Pauline Oliveros

Pauline Oliveros (US), composer, performer and humanitarian, is an important pioneer in American Music – and electronic music. She has explored sound for five decades, breaking new ground for herself and others. Through improvisation, electronic music, ritual, teaching and meditation she has created a body of work with such breadth of vision that it profoundly affects those who experience it. Music critic John Rockwell wrote: ‘On some level, music, sound consciousness and religion are all one, and she would seem to be very close to that level.’ Through Deep Listening Pieces and earlier Sonic Meditations Oliveros introduced the idea of incorporating all environmental sounds into musical performance. In performance Oliveros plays an accordion, which has been re-tuned to two different systems of her just intonation, and uses electronics to alter the sound of the accordion and explore the individual characteristics of each room she performs in.

http://paulineoliveros.us/