DAPHNE ORAM 1925-2003

Born in 1925, Daphne Oram was a pioneering electronic composer, inventor of the Oramics Machine and co‑founder of the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

She joined the BBC in 1942 as a junior sound balancer and worked her way up to studio manager. In 1957 she had finally convinced her bosses to open an experimental music facility at the BBC which later became The Radiophonic Workshop.

In 1949, aged 24, Daphne wrote the world’s first piece of live turntablism. ‘Still Point’ was written for double orchestra, microphones and three pre-recorded 78 RPM discs.

Daphne was a radical electronic composer, engineer and thinker working in a male-dominated world that often undermined and overshadowed her success.

Oram played a vital role in establishing women at the forefront of innovation in newly-emerging audio technologies not only in the UK but around the world.

The Oram Awards builds on her legacy celebrating women, trans and non binary artists in electronic music, past, present and future.

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📷 Daphne - Oramics Machine

© Daphne Oram Trust
Credit: Image provided by the Daphne Oram Trust and Goldsmiths University of London Special Collections & Archives