NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Iris Shepherd, a 20-year-old violinist from Henry, Tennessee, will present her junior recital on Friday, November 7, at 7:30 PM in the Choral Hall at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.
A student of Cornelia Heard, Shepherd made her orchestral debut at age 12 with the Georgia Philharmonic and has since appeared as soloist with the Fairbanks Alaska Symphony, the Curb Youth Symphony, the Nashville Philharmonic, and the Vanderbilt University Orchestra. She won the MTNA National Senior Strings Competition at age 15 and has earned top prizes in competitions sponsored by the Nashville Symphony, Delta Symphony, and the American String Teachers Association. A Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Scholarship recipient, she has performed on NPR’s “From the Top,” received four full fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival, and participated in Juilliard’s Starling-Delay Symposium.
In addition to her classical achievements, Shepherd holds a national title in fiddling, has appeared in a music video with Dolly Parton and Melissa Manchester, performed with the Nashville Opera, and recorded for Sony Entertainment and Apple Television.