Grace Shepard

Dr. Grace Shepard is a pianist and composer 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 collegiate 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 art, with recent work centering on pianist Adele aus der Ohe.

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 local prison systems. Her compositions have been performed at the 2021 NASM Conference, as part of the 30 Americans new works commission at Columbia Museum of Art, and at numerous performances at the University of South Carolina.

In 2022, Grace received a DMA in Piano Performance from the University of South Carolina, studying with Phillip Bush. She has worked with Dr. John Fitz Rogers for composition and arranging.