CWC Docs: Sisters with Transistors

Sisters with Transistors tells the remarkable untold story of the pioneering women who shaped electronic music, crafting the sounds and technologies that define the genre today. Narrated by Laurie Anderson, the film delves into the lives and work of trailblazing composers such as Clara Rockmore, Delia Derbyshire, Pauline Oliveros, Wendy Carlos, Laurie Spiegel, and Suzanne Ciani, among others, whose experiments with early synthesizers, tape manipulation, and unconventional soundscapes pushed the boundaries of musical composition. Through a wealth of archival footage, interviews, and rare recordings, the documentary showcases their groundbreaking innovations and critically examines the cultural and institutional barriers that often obscured their legacies within a male-dominated field. The film charts the evolution of electronic music and how its female pioneers embraced these new devices, opening music to an entire field of sound and transforming the very terms of musical thought.

Musician/documentary subject Suzanne Ciani will join moderator David Novak (Music, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of Sisters with Transistors.