The world is full of phenomenal pianists, each generation playing the masterpieces of the past more brilliantly that the one before. But there was a time when virtuosos wrote and performed their own works, with even fewer still improvising ex tempore - on the spot - leaving listeners awash in the beauty of moments never to be repeated. Michael Sheppard is just such an artist, bringing forth music from the landscape of his imagination, conjuring a kaleidoscope of emotion through his mastery of the piano. When Michael Sheppard isn’t improvising at the piano you’ll find him in Baltimore, MD where he teaches at the Baltimore School for the Arts and the Peabody Conservatory of Music. A virtuoso in the traditional sense, Michael has performed across the globe with several stops at the Kennedy Center and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall along his way. In addition to his own compositions and improvisations, Michael has a long standing interest in new music working with fellow composers John Corigliano, Christopher Theofanidis, Michael Hersch, Robert Sirota and the late Nicholas Maw. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music where he studied with Ann Schein and the legendary Leon Fleischer, Michael has been making up music at the piano since age 2.