DENIS SHAPOVALOV
Teacher at the Perosi Academy of Music and at the Cello Travel International Academy

Denis Shapovalov is an Israeli Russian musician winner of the first prize at the XI Tchaikovsky International Competition and gold medal for his exceptiona music talent. Maestro Rostropovich invites him to perform in Russia, France, Great Britain and USA. He has also perfsormed in the concerts for the 75th Rostropovich’s birthday in New York and London.

Denis was born in Tchaikovsky a town on the Ural Mountains, graduates at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in cello and opera and symphonic conduction. He has also been the first academic musician to performe a cello recital at the North Pole. Since March 2023 he live in Italy. E’ il primo musicista accademico ad esibirsi in un recital per violoncello solo al Polo Nord.

Teatres where he has perfomed: Musikverein Vienna – Concertgebouw Amsterdam – Tonhalle Maag Zurich – Vaduzerzaal Liechtenstein – Munchner Philharmonic – Alte Oper Frankfurt – UNESCO Grand Auditorium Paris – Auditorio Nacional de Musica Madrid – Palacio de Congresos Madrid – Palau di Musica Valencia – Megaron Athens – Athenaeum Bucharest – Royal Festival Hall London – Barbican Center London – Avery Fisher Hall New York – Peabody Auditorium Daytona Beach – Suntory Hall Tokyo – Tokyo Bunka Kaikan Tokyo – Beijing Concert Hall – Grand Auditorium Macao Cultural Center – National Center for Performing Arts Mumbai – Tchaikovsky Concert Hall Moscow – Moscow Conservatory Grand Hall – Zaryadye Concert Hall Moscow.

Orchestra Conductors and Chamber Music Partners: Mstislav Rostropovich, Lorin Maazel, Gianandrea Noseda, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Andrew Litton, Yoel Levi, Christian Badea, Alexander Vedernikov, Vladimir Fedosseev, Vladimir Spivakov, Valentin Uryupin, Dmitry Jurovsky, Lee Reynolds, Thomas Sanderling, Gintaras Rinkievicius, Yutaka Sado, Lu Jia, Rodion Schedrin, Sergey Babayan, Lera Auerbach, Vadim Repin, Nikolai Znaider, Andreas Mustonen, Nikita Boriso-Glebsky

Orchestras which he has perfomed with as cello solo: London Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Macao Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Armenian National Symphony Orchestra, Bolshoi Theatre Symphony Orchestra, Svetlanov’s Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic, Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra

Denis as Orchestra Conductor: Shapo always achieve great consents as orchestra conductor by dozen of orchestras in Russia, including the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra “Novaya Rossiya”, the Russian National Orchestra soloists, and many others. He has performed in a lot of concerts in Europe, Asia and South America, but also with the Belorussian National Symphony Orchestra, the Kazakhstan National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Montenegro Symphony Orchestra, the Kossovo Symphony Orchestra, the Georgian Chamber Orchestra, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, just to name some.

Teaching: since 2022 at Perosi Academy of Music, Italy; since 2014 at Cello Travel International Academy (he is the founder); from 2001 to 2012 at Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory.

Masterclasses: Santa-Cecilia Conservatory in Rome; Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory in Milan; Italian Swiss Conservatoire in Lugano; Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia; Belgrade Institute of Arts, Serbia, just to name some.

Shapo composer: in 2016 he discover his happy inspiration as composer who is, immediately, acclaimed by the critics and the audience. He has performed his composition at International Festival in Russia, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Romania, Pollandd, Serbia, Montenegro, Latvia and Georgia.
2016 – “Concerto di Bravura” for cello and strings, premiered at the Tchaikovsky State Conservatoire in Moscow;
2017 – “Rock-variations on a Rococo theme” for electric cello and Symphonic Orchestra, commissioned and premiered at Krakow PROMS Festival, Polland;.
2017 – “Italian Suite” for cello solo, commissioned and premiered at ArtDialog Festival, Svizzera;
2018 – Concert-Fantasy “Rencontres Musicales” for cello and Symphonic Orchestra dedicated to M° Rostropovich and premiered with the Rostropovich Philharmony in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia;
2019 – “Symphony in Rock style”, commissioned and premiered at the 60° parallel Festival, Russia;
2019 – Vocal cycle “Christmas star” for cello and Chamber Choir, commisisone and premiered at Ryazan Festival, Russia;
2021 – Symphony Fantasy “Tchaikovsky-Dvorak. A letter to a dearest friend”, commissioned and premiered at Zaryadye Moscow Concert Hall.

Crossover Projects: besided his wide academic repertooire for cello solo and orchestra, Shapo reveal a great passion for rock music and created unique programmes to attact new spectators ending the concert with standing ovations and loud clapping hands.

“Rock vs. Rococo. Classical Battle” a composition inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite  “Rococo Variations” state the contrast of Shapo rock composition. “Rock-Rococo Variations” and “Symphony in Rock style”, live recorded in the famous Philharmonic Hall of San Pietroburgo with and audience of 500k people. Demo, https://youtu.be/vcv6NqZO4eM.

“Tribute to Pink Floyd”, this rock group is his passion then he decides to compose a rock instrumental Symphony performed with lights and videos where Denis plays his own musical transcription on Pinks Floyds Themes playing with an electric cello and Orchiestra or Chamber Music Ensemble.

Rock-fantasy “The letters gone with Rhine. Brahms&Clara”  a composition dedicated to Brahms and Clara Schumann and their love/friendship letters. A Fantasy for Electric violin and cello and orchestra. He has been premiered at Teatro Maggio Fiorentino, Florence, Italy 11/12/23 with Ksenia Milas electric violin and Vivaldi Symphony Orchestra conducte by M° ernesto Colombo. Fragments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8HXfAj3tS8.

Links to some videos: 

Links as Direttore d’Orchestra

Links to a Crossover Project

  • “Rock vs Rococo. Classical Battle” demo, https://youtu.be/vcv6NqZO4eM