Sio

Hi! I’m Shio. (Also Sio.) I’m a musician. 

I play piano and guitar predominantly, though I dabble in many instruments and am constantly recording odd sounds and working them into my Ableton creations. I sing songs that I write. I also compose for contemporary dancers, which I absolutely love to do. It feels like speaking with someone who I don’t speak the same language as and yet we somehow understand each other completely. I feel comfortable in situations like this, in part because I grew up bi-culturally as a half-Japanese person in California, and while I'm fluent in both languages, navigating cultural differences has been something I've been able to do my whole life. And I love it. Collaboration is a huge part of my identity as an artist. The craving and desire to collaborate has led me to find myself in theatrical settings as well, as a musician, composer and music director.  I also write words, poems, compose for film, go for daily long walks, do pottery, love the ocean, love croissants and mint tea. I love many things. You could say, I love love itself, and this is what drives me the most as an artist, cheesy as that may be. It’s my goal in life to be the best artist that I can possibly be, which means being the best human that I can be, which means dousing fear with love, and letting that spread like a tidal wave.

And here's my formal bio:

Sio (Shio) (she/her) is a multi-instrumental performer, composer, music director, and singer-songwriter based in New York City and California. She received her M.A. from Berklee College of Music NYC. Her background in theater consists of performing in the Broadway production of A Strange Loop, and music-directing and teaching, such as Montclair University, Berklee NYC, NYU, Live and In Color, Musical Theatre Factory, Pace University, and Molloy College. With a background in ethnomusicology, she approaches her work with the understanding that creating art is a vital cultural act. She is an active composer and songwriter, most notably in collaboration with Gianna Burright, with works having been featured at festivals such as Odyssey Theater LA, Jacob’s Pillow Choreography Fellowship, Dance Gallery Festival, Stomping Ground LA, LA Dance Project, STEPS and also having toured throughout Europe. She will be an artist in residence in the fall of 2024 at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City in collaboration with Gianna Burright and company.  Shio is also actively involved in community projects, such as the community art film “Labyrinth” with Joseph Velasco at SBCAW. She is the co-curator of Salad, a recurring community art event based in Brooklyn.