Shelby Lock
Shelby Lock is an audio engineer, pianist, and composer on a mission to break boundaries and inspire others. She is the founder of River Rock Records, which is Central Virginia's only recording and mixing studio dedicated to acoustic music. Since 2019, she has also served as Lead Engineer for Chicago-based classical recording company Atlas Arts Media. 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 using her multi-faceted skill set to help musicians bring their recording projects to life.
As a piano artist, she is known for her expressive playing that uplifts, inspires, and transports listeners to another time and place. Her music is heavily influenced by growing up in the splendor of the Virginia Blue Ridge. In 2022, she made her Kennedy Center debut with her premiere performance of her piece "A Matter of Time." This piece was subsequently nominated for Song of the Year by the red carpet event 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.” It went on to receive subsequent performances and be Finalist for the 2017 American Prize in Composition (Student Division). She was also invited to become a member of the Nashville Composer Collective that same year. In 2019, she completed a year of graduate study in Composition at the Chicago College of Performing Arts where she oversaw the electroacoustic studios as Composition Assistant.
As an engineer and artist who happens to be a disabled woman, Shelby is passionate about making the music industry more inclusive. She currently serves on the Editorial Task Force of the Audio Engineering Society’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which aims to highlight the work of audio engineers from under-represented groups. She is a member of RAMPD, an organization dedicated to amplifying disability culture and promoting inclusion within the music industry. She also serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Neuroimmune Foundation to help raise awareness of encephalitis, PANS/PANDAS, ME/CFS, and related conditions.
Shelby’s goal in life is to use her music to bring healing and positivity to her listeners.