Shannon Rugani, a California native, is a multi-talented artist whose journey spans ballet, Broadway, and music composition. She trained at the prestigious San Francisco Ballet School on a full merit scholarship and joined San Francisco Ballet in 2004, becoming one of the youngest company members in the company’s history.

In 2014, Shannon transitioned to Broadway, where she joined the original cast of the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris. Five years later, she embarked on a new chapter as a singer-songwriter, performing under the stage name EMPRESS®. A lifelong musician who began composing at the age of 4, Shannon returned to her classical roots in 2023, composing symphonies for ballet.

Her latest milestone is a commission to create her first full-length ballet score, inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe. The piece premiered at Oregon Ballet Theatre in Portland in April 2025 and will be performed by Tulsa Ballet in April 2026 and Ballet Met in 2027. Her first commission, the Window, will be performed again at Pacific Northwest Ballet in November 2025.

Above all, Shannon’s most cherished role is that of mother to her daughter, born in January 2024—a new adventure that brings her unparalleled joy and fulfillment.