Sisters with Transistors

A dazzling ode to ingenious women Sisters with Transistors highlights the work of nine pioneering composers who continue to inspire new generations and influence how music is made and appreciated. Illustrated with a sensuous montage of archival materials and interviews, the documentary features: Clara Rockmore, whose virtuosic performances on the theremin vetted its orchestral viability; Delia Derbyshire, whose haunting compositions—like the indelible Doctor Who theme—were realized before samplers, sequencers, and synthesizers became commonplace, instead shaping electroacoustic material through laborious tape manipulations; Suzanne Ciani, whose compositions for the built-in-Berkeley Buchla synthesizer crossed over into concert halls, the cinema, and commercials; and Laurie Spiegel, whose pioneering software harnessed the power of microcomputers to augment compositional and improvisational process. Narrated by Laurie Anderson whose dulcet deadpan—“How do you exorcise the canon of classical music of misogyny?” she asks, discussing the work of Pauline Oliveros. “With two oscillators, a turntable, and tape delay.”—invites deep listening.