Pauline Oliveros

American accordionist and composer who is a central figure in the development of post-war electronic art music.

She was a founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center in the 1960s. She has taught music at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Oliveros has written books, formulated new music theories and investigated new ways to focus attention on music including her concepts of "Deep Listening" and "sonic awareness."

Oliveros coined the term "Deep Listening" in 1991, which she then applied to her group The Deep Listening Band and to the Deep Listening program of Deep Listening Institute, Ltd. The Deep Listening program includes annual listening retreats in Europe, New Mexico and in upstate New York. The Deep Listening Band specializes in performing and recording in resonant or reverberant spaces such as caves, cathedrals and huge underground cisterns. They have collaborated with countless musicians, dancers, and performers.

In 1994, Oliveros was awarded a Grants to Artists award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. She has written five books: Sounding the Margins: Collected Writings 1992-2009, Initiation Dream, Software for People, The Roots of the Moment, and Deep Listening: A Composer's Sound Practice. Oliveros currently teaches at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Mills College. She is openly lesbian.