Being a creative person – and a composer in particular – is one of the most rewarding things I can think of. It helps me make sense of the world.

Biography

Born in the United Kingdom and educated at the universities of Manchester (B.Mus Hons) and London (M.Mus), Patrick Shepherd has been a resident of New Zealand for thirteen years. He is a Lecturer in Music at the Christchurch College of Education and is active as a teacher, composer and performer, being proficient on clarinet, saxophone, oboe, flute, violin and viola. Patrick is also a regular concert reviewer for The Press.

His compositions have received performances by ensembles such as the New Zealand String Quartet, Auckland Philharmonia, Da Capo Chamber Orchestra, Choir of Christ’s College, Oxford (UK), 175 East and the Jubilate Singers, for whom he has written a setting of the Magnificat, a series of Shakespeare songs and the highly-acclaimed requiem, in nomine patris. He has written two musicals, many works for children (including a children�s ballet) and several works (including a concerto) for Wellington flautist Carol Hohauser. He is currently working on two film scores, an opera and his third string quartet, the latter forming part of the final submission for his doctoral degree in composition. Other notable performances include his Concerto for Flute and Guitar in Berlin by the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, the first Russian performance of his Flute Concerto in Kemerovo, Siberia by the Kuzzbass Symphony Orchestra, and smaller chamber works in Moscow, New York and Seoul.

Keen to promote contemporary music, Patrick has organized several concerts of new music, culminating in the release of a CD, Contemporary Canterbury, featuring works by eight New Zealand composers. He is the Musical Director of the Christchurch Youth Orchestra and the Garden City Symphony Orchestra and also tutors in composition at the Christchurch School of Music. Early in 2004 he traveled to Antarctica as an Honorary Arts Fellow and much of his recent composing is related to that trip.

Patrick is a published poet and, in recent years, has returned to painting and the visual arts for relaxation. He runs his own desktop publishing company with his wife, Jeanette, and lives on an olive grove in North Canterbury.

• Publications (4)
• Works (38)
• Awards (2)