Shanna Sordahl (they/she) uses sound to create spaces that emphasize possibilities of transformation while questioning ingrained patterns of perception. Using analog and digital electronics, amplified cello, and multimedia installation as their primary mediums, Shanna views sound immersion and performance as methods for processing and re-contextualizing past experiences while creating new possibilities for the future.
Subverting traditional approaches to music, Shanna utilizes extended and noise-based playing techniques while drawing from studies of diverse musical traditions, empathy building practices, interactions with physical landscapes, field recordings, natural processes of change, rituals of performance, and DIY community practices.
With an MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College, Shanna has presented work at the Incantations Sound Art Festival, Megapolis Festival, and International SuperCollider Symposium. As an active member of the experimental and improvised music communities in the Bay Area since 2013, they have played at the Active Music Series, Outsound New Music Summit, Exploratorium, Yerba Buena Gardens, and Berkeley Art Museum, amongst others, and have had performances funded by The Lab and the Latitudes series by Other Minds. They have worked with a variety of composers and artists including Alvin Lucier, Trimpin, Wrekmeister Harmonies, Sarah Davachi, and Indira Allegra; and has worked with dance collectives and choreographers Wax Poet(s), Simpson/Stulberg Collaborations, Holly Farmer, Yukie Fujimoto, and Deborah Karp. They have recent releases with Full Spectrum Records, Fallen Moon Recordings, and independently, and perform with their duo SO AR.
