Meet the Musicians
Choo Choo Hu
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
"If music be the food of love, play on!" - Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
ACME's artistic director, pianist, and Ansley Park resident Choo Choo Hu is committed to uniting well-curated musical programs, delicious refreshments, and lively discourse. In a world full of division and discord, we need community and harmony more than ever.
Choo Choo h
"If music be the food of love, play on!" - Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
ACME's artistic director, pianist, and Ansley Park resident Choo Choo Hu is committed to uniting well-curated musical programs, delicious refreshments, and lively discourse. In a world full of division and discord, we need community and harmony more than ever.
Choo Choo has performed all across the world as a soloist, chamber musician, and collaborative pianist. Recent solo engagements include appearances with the Atlanta Symphony, the Spokane Symphony, and the Atlanta Philharmonic. She is a founding member and pianist of the non-profit ensemble vim, a new music collective dedicated to bringing multidisciplinary performances of underrepresented living composers to underserved communities. She is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore where she studied with Leon Fleisher and Brian Ganz. She loves nothing more than to host wine and music reading parties, and dreams of one day opening a chamber music/arts festival in the mountains.
For more info about Choo Choo, visit choochoohu.com
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
Michael Sheppard is an American pianist praised for performances that balance expressive depth with clarity, warmth, and musical honesty. A protégé of Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory, he has appeared as a recitalist, soloist, and collaborator throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East — including
Michael Sheppard is an American pianist praised for performances that balance expressive depth with clarity, warmth, and musical honesty. A protégé of Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory, he has appeared as a recitalist, soloist, and collaborator throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East — including multiple recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, his Kennedy Center debut, and an 18-city tour of China.
He is particularly drawn to the emotional worlds of Brahms, Chopin, Beethoven, Poulenc, and John Williams, composers whose expressive vocabularies align with his own sense of intensity and humanity. His recordings include American Piano Music (Harmonia Mundi), 12 Images (Bear Machine Records), and Through Broken Time with flutist Jennifer Grim.
Sheppard serves on the collaborative piano staff at the Peabody Conservatory, coaching and partnering with singers, instrumentalists, and conductors across the school’s performance and training programs. He is based in Baltimore.
Ebonee Thomas, flutist (6/7/26)
Michael Sheppard, pianist (4/26/26)
Ebonee Thomas, flutist (6/7/26)
Flutist Ebonee Thomas is Second Flute and Piccolo of The Dallas Opera. She has held principal positions with the Knoxville Symphony and Florida Grand Opera, and performed with major orchestras including the Houston Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
A former fellow of the New
Flutist Ebonee Thomas is Second Flute and Piccolo of The Dallas Opera. She has held principal positions with the Knoxville Symphony and Florida Grand Opera, and performed with major orchestras including the Houston Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
A former fellow of the New World Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas, Ebonee was featured as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in works by Joan Tower and Christian Lindberg. She has also performed under the baton of John Adams at Carnegie Hall in his Chamber Symphony.
Ebonee is an active chamber musician, appearing with the Austin Chamber Music Society, Voices of Change, and ensembleNEWSRQ. She is featured on several recordings with Seraphic Fire’s Firebird Ensemble. She has also performed with the Star Wars in Concert! Orchestra, among other unique collaborations. Ebonee is a Burkart Piccolo Artist and currently the Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, Butler School of Music.