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Wendy Carlos, born Walter Carlos on November 14, 1939, in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is a pioneering electronic musician known for her significant contributions to music and technology. At the age of 10, she composed her first piece of music, and by 14, she built a small computer, winning a Westinghouse Science Fair scholarship. Carlos assembled an electronic music studio and created her first electronic musical composition through tape manipulation. She studied music and physics at Brown University from 1958 to 1962 and informally taught electronic music during that time. Carlos earned a Master's degree in music at Columbia University from 1962 to 1965, where she worked extensively at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, recording early compositions such as "Dialogues for Piano and Two Loudspeakers" and "Variations for Flute and Electronic Sound." She assisted a conductor in a concert of electronic music at Lincoln Center Philharmonic Hall and later worked as a recording, mastering, and cutting engineer. In 1966, Carlos began collaborating with an engineer to develop an electronic instrument that offered greater expression and musicality than existing equipment. This collaboration led to the evolution of the Moog synthesizer, which became central to her performances from 1968 to 1980, alongside other instruments like a Yamaha Electone organ. In 1972, Carlos underwent the final stage of gender reassignment and changed her name from Walter to Wendy. However, her transition was not reflected

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