Sho-Mei Pelletier

Sho-mei Pelletier, Associate Principal Violin, follows a legacy of musicians and artists; families from China, Canada, and Mexico; and religious influences from Buddhism to Judaism. Her musical affiliations include serving as Associate Principal Violin with the Santa Fe Opera for 25 years as well as solo performances with the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, the Voices of Change, the Dallas Bach Society, the Walden series, the Kodaly Ensemble, the Arensky Trio, the YES String Quintet, the FACP “Music A-Z” Pre-K Ensemble and the Young Strings Piano Trio. She premiered, as Violin Soloist, two obscure Violin Concerti
with the Dallas Symphony; the Arensky Violin Concerto (a Texas Premiere), and the Haydn Double Concerto for Cembalo and Violin. She has also appeared with the New Mexico Symphony, and Evansville Philharmonic, the Owensboro Philharmonic, the Mesa Symphony, the Tempe Symphony and the New World
Orchestra. Ms. Pelletier has taught at the Booker T. Washington School for the Arts and was a Scholarship Student and an Associate Instructor of Violin at Indiana University with the world-renowned pedagogue, Josef Gingold.

Ms. Pelletier has been a Charter Instructor with the Dallas Symphony’s awardwinning and Nationally recognized Young Strings Scholarship Educational Program, founded by her husband, Dwight Shambley in 1992. Honored in Washington D.C. in 2002 by the President’s Committee on the Arts and
Humanities, the NEA and the NEH, Young Strings was awarded the “Coming Up Taller Award”, for it’s outstanding work with at-risk youth.

Ms. Pelletier married Dallas Symphony bassist, Dwight Shambley, and their two children, a son, Aaron Joshua, and a daughter, Alexis Jessica, called Dallas their home.

Ms. Pelletier is an award-winning Graphic Artist and Author of 5 published Books; The MBC Coloring Book of Black Composers (2018, Ludwig Masters, Publisher), The Simple Dictionary for Classical Musicians (2000), Funny Composers (2009), Wacky Musical Instruments (2010) and Perfect Intonation in 60 Minutes (for Violin, 2014). She has won prizes in juried art shows with over 57 Canvases in Oils, and has exhibited her work in galleries throughout the country, including Santa Fe, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Michigan and Dallas. You can read a review at XIAO-MEI.COM, her official website. Ms. Pelletier was also featured in the 2007 “Who’s Who of American Women”. Ms. Pelletier also has the distinction of being the 1st Asian-American and Hispanic woman to become a member of the DSO.