Accomplishments, Artistry, and…Australia? A Peek into the Life of Classical Musician Michael Sheppard
Phenomenal pianist. Penetrating musicianship. Virtuosic soloist.
These words—and many others—have been written into permanence in infinite reviews, ovations, and awards to describe Michael Sheppard. Though Michael’s accomplishments are innumerable when it comes to his most well-known art, piano, he (like many other artistic and talented musicians), stands at the crossroads of several different career paths.
Michael is a soloist—he’s performed solo recitals and concertos in concert halls around the world; in 2003 he was a Classical Fellow of the American Pianists Association where he toured Southern Asia and the Middle East in collaboration with the Cultural Programs Division of the USD of State. Michael is a composer—often creating and performing his own compositions. And Michael is a teacher—he’s worked at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Peabody Conservatory where he shares his love and understanding of music and the artistic process with future generations.
If it weren’t cliché to call Michael a triple threat, this is the part where we likely would crown him with that title.
With a resume so drenched in successes, accolades, and triumphs, it’s fair to imagine that choosing a most cherished accomplishment—one that stretches the length of his multi-faceted, diverse career path—would be incredibly difficult. For Michael, though, that answer comes easily.
“Any time I get closest to any great piece of music in performance, with as few barriers between both me and the music and me and the audience, I consider “most cherished,” Michael said. “Those few times I was privileged to play for my great spiritual teacher, Adi Da Samraj, were among the best experiences I’ve ever had or could ever hope to have.
Of course, he recognizes that when it comes to specific career moments he’d consider successes, there’s one obvious accomplishment he’s continued to find pride in.
“As far as career-building type stuff, winning the American Pianists Association award was a great watershed moment in both my confidence as a performer and in opening certain doors of opportunity. As far as non-musical things, one of the greatest experiences I’ve had was when I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2012. That was a game-changer. I took many more risks in even everyday things after that.”
For a creative, artistic musician like Michael who continues to thrive and grow within his career, it’s easy to wonder—does artistry shape his life or vice versa? For Michael, it’s all relative, in a sense—experience and artistry mesh in a way that’s inseparable.
“If we are all amalgams of everything we’ve ever heard (or otherwise taken in),” Michael said, “my experience can’t help but have shaped my artistry, which makes it exceedingly difficult to answer that question. It’s all about listening and feeling.”
It’s Michael’s belief that no matter how his life has unfolded throughout, it always points back to listening and feeling—the most precious place to be, he says, is the one in which you are vulnerable, but also the most transparent to the greatness you’ve been given.
Those experiences, his artistry, and the meshing of both have brought him to unique places all across the world, allowing him to accumulate and absorb even more experiences, which, through his belief, influenced his artistry in beautiful, unimaginable ways. Of course, Michael said, there are plenty of places he’s never been that he’d love to see. For starters?
“Australia, Germany, Austria, Japan, Scandinavia, Mexico, Krakatoa (Indonesia),” the list goes on.
For Michael, where he travels, what he experiences, and how he allows himself to listen and feel will all be factors in his artistry, somehow.
“So, as long as I remain open to the process,” he said, “hopefully my experience will continue to shape my artistry.
