Already a rising star of his generation of artists, Michael Sheppard is a pianist of dazzling virtuosity and penetrating musicianship. Trained at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he studied with greats Leon Fleisher and Ann Schein.
As one of two 2003 Classical Fellows of the American Pianists Association, he toured Southern Asia and the Middle East in collaboration with the Cultural Programs Division of the United States Department of State. Throughout the tour, he performed concerti with national orchestras, was guest soloist with resident chamber music groups, played public solo recitals as well as private recitals for the diplomatic community, gave master classes at higher institutes of music and conducted informal presentations in secondary schools and universities.
Upon his return, he made his Kennedy Center debut. Since then, he has made his debuts with orchestras in the Midwest, Southeast, Southwest and Pacific Northwest in addition to solo recitals, radio broadcasts, and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, including several Weill (Carnegie) Hall recitals. As a matter of curious fact, he has played solo recitals in the birthplaces of both Mahler and Elvis.
Sheppard has received critical acclaim as a grand interpreter of transcriptions of operatic tunes as well as American musical theatre in addition to the traditional piano repertory. Deeply committed to new music, he has worked closely with composers Nicholas Maw, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and John Corigliano. Sheppard is a composer in his own right and often programs his original compositions.
In addition to being a Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Sheppard has also been a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and the La Gesse Foundation and a prize winner in the National Federation of Music Clubs National Competition. His recently-released album of contemporary American music for the Harmonia Mundi label has been getting rave reviews.
A native of Philadelphia, he resides in Baltimore where he often enjoys performing chamber music with the other members of the Monument Trio, violinist Igor Yuzefovich and cellist Dariusz Skorazewski.
Molly Sharp, Viola
A native of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Molly Sharp is the Principal Violist of the Richmond Symphony and has played with the Richmond Symphony since 1993. In addition to playing in Richmond, she has played with the Nashville Symphony, Glimmerglass Opera Orchestra, and the Cascade Music Festival in Bend, Oregon.
Ms. Sharp received a Bachelor's Degree from Vanderbilt University/Blair School of Music, studying with Kathryn Plummer. She received her Master's Degree in 1992 from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Heidi Castleman and apprenticed with the Cavanni Quartet.
Chamber music studies have included summers at the Taos School of Music and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival-Yale Summer School of Music. Ms. Sharp is a member of the Oberon String Quartet, which is in residence at St. Catherine's School in Richmond.
In addition to playing the viola, she also plays fiddle with the Trevillian Ramblers.
Mary Bowden, Trumpet
Trumpeter Mary Bowden, a native of the Chicagoland area, is a member of the Richmond Symphony and teaches classical trumpet at Virginia Commonwealth University. Mary recently performed at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland under the baton of Pierre Boulez where she was principal trumpet in the Festival Academy for Mahler's Symphony No. 6, which will be released on a CD in upcoming months. She has performed chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont.
Mary has been a member of Symphony in C, Britt Festival in Oregon, Atlantic Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, National Repertory Orchestra, Encore Chamber Orchestra, Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Opera Orchestra, Yale Philharmonia, and has performed with the Naples Philharmonic, Virginia Symphony, Fairfax Symphony, New World Symphony, and the Breckenridge Music Institute. In May 2006 she was the acting principal trumpet of the Daejeon Philharmonic in Korea. She has worked with Charles Dutoit, Hans Vonk, Eschenbach, Otto Werner Mueller, Zinman, Temirkanov, Spano, Simon Rattle, Rostropovich, Dohnányi, Gerard Schwarz, Solzhenitsyn, Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, and Sawallisch.
Mary made her solo debut with the Birch Creek Symphony Orchestra performing the Arutunian Concerto, and has also performed the Hummel Concerto with the Lower Merion Symphony and the Vivaldi Concerto with the New Haven Chamber Orchestra. This past July, she performed the Vivaldi Concerto for two trumpets twice at the Banff Centre in Canada with Jens Lindemann and Ryan Anthony. She also won the Public Prize for the Perrenoud Foundation Competition in 2009, and in May 2010, she was in the final nine for the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Competition.
Mary received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with the principal trumpeter of the Philadelphia Orchestra, David Bilger. She was also awarded a full tuition scholarship at the Yale School of Music where she studied with Allan Dean and received her Master of Music degree in 2006. Before attending Curtis, Mary began college full time at age 14 and received her Associate Degree at age 16 from the Joliet Junior College where she focused on literature and was a paid tutor of English and biology.
