Russian-Israeli artist Denis Shapovalov has established himself as a versatile musician with a refined sense of different musical styles, equally brilliantly performing diverse repertoire from purely classical programs to rock shows.

Winning the Gold medal at the XI International Tchaikovsky Competition, Shapo has performed under distinguished conductors – Lorin Maazel, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Gianandrea Noseda, Yutaka Sado, Andrew Litton, Yoel Levi, Christian Badea, Vladimir Fedoseev, Alexander Vedernikov, Gintaras Rinkevicius, Thomas Sanderling, and others.

Maestro Rostropovich invited Shapo to perform in Russia, France, Great Britain, and USA. Denis participated in the concert series celebrating Rostropovich’s 75th birthday in New York and London.

Shapo has performed at the world’s most prestigious venues – Musikverein, Concertgebouw, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Center, Tonhalle Maag, Vaduzer Saal, Munich Philharmonic, Megaron, Madrid National Auditorium of Music, Avery Fisher Hall, Beijing Concert Hall, Suntory Hall, Moscow Conservatory Great Hall, Zarjadje, etc.

Shapo collaborates with the world leading orchestras – Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Macao Symphony Orchestra, and others. In 2007 Denis Shapo became the first classical musician who had performed solo concert at the North Pole.

Denis has appeared in radio and TV concert broadcasts recorded by “Russia-Kultura”, “Bayerischer Rundfunk”, “Radio France”, “NY Public Radio”, “Bayern Klassik”, “Das Erste ARD”, “Mezzo”, “NHK”.

For recent 15 years Denis Shapo has maintained successfull concert career as a conductor.

As a chamber musician Shapo has collaborated with many prominent partners including Rodion Shchedrin, Lera Auerbach, Vadim Repin, Nikolaj Znaider, Sergey Babayan, John Nakamatsu, Alexander Ghindin, Andres Mustonen.

“Shapovalov is one of those rare musicians who easily steps from classical music to rock and back”. – Kommersant journal, Russia

Shapo actively participated in various modern music projects; he was the first to perform the compositions by Rodion Shchedrin, Giya Kancheli, Jakob ter Veldhuis, and others. Since 2016 Denis has started his own composing activity performing at concerts in all of his three roles – cellist, conductor and composer.

Denis Shapo is a versatile musician; he performs not only the entire range of academic music literature, but elaborates new-format programs. He translated his passion for rock music into the unique crossover project “Rock vs Rococo” which attracts new audiences to academic venues, having great success.

Shapo was born in 1974 in Tchaikovsky town in the Urals. In 2000 he graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky State Conservatory where he studied under Professor Natalia Shakhovskaya. For 12 years he had been teaching cello as a professor of the Moscow Conservatory. Denis was regularly invited to give master-classes all over the world and in 2014 he launched the “Cello Travel International Academy” educational project. Since 2022 – Denis Shapovalov is a professor of the Perosi Academy of Music in Italy.