"I would love the music community to ask that question more: 'Can you see what's missing?' and how we can best celebrate that component."

Young Performer of the Year Eliza Shephard is a vibrant flutist and is paving her way as a performing artist, collaborator, and curator. She has performed in Canada, New Zealand, and across USA, and is in high demand as a soloist and chamber

musician.

Eliza attended the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) 2016-18 studying with Virginia Taylor and has also obtained a Bachelor of Music (Honours) from the Australian National University in Canberra, and a Master of Music from Griffith University, Brisbane. A fervent contemporary musician, Eliza has established a course on experimental flute techniques, ‘The Extended Flute’, and is a specialist on the Glissando Headjoint, which she researched extensively as part of her Master of Music.

Eliza is passionate about amplifying the voices of female musicians and composers and her yearly month-long ‘March of the Women’ recording project was instigated in 2020. In 2024 ‘March of the Women: Connecting Australia’ showcased 31 works by Australian composers, performed by Australian artists across three CD volumes. 2024 brought the total tally of works recorded under the March of the Women banner to 155 pieces.

Her talents as a flute player and creative artist earned her the position of a finalist in the Classical Freedman Fellowship in 2021, and as the ABC’s Classic Artist in Residence in 2023. She has received many accolades for the boldness and imagination she brings to her projects, and her orchestral solo performance of Matthew Hindson’s House Music in February 2024 the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was celebrated with high acclaim.

Eliza is a Haynes Artist and frequently collaborates with artists from a large variety of artforms including opera, circus, and dance to create new works and imaginative renditions of familiar repertoire. In 2022 she was the recipient of the YMF Australian Young Performer’s Award and Audience Choice Award for her performances in the YPA competition. Eliza is currently a Teaching Associate at Monash University and is a recipient of the Ian Potter Emerging Performers Fellowship through ANAM.