Beginning rather late in life, Kendal has written music (as Kendal Kirkland rather than Shepherd) since 1991. Starting with 'folk-rock' songs for the band Alter Ego, lyrics by Ian Florance, there followed Kendal's declaration to him late in the evening of a notable New Year's Eve party in 1992, that she would like to set Latin words to music. The result was 'A Requiem', an amalgam of the Latin Mass and original English words, reflecting loss, grief anf eventual reconciliation, first performed in St. Matthias Church in Richmond-upon-Thames in 1994. This work, for narrator, soprano, alto and tenor soloists, choir, piano, church organ and rock band, has had many performances since then, including at St Mary's Church, Wellingborough, narrated by Martin Jarvis and St. Alfege Church in Greenwich, narrator Prunella Scales. The full libretto and programme notes for this last preformance are available to download below.
'The Song of St. Francis', for tenor (singing as St Francis), soprano (singing as mankind), and children's choir (singing as the birds), was commissioned for the Rothwell festival in 1995. Together with 'Veni Creator Spiritus - towards the year 2000', both these works are a plea for greater care to be taken of each other and our enivironment, with or without a belief in, or existent of, a creator spirit. 'Heloise', a music drama based on the lives of Abelard and Heloise, premiered in concert form in Southwark Cathedral as part of the Southwark Festival in 2000, has since been brought to life at The Castle Theatre, Wellingborough, in 2009. The libretto for each of these works is written by my brother in law, Ian Florance.
From 2003 at its beginning to 2008, Kendal and Rod Iliffe wrote all music for 'Christ in the Centre', an open-air passion play performed in Leicester city centre on Good Friday, which has since become an annual event, attracting thousands of visitors.
Live recordings of these works as well as Alter Ego selections are available upon request. Please e-mail kendal@kendalshepherd.com for more information.
Click on the link below to hear an early Alter Ego song 'Ashes of Dead Stars'
http://www.onlyconnectpeople.co.uk/IanFlorance/AshesofDeadStars.wma
Click on the link below to hear a Harborough Singers recording of my Christmas carol 'A question at Christmas'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvbXJxjVkCk
Click on link below to hear a live Amicorum performance of the Magnificat from 'Heloise' with Kim Vaughan soloist
htpps://www.facebook.com/kendalshepherd.7/videos/1255442217970930