Farewell to Dr Richard Shephard MBE

The King's School community are saddened to hear of the death of Dr Richard Shephard MBE.  He began his distinguished musical career as a Chorister at Gloucester Cathedral in 1958 under Herbert Sumsion.  He completed his school days at King's during the final years of Tom Brown's headship and left in 1966 to read music at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. 

Richard was well-known as a composer of choral music, whose works are sung extensively in churches across the world today.  He also wrote operas, musicals and music for television.  One of his specially commissioned pieces, 'There was such Beauty', drew on the words of the King's School poets, Ivor Gurney and Will Harvey, and was performed in Gloucester Cathedral in 1991 as part of the school's 450th anniversary celebrations. 

You can listen to 'And When The Builders'  sung by The Choir of Gloucester Cathedral and composed by Richard Shephard here:

https://youtu.be/60rbH1DXysw

Richard was Headmaster of York Minster School from 1985 until 2004 and in retirement became a prolific fund-raiser for York Minster.  He already has the honour of being immortalised on the fabric of the minster, where a grotesque was created in his likeness in 2015. 

Richard always kept in touch with the King's School, Gloucester, where he is also remembered affectionately.  He was a member of the Governing Body between 2014 and 2017 and gave the school valuable advice on the refurbishment of the Ivor Gurney Hall.