sign in sign up
<<
Home , Alice Shields, Annea Lockwood, Laurie Spiegel, Mario Davidovsky, Music Mouse, Otto Luening

Skirts in the Studio: Ten Women Pioneers of Clara Rockmore 1911-1998

Saint-Saens “Ly Cygne” from Carnival of the Animals Clara Rockmore 1911-1998

• Virtuoso • Born Clara Reisenberg in Lithuania, entered the Conservatory at St. Petersburg at 5 to study violin • Had to stop playing violin in her late teens due to physical issues • Moved to in 1927 and met Leon Theramin shortly aer • Worked with Theremin for several years to perfect his instrument (faster volume antenna, wider range, etc.) • Performed her first solo recital on the Theramin in 1934

Johanna Beyer 1880-1944

Music of the Spheres, 1938, 1st performance 1977, arranged by Allen Strange Johanna Beyer 1880-1944

• 1st Composion featuring electronic instruments by a woman • Born in Leipzig, moved to US in 1923 at the age of 35 • and Pianist associated with Ultra-Modernists, , Ruth Crawford, Charles Seeger, and later . • Largely ignored as a composer, but had a few important performances of her acousc music. • Her music was experimental, ancipang both minimalism and rhythmic techniques used by later • Supported herself teaching piano, and worked as Cowell’s secretary for some me. • Suffered from Lou Gherig’s disease in late years.

Daphne Oram 1925-2003

Pompie Ballet, date ? between. 1959-1977 Daphne Oram 1925-2003

• Creator of the Oramics Machine, a sound generator using film as a means to “draw sounds” • Studied music and electronics growing up, turned down a spot at the Royal College of Music to be a Junior Sound Engineer for BBC in 1942. • 1957 created the BBC’s first electronic score for the play Amphitryon 28 • Pioneered the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in 1958 with Bruce Briscoe and served as the first Studio Manager • Le BBC less than one year aer founding the workshop • Moved to Fairseat in 1959, where she installed Oramics Studios for Electronic Composion in a converted hops mill

The Oramics Machine Bebe Barron 1925-2008 Bebe Barron 1925-2008

• With husband Louis Barron, composed 1st Tape Piece and the 1st electronic score to a commercial film • Born “Charloe May Wind,” Studied Music at the University of Minnesota • Married Louis in 1947, when they received their first tape recorder as a wedding gi • Composed Heavenly Menagerie in 1950 • Worked with John Cage on William’s Mix 1952-53 • Turned to commercial work to earn money, but were denied membership in the Musician’s Union • Composed her final piece “Mixed Emoons” in 2004 “Love at the Watering Hole” From The , 1956 b. 1939

Switched on Bach, 1968 Wendy Carlos b. 1939

• Born “Walter Carlos” in Pawtucket, RI • Background in piano from early age • Studied at and where she was a student of in the 60s • Met in mid-sixes, 1st Moog released in 1966, convinced him to add touch sensivity to keyboard • Released Switched on Bach in 1968 which sold over 500,000 copies on LP and won three grammy awards b. 1939

World Rhythms, 1975 Annea Lockwood b. 1939

• Born in • Extensive career in Europe (based in ) before moving to US in 1973 • Works with recorded media, mixed media, and acousc instruments • Records sounds from the natural world • Also known for Fluxus inspired pieces (i.e. burning pianos) • Her work in the 70s with natural sound predated the movement (i.e. Hildegarde Westercamp) • Also a scholar of psychoacouscs. Interested in trance music from world cultures and the use of sound in healing. b. 1932

Bye, Bye Buerfly, 1965 Pauline Oliveros b. 1932

• Composer, Accordionist, Deep Listening Guru • Born in Houston, TX, studied music at San Francisco State with Robert Ericson • In 1960, with composer Ramon Sender, Oliveros had started Sonics, a center for concrète and electronic music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which became the San Francisco Tape Music Center. • In 1961 she wrote her first tape piece, Time Perspecves which was realized in her home. • 1966 she became the director of the San Francisco Tape Music Center, which moved to Mills College (now called the Center for Contemporary Music) • Went on to teach at UC San Diego and Rensselaer Polytechnic Instute (RPI) in Albany b. 1928

Points, 1973-74 Ruth Anderson b. 1928

• Composer and flaust inspired by Zen Buddhism • Studied at University of Washington (flute and composion), B.A. and M.A. • Traveled abroad in 50s, where she studied with Milhaud and Nadia Boulanger • 1962-63 1st woman admied to Princeton University’s Composion Program for Post-Graduate work • Studied with Vladimir Ussachevsky at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center • Created the Electronic Music Studio and served as the Director at in NY in 1970, where she taught unl rering b. 1943

The Transformaon of Ani, 1970 Alice Shields b. 1943

• Composer, Opera Singer, Scholar and Performer of Indian Raga • Received D.M.A from Columbia University (early 70s) where she studied with Vladimir Ussachevsky • Taught Psychology of Music at • Served as Associate Director of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center and Director of Development of the Columbia Center • Known for her mul-cultural, mul-language operas and electronic music

Count the Skirts at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (1970)

Vladimir Ussachevsky (seated), Milton Babbi, Bülent Arel, , , Alice Shields, Oo Luening. b. 1945

Appalachian Grove #1, 1974 Laurie Spiegel b. 1945

• Composer and Soware Creator • Studied , lute, and composion at Julliard • Encountered the Buchla Synthesizer in 1967 when vising • Worked with Mahews at in the early 70s • One of the first composers to use Groove (Generated Realtime Operations on Voltage-Controlled Equipment), 1st Digitally Controlled Real-time system • Works in Conjunction with Dance, and interest in meditation music • Created in the mid-80s, an Interactive Real-time Composition System for Apple and Atari computer