Pickett is a multi-instrumentalist with training in piano, voice, melodic percussion, guitar, wind instruments, composition, synthesis, recording, mixing, editing, and systems design. She brings the love of musical expression, sonic sculpting, and storytelling into her sound design work. Work in various media has allowed her to sharpen compositional tools to write music and create designs across a wide range of genres and periods.

Pickett is the co-founder of the sound design collective District 5 Sound, which specializes in sound design for immersive and interactive storytelling environments. Her work in this area has provided opportunities to develop skills in coding, embedded electronics, and spatialized audio through binaural and ambisonic capture, processing, and delivery. Performance has been a lifelong passion, and she continues to develop projects that incorporate live elements culminating in performance-driven responsive design.

Pickett began her professional career in sound as a location sound recordist on independent film shoots and later went on to compose music for several independent film projects. Her film work with collaborator Diego Bonilla has won awards at film and media festivals in Russia, Brazil, Spain, and the United States.

Awards: Helen Hayes Award A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Folger Theater & the Frieda Shaw, Dr. Diana Mason OBE, and Denise Suttor Prize for Sound Design at the Yale School of Drama.

Teaching Experience: Associate Professor Sound Design and Composition, Carnegie Mellon University 2012-2023; Guest Lecturer at UNC at Chapel Hill, Syracuse University & University of Missouri at Kansas City.

Training: BFA, Syracuse University; MFA, Yale School of Drama.

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