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Alex Shapiro, composer email

 

Program Bios and Photos



Quick links on this page

 

 

 

 

 
   

 

Here are a variety of program-ready
2023 photos and bios for Alex Shapiro
to suit whatever word count and tone is needed,
as well as an electronic press kit.

 


A complete online biography
with more information than
anyone could possibly find necessary
is available here Bio

 

 

   Casual bios

 

Mercifully brief 100 word bio      (96 words; casual)

 

 

Alex Shapiro (born New York City, 1962) has built an unconventional life interweaving her dynamic musical career with avid pursuits of wildlife photography, non-fiction writing, and a devotion to advocacy. Published by Activist Music LLC, her works are heard daily in concerts and broadcasts and can be found on over thirty commercially released recordings from around the world. Alex lives on Washington State's remote San Juan Island, and when she's not composing she can be found communing with the sea life, as seen on her music and photo-filled blog, www.notesfromthekelp.com and her website, www.alexshapiro.org.

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

150 word program bio      (139 words; casual)

 

 

Alex Shapiro (b. New York City, 1962) aligns note after note with the hope that at least a few of them will sound good next to each other. Her persistence at this activity, as well as non-fiction music writing, public speaking, arts advocacy volunteerism, wildlife photography, and the shameless instigation of insufferable puns on Facebook, has led to a happy life. Drawing from a broad musical palette that giddily ignores genre, Alex's acoustic and electroacoustic works are published by Activist Music LLC, performed and broadcast daily, and can be found on over thirty commercial releases from record labels around the world. Alex lives on Washington State's remote San Juan Island, and when she's not composing she can be found communing with nature, as seen on her music and photo-filled blog, www.notesfromthekelp.com and her website, www.alexshapiro.org.

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

300 word bio (Alex's current favorite)      (288 words; casual)

 

 

Composer Alex Shapiro aligns note after note with the hope that at least a few of them will actually sound good next to each other. Her persistence at this activity, as well as non-fiction music writing, arts advocacy, public speaking, wildlife photography, and the shameless instigation of insufferable puns on Facebook, has led to a happy life. Ever-boastful of her terminal degree of a high school diploma (an impressive feat, having failed 8th grade algebra), Alex lives in the middle of nowhere on a small rock between the coasts of Washington State and British Columbia, and draws from a broad musical palette that giddily ignores genre. Her acoustic and electroacoustic works are published by her company Activist Music LLC, have won almost no awards, are performed and broadcast daily, have rarely been reviewed, and can be found on over thirty commercial releases from record labels around the world. No musician or audience member has yet to contact Alex to request their money back. Emphasis on, "yet."



In addition to lavish customer refund policies, Ms. Shapiro is noted for her seamless melding of live and recorded sounds, and for her innovative uses of multimedia in performance and music education. A widely published advocate on topics ranging from technology, copyright, diversity, music education, and the music business, and a likable person from whom you can learn details about python breeding, Alex is the Symphonic and Concert writer member of the Board of Directors of ASCAP, and serves on the Board of Directors of the ASCAP Foundation, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Music Publishers Association of the United States. Alex's music as well as her other, sometimes unusual pursuits, can be experienced on her website, www.alexshapiro.org.

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

400 word bio      (361 words; casual)

 

 

Alex Shapiro (b. New York City, 1962) aligns note after note with the hope that at least a few of them will sound good next to each other. Her persistence at this activity, as well as non-fiction music writing, public speaking, arts advocacy volunteerism, wildlife photography, and the shameless instigation of insufferable puns on Facebook, has led to a happy life. Drawing from a broad musical palette that giddily ignores genre, Alex's acoustic and electroacoustic works for small chamber groups and large ensembles are performed and broadcast daily, and can be found on over thirty commercial releases from record labels around the world. Shapiro is known for her seamless melding of live and recorded sounds that often include striking visual and physical elements, and for her innovative uses of technology throughout the composing, rehearsing, and performance of her music.



Ms. Shapiro is the Symphonic & Concert writer member on the Board of Directors of ASCAP, and a board member of the ASCAP Foundation. She also serves as a board member of The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Music Publishers Association of the United States, representing her company Activist Music LLC. Alex is a former board member of other U.S. non-profit organizations including The American Music Center, the American Composers Forum of Los Angeles, The MacDowell Colony, and The Society of Composers & Lyricists.



Educated at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music as a student of Ursula Mamlok and John Corigliano, Shapiro moved from Manhattan to Los Angeles in 1983, beginning her career composing for commercial media before switching her focus to the concert music world in the late 90s. In 2007 Alex traded the traffic and wildfires of Malibu for the puddle jumpers and wildlife of Washington State's remote San Juan Island. From her home on the water's edge, Alex procrastinates on her next piece by pointing her camera at anything with paws, claws, hooves, tentacles or fins. The resulting, award-winning photos are often part of Shapiro's multimedia electroacoustic works and her website, www.alexshapiro.org, where just as on her blog, www.notesfromthekelp.com, and Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AlexShapiro, Alex's music and images can be experienced separately, and together.

