Polina Shepherd is a composer, performer, educator and cultural activist originally from Siberia, now living in Brighton UK. She grew up with singing at family gatherings where she accompanied her grandfather, a WWII veteran and her whole Cossack / Jewish family from the age of 7. Since moving to the UK in 2003 has been performing, teaching, composing and touring with various projects internationally.
Her singing, though based on traditional forms, cuts a sound deeply rooted in East European Jewish and Russian folk. Growing up in Tatarstan also placed her close to Islamic ornamentation and timbre, which can be heard in her unique vocal style. As a solo performer she presents a variety of original songs including her solo album Three Centuries Ago, some of the songs with her own poetry. As a vocalist she worked and recorded with a remix artist Max Pashm in Never Mind the Balkans, a Romanian Gypsy style brass band Fanfara, and most recently for Gecko Theatre production Kin (2022).
The most ambitious choral project is 150 Voices, a recorded collaboration with the lead singer of the Grammy-winning The Klezmatics Lorin Sklamberg and five choirs in the UK and the USA. Apart from the original choirs, the Sklamberg – Shepherd Duo offer workshopping and performing it with any group or choir in the world.
Her choral work is united by the umbrella of The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience and covers many aspects of vocal music from large scale choirs to smaller chamber groups, from highly arranged and conducted pieces to on spot choral improvisation. Her specially developed teaching and conducting methods are based on specific East European sound, ornamentation, modal experimentation with attention to history and context. Choir leader of the Award Winning Russian choir of Brighton & Hove since 2007, The London Russian Choir since 2013, led the Brighton & Hove Yiddish choir and the London Yiddish choir in 2015-2022. Music Co-Director of Caravan Orchestra and Choir: a German – Israeli youth project (2019 – 2023), where Polina experiments with creating musical forms on the spot with a 40+ group of musicians with classical, jazz and Arab music backgrounds.
WEB:
Main website: www.polinashepherd.co.uk
Sklamberg and the Shepherds Trio: https://sklambergandtheshepherds.wordpress.com/
The Sound & Light Cinematic Duo: https://soundandlightcinematicduo.wordpress.com/
The London Russian Choir: https://londonrussianchoir.wordpress.com/
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/polinashepherd
Bandcamp: https://polinashepherd.bandcamp.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/polinashepherd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/polinashepherd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polinashepherd/
The Brighton & Hove Russian Choir 
We at Singing for Better Health are very privileged to have such a talented and beautiful pianist to inspire us.Roger and Sheila Sharman.