York for the group's debut performance. Seldom does such a well-known venue play host to an unknown act, but Hurok was convinced that this music needed to be heard. So, on January 30, 1970, four Moogs took the stage along with some singers and live musicians. During the highly-experimental show, abstract slides and film were projected onto hanging curtains and several narrators read from poetry as the Moogs produced otherworldly sounds as well as some familiar classics.

First Moog Quartet - Images, Audio Clips and Reviews

The reaction from critics (and the audience) were mixed -- some in praise, some in scorn and other in utter confusion. But the fact remains that The First Moog Quartet had made history by giving the first-ever electronic music concert in Carnegie Hall.

After this show, Hurok began to promote the group with a tour of several colleges and universities across the country. Traveling in a caravan, the group packed up the four Moogs and other equipment and set off to play at Harvard University, Boston University, Marquette University, Kent State University, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, Purdue University, Iowa State University, Clemson University and Culver Military Academy.

An unexpected result of the Carnegie Hall show appeared when Arthur Fiedler, then conductor of the Boston Pops, asked Kingsley to compose some music for the Moog Quartet and symphony orchestra. Concerto Moogo (see also Orchestral music) and Confrontations were products of this combination of new and old. After performing alongside the Boston Pops, the First Moog Quartet went on to perform with several other orchestras: the Boston Pops, the Detroit Symphony, Grand Rapid Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Miami Philharmonic Summer Pops and the Cologne Radio Orchestra.