Shelby Lock is a composer, pianist, and audio engineer on a mission to break boundaries. As a pianist, she is known for her expressive playing and cinematic melodies. A three-time Finalist for the American Prize in Composition, Shelby made her Kennedy Center debut with her premiere performance of her composition "A Matter of Time" in 2022. The piece was subsequently nominated for Song of the Year by the Wavy Awards.
In 2016, Lock made her orchestral debut as a composer with the Nashville Philharmonic Orchestra’s premiere of her piece, “Out of Ashes,” which was inspired by her journey through a neuroimmune disease. “Out of Ashes” went on to receive subsequent performances and was Finalist for the 2017 American Prize in Composition.
A Voting Member of the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs® Producers & Engineers Wing with over a hundred mixing credits to her name, Shelby mixes albums and singles for classical and acoustic musicians from throughout the USA and abroad through her studio River Rock Records. With a B.S. in Audio Engineering Technology and a B.M. in Music Composition summa cum laude from Nashville’s Belmont University, Shelby enjoys combining her technical and musical expertise to help artists bring their recording projects to life.
As an engineer and artist who happens to be a disabled woman, Shelby is passionate about making the music industry more inclusive and raising awareness for neuroimmune conditions through work in several organizations. Shelby is Founding Chair of the Audio Engineering Society’s Accessibility Subcommittee. In 2023, she became a member of the Recording Academy Chicago Chapter P&E Wing Committee. She also serves on the Partnerships Committee of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) and is a founding member of the Neuroimmune Foundation's Community Advisory Board.
Shelby’s goal in life is to use her music and her experiences to be a force of change, hope, and positivity in the world.
Professional Memberships
ASCAP
- Chair, Accessibilty Subcommittee of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
- Member, Editorial Subcommittee of DEI Committee
Chicago Engineering and Recording Society (EARS)
Nashville Composer Collective
Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society
Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society
Recording Academy (Voting Member)
- Governor, Chicago Chapter Board
- Member, Chicago P&E Wing Committee
Recording Artists & Music Professionals with Disabilities (RAMPD)
- Member, Partnerships Committee
Sound Girls
Women's Audio Mission