Born: 1918, Flora, Nebraska

Died: 1984, Huntington, West Virginia

Jane Boedeker Shepherd, mezzo-soprano, began piano studies at age 7 studying at William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri and receiving a Diplome d'Execution in Piano from the American University in Fontainebleau, France, and bachelor and master degrees from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Encourage to study voice, she complete four years at the Juilliard School of Music with her 1946 NY debut as a mezzo-soprano in Town Hall  as winner of the 1945 Naumburg Vocal Award. With her career launched as a mezzo-soprano she took the stage name of Jane Hobson, her grandmother's name, and under the auspices of Columbia Artist Management toured extensively, performing with many of the nation's major orchestras. Among them was the NY Philharmonic with Leopold Stowkowski conducting in Carnegie Hall and with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony, as well as the Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of George Szell.

Following her marriage in 1950 to interior designer Robert Shepherd, she made her home in Huntington, West Virginia. She taught privately, hosted a local classical music radio show and in 1958 joined the faculty of Marshall College (now University) where she coached vocal students until her retirement as professor of music and artist in residence in 1983. She was a founder of the Huntington Chamber Orchestra and assisted in the organization of district and regional auditions the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.

Governor Jay Rockfeller appointed her to the West Virginia Arts and Humanites Commission for two consecutive terms.

On her retirement Jane Boedeker said she was retiring from teaching but would never retire from singing.

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