Composer, performer and humanitarian, she is one of the great pioneers of American music. Her experiences in the fields of improvisation, electronic music, teaching, and meditation have all contributed to her works, which, while making a tremendous impact on the audience, at the same time defy verbal description. She has received numerous awards, and concerts of her music are held all over the world. Whether she performs in the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, an underground cavern, or a German radio studio, Oliveros always strives to grasp the true sense of the moment. Even the sound of a sweeping siren can become an instrument in her ensemble. In her Deep Listening Pieces and the earlier Sonic Meditations, Oliveros developed the idea of incorporating sounds of the environment into the musical composition. This process can indeed become a pleasurable experience, given the necessary concentration, skilled musicianship, and strong improvisational skills—the hallmarks of this composer’s projects. In concert, Oliveros uses an accordion retuned in two different systems of just intonation, as well as electronics to transform the instrument’s sound and explore the acoustic qualities of the given venue.
Pauline Oliveros now has a wide and loyal following, which she has built thanks to concerts, recordings, publications, works written for soloists, ensembles in music, dance, theatre and inter-arts companies. She was the first director of San Francisco Tape Music Center. For fourteen years she lectured at the University of California in San Diego, where she also headed the Center for Music Experiment. She acted as advisor to such organisations as the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council for the Arts, and numerous private foundations. At present she is a Distinguished Research Professor of Music at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Composer-in-Residence at Mills College.

Major works (since 1990): The Lightning Box for accordion, voice, keyboard, marimba and EIS (1990), Wind Horse for chorus (1990), Illegal Harmony for two players (1992), Pauline’s Solo for accordion (1992), Pebble Music for mixed ensemble (1992), Sound Fishes for solo or ensemble (1992), Inside Outside Space for chamber orchestra, vocalist and expanded instrument system (1992), Njinga the Queen King: The Return of a Warrior, music theatre (1993), Epigraphs in a Time of AIDS for accordion, trombone, keyboard, long string instrument and EIS (1994), mirrorrorrim for saxophone and piano (1994), Ear Rings for any ensemble (1995), Breaking Boundaries for piano solo or ensemble (1996), Saxual Orientation for saxophone quartet (1997), Four Meditations for orchestra (1997), Out of the Dark for string orchestra (1998), Primordial/Lift for accordion, cello, electric cello, harmonium, violin, sampler and oscillator (1998), Quintessential for string quartet (1999), The Space of Spirit for vocalists, organ and carillon (1999), The Heart of Tones for solo trombone and electronics (1999), The Heart of Tones for ensemble (1999), Six for New Time for four electric guitars and two percussions (1999), Red Shifts for trombone, oscillators and noise (2000), Lunar Opera Deep Listening For_tunes (2000), Elemental Gallop for flute, piano, cello and voice (2000), Sound Patterns and Tropes for mixed chorus and percussion (2001), Io and Her and the Trouble with Him, opera (2001), The Library of Maps: An Opera in Many Parts (2002), Sound Geometries for chamber orchestra (2003), Big Room for solo trombone and EIS (2003), Spirit Light for solo accordion and EIS (2003), Quantum Flirts and Fits for accordion (2003), 70 Chords for Terry: A Meditation on String Theory for string quartet (2005), The Gender of Now: There But Not There for trombone and piano (2005), Murphy Mixup for laptop orchestra (2006), Dissolving Your Earplugs for classically trained musicians (2006), Blue Heron: In Memory of James Tenney for piano and string bass (2006), One Hundred Meeting Places: In Memory of Ron George for violin, cello and percussion (2006), One Hundred Meeting Places for flexible orchestra (2006), For the Memory of Christine for percussion and voices (2006), Inner/Outer Matrix for mixed ensemble (2007), A New Indigo Peace for piano and chorus (2008), The Eyes of Taxes Are Upon You, track (2008), The Heart of Tones – Mixed Realities for trombones and voices (2008), Urban Echo: Circle Told for large chorus and dance (2008), Waking the Noise Intoners (Intonarumori) (2009), Oracle Bones for spoken word, accordion, koto, electronics and light (2009), DroniPhonia for iPhones and multi-instrumentalists (2009), Tower Ring for gong, chorus, mixed instruments and the Ann Hamilton Tower (2011).