November 14th

11-14-1900 – 12-02-1990 Aaron Copland – Born in New York City, New York. He was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. In 1939, Copland completed his first two Hollywood film scores, for Of Mice and Men and Our Town. He also composed the music for the ballet, including his highly successful Billy the Kid (1939). The decade of the 1940s was Copland’s most productive. His two ballet scores for Rodeo (1942) and Appalachian Spring (1944) were huge successes. He also composed two film scores, one for William Wyler’s 1949 film The Heiress and one for the film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel The Red Pony. He was very guarded about his homosexuality, although he lived and traveled openly with his intimates, most of whom were talented, much younger men. Among his love affairs, most of which only lasted a few years were ones with photographer Victor Kraft, artist Alvin Ross, pianist Paul Moor, dancer Erik Johns, and composer John Brodbin Kennedy.

11-14-1904 – 03-06-1991 Sir Joseph Lockwood – Born in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. He was a British industrialist and businessman, best known as the chairman of EMI between 1954 and 1974. He oversaw the company’s expansion in the music business, including signing The Beatles. Lockwood was regarded as close to the Beatles, who generated a large share of EMI’s profits during the 1960s. As with the Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, Lockwood was both Jewish and gay. He died at his home in Buckinghamshire in 1991 at the age of 86.

11-14-1930 – 09-08-2017 Pierre Bergé – Born in Saint-Pierre d’Oléron, France. He was a French award-winning industrialist and patron. He co-founded the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent and was a longtime business partner and at one time, life partner, of the fashion designer. He met Saint Laurent in 1958. The couple split amicably in 1976 and remained friends and business partners. According to The New York Times, a few days before Saint Laurent died (June 1, 2008), he and Bergé were joined in a same-sex civil union. During Bergé’s eulogy of Saint Laurent, he spoke of their lifetime memories, and said, “I remember your first collection under your name and the tears at the end. Then the years passed. Oh, how they passed quickly. The divorce was inevitable but the love never stopped.” Bergé was a long-time supporter of gay rights. He died of myopathy (disease of the muscle) in 2017 at the age of 86 and is survived by his husband, landscape architect Madison Cox. They had married in March 2017.

11-14-1939   Wendy Carlos – Born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She is an American musician and composter best known for her electronic music and film scores. She helped in the development of the Moog synthesizer, the first commercially available keyboard instrument created by Robert Moog. Carlos’ album Switched-On Bach (1968) won her three Grammy Awards. She composed the score to two Stanley Kubrick films — A Clockwork Orange (1971) and The Shining (1980). In 1982, she did the score for Walt Disney Productions Tron. In 1979, Carlos raised public awareness of transgender issues by disclosing she had been living as a woman since at least 1968, and in 1972 had undergone sex reassignment surgery.  

11-14-1981 Russell Tovey – Born in Billericay, United Kingdom. He is an English actor with numerous television, film, and stage credits. He is also known for his portrayal of the character Rudge in both the original London and Broadway stage version and later the film, of The History Boys. He played Kevin Matheson on the HBO original series Looking. Tovey is openly gay.