October 13, 2026
We couldn't be happier seeing our Shepherd School of Music community making a big musical impact!
Here is a round-up highlighting the exciting, collaborative work of our alumni, faculty, and students:
1) Professor of Voice Ana María Martínez is performing at The Met Opera as Despina in “Così fan tutte,” alongside Duke Kim ('18) as Ferrando, with Dean Matthew Loden in attendance to show support.
2) The Balourdet Quartet, formed at the Shepherd School, just dropped their new album “Strange Machines,” featuring new commissions by three Shepherd composers: professor Karim Al-Zand, Paul Novak ('20), and Nicky Sohn ('25).
3) Adam Adov, student of Jon Kimura Parker, took home 1st Prize and a $33,000 award at the prestigious 2026 Australian National Piano Award.
4) L’Orchestre National de France presented the world premiere of professor Karim Al-Zand’s “Al Hakawati” under the baton of Music Director Cristian Măcelaru ('06, '08).
5) Professors Jerry Hou and Jon Kimura Parker collaborated in Taiwan with the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Gershwin’s “Piano Concerto in F."
6) Ana Spasovska, student of Miguel Harth-Bedoya, was competitively selected to participate in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Conducting Academy, led by alum Cristian Măcelaru.
7) Lecturer James Palmer ('25) opens his new Houston music series “Point of Departure” on Wed, Oct 14 at MATCH, featuring a stacked lineup of Shepherd talent.
8) Shepherd alumni-founded Houston Music Festival, led by David Dietz ('22) and Chelsea de Souza ('26), has announced its Season 3 theme: Texpressionism.