Mel Torme
American recording artist
Wendy Carlos is an acclaimed American musician and composer known for her pioneering work with electronic music, including her Grammy-winning album “Switched-On Bach” and her influential film scores for movies like “A Clockwork Orange” and “The Shining”. She was also a trailblazer in raising public awareness of transgender issues.
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About the Wendy Carlos
Wendy Carlosis an American musician and composer best known for her electronic music and film scores.
Born and raised in Rhode Island, Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving to New York City in 1962 to study music composition at Columbia University. Studying and working with various electronic musicians and technicians at the city’s Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, she helped in the development of the Moog synthesizer, Robert Moog’s first commercially available keyboard instrument.
Carlos came to prominence with Switched-On Bachand The Shiningfor Walt Disney Productions.
In 1979, Carlos raised public awareness of transgender issues by disclosing she had been living as a woman since at least 1968, and in 1972 had undergone sex reassignment surgery.
As of 2020, much of Carlos’s discography is out of print, and has not been licensed for digital distribution to streaming or download platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wendy Carlos is an American musician and composer best known for her electronic music and film scores. She was born as Walter Carlos in 1939 and later underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1972.
Wendy Carlos is best known for her electronic music, particularly her 1968 album ‘Switched-On Bach’ which helped popularize the use of the Moog synthesizer in the 1970s. She also composed the scores for several films, including A Clockwork Orange and The Shining.
Wendy Carlos underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1972, after publicly disclosing that she had been living as a woman since at least 1968.
As of 2020, much of Wendy Carlos’s discography is out of print and has not been licensed for digital distribution to streaming or download platforms.
Wendy Carlos studied physics and music at Brown University before moving to New York City in 1962 to study music composition at Columbia University.
Wendy Carlos helped in the development of the Moog synthesizer, Robert Moog’s first commercially available keyboard instrument, while studying and working with various electronic musicians and technicians at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York City.
Wendy Carlos’s album ‘Switched-On Bach’ (1968), which featured music by Johann Sebastian Bach performed on a Moog synthesizer, helped popularize the use of the synthesizer and won her three Grammy Awards.
4 Quotes by Wendy Carlos
- 1.
As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser.
Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician
- 2.
A nice blend of prediction and surprise seem to be at the heart of the best art.
Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician
- 3.
I’m really a very weak musicologist. Wish it weren’t so, but there’s only so much you can dig deeply into in one lifetime, as if you hadn’t noticed.
Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician
- 4.
Composition has almost always been solitary.
Wendy CarlosAmerican composer and electronic musician