Alexander Shapkin

Violinist Alexander Shapkin was born in Uzbekistan. Following preparatory music school, he studied for five years at the Conservatory in Tashkent; during this time he was also invited to join the State Orchestra of Uzbekistan with whom he toured regularly. He then went on to gain his Masters degree in Bilkent University in Turkey.

He was a member of the chamber orchestra Soloists of Uzbekistan and later toured to Thailand and Hong Kong as Concertmaster of the symphony orchestra Stars of Uzbekistan.

Alexander joined the Auckland Philharmonia as a tutti first violinist in 1997. In the course of his work as a member of the Auckland Philharmonia he has enjoyed performing with a wide range of acclaimed artists including tenor Luciano Pavarotti, cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, vocalist Meat Loaf and violinist James Ehnes.

Recent highlights include participating in Auckland Philharmonia Masterclasses with luminaries such as Ning Feng and Arabella Steinbacher.

Alexander is also trained as a piano technician and spends his time away from the violin tuning and restoring pianos.