Shepherd, Jane B. (Jane Boedeker), 1918-1984

Epithet: of Henley on Thames Rectory, county Oxfordshire

British Library Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue : Person : Description : ark:/81055/vdc_100000000626.0x000188

Born Flora Jane Boedeker on March 17, 1918, at Murray, Nebraska, Jane Shepherd began at age seven the piano training which was to carry her through an associate degree at William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri, a Diplome d'Execution in Piano from the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France, and a bachelor's and master's degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At the urging of teachers and fellow musicians, she was encouraged to begin voice training, completing four years on a fellowship at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. This training culminated in the receipt of the prestigious Walter W. Naumburg Foundation Prize and a concert at the Town Hall in New York City in 1946. With her career as a mezzo-soprano thus launched, Mrs. Shepherd took the stage name of Jane Hobson, her grandmother's name, and, associated with Columbia Artists Management, toured extensively in the United States and Canada. Her marriage in 1948 to Huntington, West Virginia, native Robert V. Shepherd somewhat limited but by no means ended her career. She continued to appear with such major orchestras as the Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louise, and National Symphonies, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Perhaps her most notable association was with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra, with whom she performed on numerous occasions Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Mrs. Shepherd also shared her musical gift with her adopted city and state of Huntington, West Virginia. She taught privately, hosted a local classical music radio show, and finally, in 1958, joined the faculty of Marshall University (then College), where she coached many voice students until her retirement as Artist-in-Residence and full Professor of Music in 1983. In addition to numerous local appearances in recitals and concerts, Mrs. Shepherd also assisted in the formation of the Huntington Chamber Orchestra and in the organization of district and regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions. Governor Jay Rockefeller appointed her to the West Virginia Arts and Humanities Commission for two consecutive terms. Jane Shepherd died unexpectedly on July 28, 1984, from complications arising from a fall that she suffered in her home several weeks earlier. She was survived by her husband, her son and daughter-in-law Brian and Kathryn Shepherd, two grandchildren, and her brother, Charles Boedeker, of Walnut Creek, California.

From the description of The Jane Boedeker Shepherd Papers, 1935-1983. (Marshall University). WorldCat record id: 731954468