Yoko Shimomura

	Date of Birth:	October 19, 1967 (Hyogo)
	Education:	Graduated from the University of Music of Osaka
	Instruments:	Piano
	Employment:	Capcom (1988 - 1993), Square (1993 - 2002), Freelance (2002 - )
	Major Game Works:	Street Fighter II, Parasite Eve, Kingdom Hearts

After specialising in piano performance at university, Shimomura made a surprise decision to become a Capcom composer after graduating in 1998. While there, she worked on iconic projects like Street Fighter II, Mega Man 5, Gargoyle's Quest, Rage of the Dragons, and Breath of Fire among others. Her stage themes for Street Fighter II formed the basis for the series' massive official and fan-arranged discography as well as Alph Lyla's performances at the Game Music Festival events.

In 1994, Shimomura joined Square and produced popular scores to Live A Live, Front Mission, and Super Mario RPG. For the PlayStation, she produced one of the most experimental and atmospheric scores for a video game with Parasite Eve and a fantastical accompaniment to Legend of Mana. To popular recognition, Shimomura provided a warm accompaniment to the action RPG Kingdom Hearts in 2002, blending stage and battle themes for each world with Disney arrangements, exuberant orchestrations, and vocal themes.

Since becoming a freelancer in 2003, Shimomura has revisited her past franchises with the Mario & Luigi titles, Heroes of Mana, Parasite Eve: The Third Birthday, and further titles in the Kingdom Hearts series. She has also worked on collaborative projects, two animes, the vocal album murmur, and Drammatica -The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura-. Her upcoming works include Luminous Arc 2: Will, Osama Monogatari, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and the eagerly anticipated Final Fantasy Versus XIII.