About Holly

Originally from Los Alamos, New Mexico, Holly has had an unconventional path into professional classical music. Holly received a scholarship to pursue a degree in Vocal Performance at the University of New Mexico. After two years of study however, she changed gears to pursue another career goal in the visual arts. Holly moved to Phoenix to attend the University of Advancing Technology (UAT). She earned a B.A. in Multimedia with a Digital Animation emphasis. She soon began her career as an artist in the videogame industry. Holly’s passion for singing never faded, so she continued her vocal education with voice instructor Gail Dubinbaum and began to look for performance opportunities in Phoenix.

Holly began work as a professional chorister with the Phoenix Chorale in 2006. Over the past 19 years with the Phoenix Chorale, Holly has sung in concerts across the country and recorded several albums. The Chorale’s recordings have earned a total of ten Grammy® nominations and three Grammy® wins. Holly also performs with Helios: A Modern Rennaissance, which is a seven person early music ensemble that aims to celebrate the greatness early music and that of the underrepresented composers whose voices have been neglected through the centuries. Holly preformed regularly as a soloist in a variety of concerts around Phoenix. This season, she appeared as the Mezzo soloist in Arizona Bach Festival's Complete Messiah with period instruments. She then had the privilege of singing the Mezzo solos for the rarely performed Dvorak Stabat Mater with St. Barnabas.  In 2019, Holly sang the role of Sesto in La Clemenza di Tito with the Trentino Music Festival in Trentino, Italy.  She has been a member of the Arizona Opera Chorus and in 2020, covered the roll of Mercedes in their production of Carmen. 

Outside of singing, Holly continues her career in the visual arts. She currently works as Sr. World Builder at the video game studio 31st Union creating 3D worlds and environments for upcoming title. Holly and her husband George are outdoor enthusiasts living in Mesa with their birds Pico and Olive.

Check out my Digital Art portfolio for something completely different!

https://hollysheppard.com/