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc


Alex at home, photo by Michael Stillwater, from his documentary, "In Search of the Great Song".

 

   Formal bios

 

100 word bio      (99 words; formal)

 

 

Alex Shapiro (b. NYC, 1962) has built an unconventional life interweaving her dynamic musical career with avid pursuits of wildlife photography, non-fiction writing, and a devotion to advocacy. Her works are heard daily in concerts and broadcasts and can be found on over thirty commercially released recordings from around the world. Ms. Shapiro holds the Symphonic & Concert writer member seat on the Board of Directors of ASCAP, and also serves on the boards of the ASCAP Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Music Publishers Association of the United States, representing her company Activist Music LLC.

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

250 word bio      (247 words; formal)

 

 

Composer Alex Shapiro (born New York City, 1962) has built an unconventional life interweaving her dynamic musical career with avid pursuits of wildlife photography, non-fiction writing, and a devotion to advocacy for the arts, marine sciences, and social justice. Alex's genre-blind acoustic and electroacoustic works are heard daily in concerts and broadcasts and can be found on over thirty commercially released recordings from around the world. Sought after for her seamless melding of live and recorded sounds and multimedia, Alex is acclaimed for changing the landscape of the wind band field.




Renowned as a lively public speaker and a widely published author, Alex has been a presenter at countless national music conferences and university residencies. She is a frequent webcast guest, noted for engaging discussions on the music business, diversity and equity, copyright, technology, and activism.




Ms. Shapiro holds the Symphonic & Concert writer member seat on the Board of Directors of ASCAP and is an officer of the ASCAP Foundation. A former Director on many national arts boards, Alex also currently serves on the boards of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Music Publishers Association of the United States, representing her company Activist Music LLC.




Educated at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, Alex moved from Manhattan to Los Angeles in 1983, and in 2007 relocated to Washington State's remote San Juan Island. Alex's images and music can be experienced on her blog, www.notesfromthekelp.com and her website, www.alexshapiro.org.


 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

500 word bio      (475 words; formal)

 

 

Composer Alex Shapiro has built an unconventional life interweaving her dynamic musical career with avid pursuits of wildlife photography, non-fiction writing, and a devotion to advocacy for the arts, marine sciences, and social justice. Alex's genre-blind acoustic and electroacoustic works are heard daily in concerts and broadcasts and can be found on over thirty commercially released recordings from around the world.



Renowned as a lively public speaker and a widely published author, Alex has been a presenter at countless national music conferences and university residencies. She is a frequent webcast guest, noted for engaging discussions on the music business, diversity and equity, copyright, technology, and activism.



Born in New York City in 1962, Alex's primary composition studies were at The Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music. While still a student, she was hired to score a film in Los Angeles and left school to move west in 1983. The first 15 years of Alex's career were spent composing for commercial media until she shifted her focus to the professional chamber music world in the late 1990s. Alex's business and technology skills coincided with the onset of the internet, and helped her globally promote her music and encourage peers to do the same.



A 2008 commission for wind band has since led to Alex's acclaim for changing the landscape of the field with adventurous electroacoustic pieces for all performance levels. With her longtime professional background as a composer and engineer in pop, jazz, film, and concert music, Alex is sought after for her seamless melding of live and recorded sounds for performances which often include striking visual and physical elements.



Ms. Shapiro holds the Symphonic & Concert writer member seat on the Board of Directors of ASCAP and is an officer of the ASCAP Foundation. A former Director on many national arts boards, Alex also currently serves on the boards of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music and the Music Publishers Association of the United States, representing her company Activist Music LLC.



Significantly active in issues beyond music, in the 1990s Shapiro was Vice President of the Board of Directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and balanced her composing deadlines with regular appearances as a spokesperson for women's rights. Alex joined the board of the University of Washington's distinguished Friday Harbor Laboratories marine research center in 2008. Among the works in Alex's diverse catalog are those with social and environmental messages, often accompanied by her award-winning images.



Alex relocated to Washington State's remote San Juan Island in 2007, after 21 years in Manhattan and another 24 in Los Angeles. Her holistic approach to a happy life in the arts in which music, nature, technology, multimedia, and business acumen join with her commitment to the wellbeing of others, can be experienced through social media and her website, www.alexshapiro.org.

 

 

 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc



 

Full bio       (600 words; formal)

 

 

Composer Alex Shapiro has built an unconventional life interweaving her dynamic musical career with avid pursuits of wildlife photography, non-fiction writing, and a devotion to advocacy for the arts, marine sciences, and social justice. Alex's genre-blind acoustic and electroacoustic works are heard daily in concerts and broadcasts and can be found on over thirty commercially released recordings from around the world.




