Bob Moog Foundation To Honor Rock Legend Keith Emerson At 2026 NAMM Show

December 15, 2025 (Asheville, NC) — The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to announce that it will honor the legendary keyboardist Keith Emerson at the 2026 NAMM Convention, which runs from January 22, 2026 to January 24, 2026. The Foundation will host a Keith Emerson Moog Modular System reissue, one of five ever produced, in its NAMM booth, in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Emerson’s passing. Various musicians and technologists will be demonstrating the modular throughout the three days. The Foundation will also present a TEC Tracks panel, Celebrating the Legacy of Keith Emerson, on Friday at 4 pm.

Moog Music’s Keith Emerson Modular System (KEMS) was announced in the spring of 2014 in collaboration with Keith Emerson. Using original documentation as well as circuit board and art files for nearly every original Moog module, Moog engineers painstakingly recreated the original Keith Emerson Moog Modular System, which came to fame on countless stages around the world with Emerson featuring it with Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. The massive reissue systems originally sold for $150,000 each. The system being featured at NAMM is owned by Orange Coast Modular.

A technical and historical presentation about the modular will be given at the Bob Moog Foundation NAMM booth by Moog historian Brian Kehew at noon on Friday and Saturday. Musical demonstrations will be given throughout the weekend by gifted modular synthesists Andrew Colyer, Lisa Bella Donna, Rachel Flowers, and Erik Norlander.

“The Bob Moog Foundation is deeply honored to be hosting the Keith Emerson Modular System in its booth at NAMM 2026,” noted Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation. “It is impossible to overstate how important Keith was in bringing the Moog modular synthesizer into the rock genre. He ignited fan’s imaginations with his virtuosic playing, and left an indelible musical legacy.”

Panelists on the Celebrating the Legacy of Keith Emerson discussion include: Mari Kawaguchi, Emerson’s fiancée, Brian Kehew, Rachel Flowers, Steve Porcaro (TOTO), and Rich Walborn, Emerson’s modular tech in the 1970s. Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation, will moderate. The panel will take place from 4 pm - 5 pm on Friday, January 23rd, in the Hilton’s California B room.

“As we enter the tenth year since Keith’s passing, having the replica of his modular Moog synthesizer on display at the Bob Moog Foundation’s NAMM booth feels profoundly meaningful – a tribute to Keith’s unique bond with Dr. Robert Moog and the ongoing work of the Bob Moog Foundation,” noted Mari Kawaguchi, Emerson’s fiancée. “What moves me most is that people will be able to experience the instrument up close, standing before the very creation that shaped Keith’s voice and forever changed modern music.”

Keith Emerson (November 1944 – March 2016) was an English keyboardist, songwriter, composer, and record producer. His masterful use of keyboards marked his work in The Nice in the late 1960s. After leaving The Nice in 1970, he became a founding member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP), one of the early progressive rock supergroups. Soon thereafter he acquired a large Moog modular synthesizer, which he continued to build upon. The synthesizer became a hallmark of his virtuoso performances.

About the Bob Moog Foundation
Founded in 2005, the Bob Moog Foundation is dedicated to carrying on the innovative legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. Through programs like Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool, the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, and the Moogseum, the organization inspires the next generation of musicians and innovators by blending science, music, technology, and education. For more information, visit https://moogfoundation.org/