Complex sentence: While Schmidt initially spent his time with avante-garde composers such as Steve Reich, La Monte Young and Terry Riley, he was eventually exposed to the world of Andy Warhol, Hotel Chelsea and, perhaps most importantly, The Velvet Underground.
Split into simpler sentences: While Schmidt initially spent his time with avante-garde composers such as Steve Reich, La Monte Young and Terry Riley. He was also eventually exposed to the world of Andy Warhol, Hotel Chelsea and, perhaps most importantly, The Velvet Underground.