E-mailsheppacj@muohio.edu

Raised in a family of professional musicians, James Sheppard began professional life as a performer on trumpet in Omaha, Nebraska. Composition became a dominant interest and included study under a fellowship at the University of Massachusetts (M.M. 1968) and further work at the University of Iowa (Ph. D. 1975) where he was a Composing and Performing Fellow with the Center for New Music.

Currently James Sheppard instructs in the music technology and theory curricula of the department during the spring semester.  Previously, as a full-time member at Miami University from 1978-2009, he taught music composition and directed the Electronic Music Studio leading the development of departmental technical resources into the music technology wing of Presser Hall. His compositions for and performances on the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument) received positive reviews in Musical America, Perspectives of New Music, and the International Trumpet Guild Journal. Compositions on CD include Snowfall recorded by colleague Michele Gingras for the 1999 Societe Nouvelle D'Enregistrement SNE-631-CD; and Blue River, selected and released in 2009 by Jeri-Mae Astolfi on Capstone CPS 8810. The composer is represented earlier on vinyl recordings by Echo, in Amber and Luminaria for the Opus One label, #126 and his first release, Cat Dreams of Flying on Opus One #85, Sandra Seefeld, flute.

In 2001 he was awarded fellowships for residencies at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in Sweet Briar, Virginia. Other recognition given the composer for his music include Individual Artist Awards in Composition from the Ohio Arts Council, a Research Challenge Grant in Electronic Music Composition from the State of Ohio, a Charles Ives Center for American Music Fellowship, Miami University research and composing appointments, and continuing awards from ASCAP.