Renowned as a lively public speaker and a widely published author, Alex has been a presenter at countless national music conferences and university residencies. She is a frequent webcast guest, noted for engaging discussions on the music business, diversity and equity, copyright, technology, and activism.




Born in New York City in 1962, at age 15 Alex began composition and electronic music studies during summer classes at Mannes College of Music, followed by two summers as the youngest composer at the Aspen Music Festival and School. After her 1980 graduation from The Juilliard School Pre-College Division, Alex studied composition with Ursula Mamlok and John Corigliano at Manhattan School of Music while scoring low-budget projects for local cable television. With her teachers' encouragement she left a year before completing her Bachelor's degree when hired to score a documentary in Hollywood. Alex established her first multitrack studio in Los Angeles in 1983, launching what became fifteen years composing for commercial visual media.




In the late 1990s Alex shifted her focus to the professional chamber music world, inspired after scoring a feature film with a live orchestra rather than synthesizers. Her business and technology skills coincided with the onset of the internet, and helped her globally promote her music and encourage peers to do the same.




A 2008 commission for wind band has since led to Alex's acclaim for changing the landscape of the field with adventurous electroacoustic pieces for all performance levels. With her longtime professional background as a composer and engineer in pop, jazz, film, and concert music, Alex is sought after for her seamless melding of live and recorded sounds for performances which often include striking visual and physical elements.




Ms. Shapiro holds the Symphonic & Concert writer member seat on the Board of Directors of ASCAP and is also an officer of the ASCAP Foundation. She is a board member of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Music Publishers Association of the United States, representing her company Activist Music LLC. Alex has also served on national boards including the American Music Center, American Composers Forum of Los Angeles, The MacDowell Colony, and the preeminent film music organization, The Society of Composers & Lyricists, of which she was Vice President.




Significantly active in issues beyond music, in the 1990s Shapiro was Vice President of the Board of Directors of the 30,000 member American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and balanced her composing deadlines with regular appearances as a spokesperson on women's rights. Alex joined the board of the University of Washington's distinguished Friday Harbor Laboratories marine research center in 2008. A certified sailor who has lived at the water's edge most of her life, among the works in Alex's diverse catalog are those with social and environmental messages, often accompanied by her award-winning images.




Alex relocated to Washington State's remote San Juan Island in 2007, after 21 years in Manhattan and another 24 in Los Angeles. Her holistic approach to a happy life in the arts in which music, nature, technology, multimedia, and business acumen join with her commitment to the wellbeing of others, can be experienced through social media and her website, www.alexshapiro.org.


 
PDF or Word file download:

PDF

Word doc

 

 

 

   Photos

 

Below is a choice of two
print-ready 600 dpi photos,
as well as a press kit.


A full online biography
is available
by clicking here
Bio

 

Alex Shapiro/high res.

Photo credit: Paul Chepikian

Alex Shapiro/higher res.

 

Photo credit: Jeremy Davidson

 

 

Below is a choice of website-ready photos.

 

Alex Shapiro/low res-outside

Photo credit: Mark D. Stone

 

 

Alex Shapiro/low res-studio

Photo credit: Dan Shelley

Alex Shapiro/low res-studio

Alex Shapiro/low res-studio

Alex Shapiro/low res-ASCAP

 

 

Alex Shapiro/low res-studio

Photo credit: Dan Shelley

 

Info and Press Kit

To contact Alex Shapiro,
email is best.
Click here to send Alex a note email
email
You can also send a fax
(what's THAT?) to:
(270) 916-0093.
fax

To download a .pdf of the complete
Activist Music LLC catalog,
please click here
Catalog

Catalog

To download a .pdf of a complete
narrative bio and C.V.,
please click here
Narrative bio and C.V.

narrative bio and C.V.
To obtain program notes
for any of Ms. Shapiro's works,
please click here
Program notes
Program notes
To learn more
about Alex Shapiro's public
speaking engagements,
please click here
Speaking
Speaking
 
     
  Laura Krider

Alex is very fortunate to have a fantastic professional associate helping her each day with running her business: meet Laura Krider! meet Laura Krider

 

Need assistance with anything from Alex or Activist Music LLC? In addition to always being able to contact Alex, don't hestitate to email Laura.

 

     

Alex at the helm. Photo by Dan Shelley.


 

Interact with the composer!
See Alex in the context of the world around her,
through the nature-oriented lens of her popular blog,
Notes from the Kelp,

and in the social networks.

 

 

blog link

Facebook
YouTube
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LinkedIn
Email Alex!
 

Alex Shapiro, composer email2
Home
Bio
Works
Concerts
Contact
Recordings
Commissions
Dial-a-Mood
Links
Essays
Jazz/Film/TV
Purchase

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