Amy Denio

Amy Denio is a Seattle-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, improviser, recording engineer and founder of Spoot Music, her record label and publishing company. Principally a self-taught musician (her parents both played jazz bass), her main instruments are voice, accordion, alto sax, clarinet, electric guitar, bass and found sound. She has created, recorded and produced almost 300 compositions, releasing dozens of solo and collaborative recordings on Spoot as well as on record labels from America and Europe.

Denio is a seminal figure in the 'home-taper' culture from the 1980's, and produces her own songs and soundscapes in her Spaciouser Spoot Studios. She receives commissions to produce soundtracks for modern dance choreographers, theater companies, film makers and radio.

Her piece 'Dishwasher' was included in the John Cage exhibit at the 1993 Venice Biennale. In 1997 she won the prestigious New York City 'Bessie' Award for her 'Sky Down,' soundtrack commissioned by David Dorfman Dance. She has scored several award-winning animated films by Thomas Edward. In 2003 she composed the soundtrack for the feature film 'Naked Proof', which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, and claimed 'Best Undistributed Film' by the Village Voice (NYC).

Other commissions include compositions and soundtracks for RAI 3 (Italy), Berkeley Symphony, New York Festival of Song, Relache Ensemble, Pat Graney Dance Company, Aiko Kinoshita Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance Company, Die Knodel (Austria), Dan Froot, KT Niehoff, Run/Remain Ensemble, UMO Ensemble, Cirque Les Farfadais, d9 Dance Collective, Victoria Marks, Yoko Murao and Li Chiao-Ping.

In addition, she is a photographer and documentary film maker, and recently created an interactive public 'Sonic Bench', now on permanent exhibit on Vashon Island, Washington.

She is mainly self taught as composer, instrumentalist, vocalist and producer, though in 1997 she was sponsored to study North Indian singing in Mumbai with master singer Dhanashree Pandit Rai. Since 1987 Denio has travelled and collaborated with artists throughout East and West Europe, India, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, Bolivia, and North America.

She is a founding member of The Entropics, The Tiptons Sax Quartet, Tone Dogs, (ec) Nudes, FoMoFlo, The Danubians, Petunia, Quintetto alla Busara, and the accordion quartet Hell's Bellows! (US). She has played in Bosnian group Kultur Shock since 1999. In February 2014 she presented her compositions at the Teatro Municipal and Thelonius Club in La Paz, Bolivia in collaboration with excellent local musicians.

She has taught creative music workshops in youth and art centers and prisons in Italy, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Bolivia and throughout North America.