Sita Chay

Sita Chay is a violinist, composer, and producer who won a 2017 Latin Grammy Award for Best Mariachi Album, as violinist with the Flor de Toloache. She is also an awardee of New York Foundation for the Arts Women's Fund, NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, New Music USA’s Creator Development Fund, Joe's Pub Working Group, The Cell Theatre Artist residency 2023,The Stone Residency 2023, Foundation for Contemporary Arts emergency grant, and Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Creative Engagement Grant for various projects she is envisioning. 

Ms. Chay is the director and a founder of the Korean Shaman Music Ritual, SaaWee, which was received by international critics as a “delicate powerhouse”. For SaaWee, she has interwoven her theatrical experiences from Broadway shows, folkloric spirituality from Korean shaman rituals, and contemporary music flare from New York jazz scenes. SaaWee's Return of Songbirds debuted at the Lincoln Center as part of #Retartstage project in 2021 and was invited to Ars Electronica Festival 2021.  SaaWee won the California Music Video Awards 2022 in Best World Music category. SaaWee has evolved with diverse collaborators such as Oene Van Geel, Jason Lindner, J.Hoard, Leo Genovese and more.

Her latest project “Multidimensionally Human” is an exploration of psychotherapy modality IFS(Internal Family Systems) through music, dance, visual arts, and theater. It was first premiered in November 2022 featuring celebrated dancer and choreographer Sidra Bell at Joe’s Pub supported by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and Joe’s Pub Working Group. The second series “Unburdened i” showcased at Nancy Mancherian’s Cell Theatre as part of her residency 2023. The 3rd work “When My Exile Sees Me” was premiered at Joe’s Pub May 20, 2023. She continues her experimentation under belief that the arts offers felt sense of acceptance towards who we are deep inside. Through this project, she hopes to emphasize the direct impact that music has on mental health and self acceptance.

In 2023, Sita released the film “Ritual of Le Sac” which was inspired by her experience of giving birth. The film was directed by Lee Milby and based on Sita’s narrative which portrays the fish like experience of fetus inside amniotic fluid.   

She has appeared as a speaker and a lecturer at Chamber Music America Conference 2019, New York Musical Festival 2018, New York Times Panel, Seoul National University, Colombia National University, and Joong Ang University.  

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