National champion fiddler, 14, to appear at HSV’s Woodlands
Iris Shepherd, a 14-year-old violin virtuoso from Tennessee, will make her first appearance on the Woodlands stage at the Village Chorale’s May 12 concert, a news release said.
The Village Chorale will present “Americana: A Celebration of Home” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, at Woodlands Auditorium in Hot Springs Village. Tickets sales will be announced soon.
Shepherd won the James G. “Bobo” Driver National Championship fiddle contest in 2017. She made her Grand Ole Opry stage debut during the summer on 2016.
“Although she will ‘wow’ you with her fiddlin’ that evening, her first love is classical music. Iris made her solo orchestral debut with the Georgia Philharmonic in 2018. She has soloed with the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra on two occasions,” the release said.
Shepherd has won or been a finalist in numerous competitions. She was a finalist for the NPR nationally syndicated radio program “From the Top” and a two-time national finalist at the Music Teachers’ National Association strings competition. After her appearance here, she will head off to the prestigious Aspen International Music Festival on a full scholarship, the release said.
“She will have an opportunity to show off her fiddling style on a selection she will play with the Chorale featuring a number of great fiddling standards starting with ‘Arkansas Traveler.’ She will also accompany the Chorale on several occasions. In addition, our audience will have the pleasure of hearing Iris play one of her favorite solo selections that evening,” the release said.
“We are excited to be able to share Iris’ talents with our audience. I have heard her play, and I guarantee that you are in for a real treat,” Thomas Bolton, Village Chorale director, said.
Major sponsors are Southern Floor Co., ReMax of HSV and Arvest Bank.