Kyle Shepherd

Kyle Shepherd is one of South Africa’s leading pianists and composers. Internationally recognized for his distinctive compositional style and performances, Shepherd has released seven jazz albums to date as well as a number of film, television, and theater scores, including Blood and Water (Season 2, Netflix); Savage Beauty (Season 1, Netflix); Surviving Paradise, as additional music composer (Netflix); Indemnity; Barakat (South Africa’s official entry for the 2022 Academy Awards); The Life and Times of Michael K (a Handspring Puppet Co. theater production based on the Nobel Prize-winning novel by J.M Coetzee); Fiela se Kind (Silwerskerm Award for Best Score); Vlugtig; and Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief), South Africa’s official entry for the 2017 Academy Awards, which was also nominated for the 2017 South African Film & Television Award [SAFTA] for Best Achievement in Original Music Score in a Feature Film. Shepherd received the 2018 South African Humanities and Social Sciences Award: Book, Creative Collection and Digital Contribution 2018, hosted by the National Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, for Best Musical Composition for his composition, Noem My Skollie. His music also features prominently in independent filmmaker Nadine Cloete’s Action Kommandant, a documentary based on the story of the young South African revolutionary freedom fighter Ashley Kriel. The 34-year-old pianist has a well-established record of celebrated performances in 26 countries around the world, including his home South Africa, Europe, Asia (including Japan, India, and China), Canada, and the USA. Shepherd is also the co-creator of the hit Afrikaans television series Koortjies met Jonathan Rubain and holds a master’s degree (cum laude) in music from Stellenbosch University.