Doreen Carwithen

Despite gender discrimination, Doreen Carwithen became a significant composer of orchestral music, chamber music, and film music in the middle of the 20th century. Married in later life to composer William Alwyn, she also used the name, Mary Alwyn. Carwithen was born in Haddenham in England's Buckinghamshire region on November 15, 1922. Her father was a grocer and baker. Her mother was a music teacher who had been an aspiring concert pianist. Carwithen took up the piano and violin at age four, and for much of her life, she would play duos with her sister Barbara, who also bec...