Shinjoo Cho studied piano performance and pedagogy at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton NJ, where she cultivated her role as a solo and chamber musician, as well as an educator in choir, theater, and classroom settings. Intrigued by the music outside her discipline, she returned to her place of birth, Korea, to study Korean traditional music theory and history in 2001. Within a few years, she began playing accordion after a Balkan music immersion in Serbia, and later added bandoneon to pursue her interest in Argentine tango. Since her relocation to Philadelphia in 2003, Shinjoo has been a versatile performer and improviser, collaborating with musicians, dancers, and theater and movie projects. Currently, she is a member of a tango and contemporary music ensemble Oscuro Quintet and the piano/violin/horn trio Vellum.