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Audrey Shepherd studied bassoon performance at the University of Michigan with Dr. Jeffrey Lyman on the Stamps Scholarship.  She has performed in masterclasses with Judith LeClair, Mor Biron, and John Miller. As principal bassoonist of Auburn and Folsom Lake Symphonies, Shepherd performs widely across the Sacramento region and has an interest in outreach and chamber music. With roots in jazz saxophone, Shepherd also has a great respect for contemporary improvisation, a mode of engagement she cherishes exploring along with her classical studies and using to encourage creativity and empowerment within her studio.

 

In July 2018 and 2019, Shepherd was a fellow of the Blackburn Music Academy as part of Festival Napa Valley, performing many diverse concerts in two weeks. In June 2017, she attended the Orford Academie and Domaine Forget festivals in Quebec, Canada, where she studied with Stéphane Levesque, Daniel Matsukawa, and Laurent Lefèvre. At Domaine Forget, she appeared as a soloist on the festival concert playing Sarabande et Cortege by Henri Dutilleux. In high school, she studied with Eva Kidwell, David Wells, and Karen Gale in Sacramento, where she participated in several community music programs including Sacramento Youth Band and Sacramento Youth Symphony Premier Orchestra.

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Now a Caltrans employee, Shepherd looks forward to exploring a new field and soon becoming a certified civil engineer through job experience and examination. In her free time she enjoys dancing.