Grace Shepard
Pompano Beach, FL
North American Outreach Council
π
Grace is a lifelong musician and has a love of chamber music that spans from Bach to Copland to folk music. She is always eager to be in the room where the music happens, as teacher or student. When she's not playing, Grace is often in the wilderness, hiking, fishing, or enjoying the view. π
Dr. Grace Shepard is a musician based out of South Florida. As a performer, she is equally interested in traditional and new music and has significant experience as a collaborative pianist. In addition to performing on the piano, she also enjoys arranging and composing music. Her career has included international performances, premieres of new works, and extensive music history research. Grace is also an active teacher, with students achieving recognition through performance and evaluation. In her research, she focuses on under-represented groups and interdisciplinary work.
Throughout her performing and composing career, Grace explores unique connections between time and place, as well as looking to highlight under-represented artists. She has performed at the Columbia Museum of Art, Bard College, Skidmore College, the University of South Carolina, and in outreach programs which have performed at local libraries, retirement communities, and in the prison system.
A relative newcomer to composition, Shepard began composing for chamber and solo instruments in 2019. Her compositions have been performed at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, the NASM Conference and as part of the 30 Americans new works commission at Columbia Museum of Art. Equally influenced by classical music and more modern sources, her music is often inspired by nature, concepts of place, and by literature and visual art. In 2024, she participated in Composing in the Wilderness, which united her love of the outdoors with music.