ABOUT

Shayna Dunkelman is a Tokyo-born, New York–based musician, producer, and percussionist known for dissolving the boundaries between acoustic tradition and electronic innovation.

Dunkelman’s career defies categorization. She is a member of the acclaimed Puerto Rican electro-acoustic band Balún and co-founder of the percussion duo NOMON with her sister Nava Dunkelman, where she explores rhythm as a choreography of lyrical gestures. Her production sensibilities are also a key component of her work with global artist Ali Sethi; she designs the hybrid rhythmic architecture for his recent projects, blending electronic beats with live drums on stages worldwide and on recordings. Across her work—ranging from solo projects and ensemble collaborations to opera and large-scale performance—Dunkelman frequently incorporates a 4ms modular synthesizer system as an integral extension of her rhythmic language, both in the studio and on stage.

With a unique sonic palette that bridges intricate percussion and electronic processing, Dunkelman’s work explores the intersection of rhythm, texture, and technology. A multi-instrumentalist with a background in mathematics and music from Mills College, she possesses the rare ability to anchor a band one night and perform as an orchestral soloist the next.

Equally at home in the classical sphere, Dunkelman has performed with LA Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, and the Grammy Award–winning Attacca Quartet. She maintains a close creative partnership with Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Du Yun, frequently premiering works that demand a complex fusion of theatricality and technical precision.

Her career is grounded in a deep history of experimental performance, including a six-year tenure with the seminal band Xiu Xiu. A prolific collaborator, she has worked with iconoclasts such as Yoko Ono, John Zorn, Thurston Moore, and Emily Wells, while sharing stages with Genesis P-Orridge (Psychic TV), St. Vincent, Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails), Blonde Redhead, Deerhoof, and the Sun Ra Arkestra. She has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the LA Opera, The Met, MoMA, and The Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Dunkelman continues to expand her practice into new media, applying her expertise in sound design and rhythmic theory to immersive environments and interactive audio. She is known for her versatile and highly physical performance techniques, using electronics to access a sonic palette not found in acoustic percussion alone.