E‑mail: matthew@te-deum.org
Dr. Matthew Christopher Shepard is the founder and conductor of Te Deum, one of the Midwest’s leading professional choral ensembles. His work spans chamber and symphonic repertoire, including preparing large choral-orchestral works as assistant choral director of the Carmel Bach Festival, leading the University of Illinois Oratorio Society, and preparing dozens of major works with the Village Choir of Prairie Village. He advocates for new music, having premiered dozens of works by emerging and established composers, and his early-music scholarship has been recognized nationally with features in Early Music America. He also lectures on chant, music history, and Renaissance performance practice. With Te Deum, he has led period performances of Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri, Bach’s St. John Passion, and the B Minor Mass.
Dr. Shepard is the founder and conductor of Te Deum, recognized as one of the premier choral ensembles in the Midwest. He is a passionate advocate for new choral music, having premiered dozens of pieces by both emerging and established composers. His expertise in early music has garnered national attention, and his work has been featured twice in Early Music America. He frequently presents lectures on historical chant performance, music history, and Renaissance performance practice. With Te Deum, he has delivered period performances of monumental Baroque works, including J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, B‑Minor Mass, and Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri.
As an orchestral conductor, Dr. Shepard recently served as the Interim Director of Orchestras at Illinois State University and has led notable ensembles such as The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City, the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, and the Kansas City Baroque. He has previously served as orchestra director at Benedictine College and conductor of the University of Illinois Philharmonia Orchestra.
Dr. Shepard’s musical journey began in woodwinds and voice. He holds an undergraduate degree from William Jewell College, two master’s degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, studying both choral and orchestral conducting, and earned a doctorate from the University of Illinois, where he held teaching assistantships for the symphonic choir, chamber chair, and orchestra. His additional conducting studies include fellowships at the Conductors Institute at Bard College Conservatory under Maestro Leon Botstein and the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Institute.
