Arts in the Village Concert

When: April 13, 2024, 7:30 PM Doors open at 7:00 no reserved seating
Where: Goff Hall, 124 Bay State Rd. Rehoboth MA
Who: Tong and Sheppard, Violin/Piano Duo
Handicap accessible; free parking
Tickets at the door Adults $28.00, Seniors $25.00 Students $10.00

Jessica Tong and Michael Sheppard first met at the Peabody Conservatory, where they studied with legendary Violinist Pamela Frank and Pianist Leon Fleisher, respectively. Upon their first performance of Mozart’s Violin Sonatas more than 10 years ago, they discovered they share a very rare singular vision in their approaches to music-making. They have continued to collaborate ever since that first performance, presenting inventive and adventurous programs that integrate both well-loved and lesser-known masterpieces for violin and piano.

Canadian-born Tong has garnered international acclaim as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, having been described as an “outstanding talent” (Performing Arts in Canada) with “keen sensitivity and receptivity” (Bloomington Herald Times), who “allow[s] us to savour her sense of ardour and intensity, but never at the detriment of her tonal beauty.” (ClassiqueInfo France). She has won many awards for her work.

She is currently the Violin Professor at the State University of New York at Fredonia, Chamber Music Director of the Composers Conference, and the newly appointed Artistic Advisor at Avaloch Farm Music Institute.

Known as “a virtuosic soloist possessed of power, sensitivity, earthiness, and humor” (Indianapolis Star) with the “power to make an audience sit up and pay attention…thought-provoking for performers and listeners alike” (All Music Guide), Sheppard was a winner of the prestigious American Pianists Association Classical Fellow Award, a designation that led to the release of a critically acclaimed solo recording by Harmonia Mundi in 2007. As a pianist, conductor and composer, Sheppard gives master classes, and teaches and plays with some of the top singers and instrumentalists around the US. He also coaches singers, instrumentalists, and conductors, working at both the Peabody Conservatory and the Baltimore School for the Arts, sharing his love and understanding of music and the artistic process with future generations.