Alex Shapiro

Alex Shapiro was born in Manhattan and raised in its Yorkville neighborhood. Her early education began at the 92nd Street Y, followed by two years of elementary school at P.S. 158, and then entering The Ethical Culture Fieldston School, from which she graduated high school in 1980.

Shapiro began composing at age 9 {{Cite web |last=Cook |first=Amanda |date=2023-05-02 |title=Endlessly Curious, Alex Shapiro Draws Inspiration from Nature, Technology, and Humble Beginnings |url=https://icareifyoulisten.com/2023/05/endlessly-curious-alex-shapiro-draws-inspiration-from-nature-technology-humble-beginnings/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=I CARE IF YOU LISTEN |language=en-US}} and in 1977 at age 15 began formal composition lessons when she enrolled in Mannes College of Music summer classes, studying electronic music with David Tcimpidis and composition with Leo Edwards.{{Cite web |last=Fernández |first=Camila |date=October 31, 2024 |title=Let the music wash over the audience |url=https://www.alexshapiro.org/Articles/Estudios%20Bandisticos2018-CAMILA_FERNANDEZ-ALEX%20SHAPIRO.pdf |access-date=October 31, 2024}} She was a composition student of Michael Czajkowski {{Cite web |title=Michael Czajkowski 1939-2022 {{!}} In Memoriam at The Juilliard School |url=https://www.juilliard.edu/news/161856/michael-czajkowski-1939-2022-memoriam |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.juilliard.edu}} and studied ear training with George Tsontakis at the Aspen Music School and Festival in 1978 and 1979, and was accepted as a composition major at the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School in 1979 where she was a student of Craig Shuler and Bruce Adophe, graduating in 1980.

In the fall of 1980 Shapiro enrolled in Manhattan School of Music where her primary composition teacher was Ursula Mamlok. There she also studied composition with John Corigliano, electronic music with Elias Tanenbaum,{{Cite web |date=1996-01-02 |title=Elias Tanenbaum |url=https://composers.com/composers/elias-tanenbaum |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=American Composers Alliance}} and theory with Ludmila Ulehla.{{Cite web |title=2023 NOW Music Festival Guest Composer Alex Shapiro Finds Inspiration from the Score of Everyday Life |url=https://www.capital.edu/about/capital-stories/2023-now-music-festival-guest-composer-alex-shapiro-finds-inspiration-from-the-score-of-everyday-life/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Capital}} In 1983, upon being hired to score a documentary film in Los Angeles, Shapiro opted to leave Manhattan School of Music before graduating, having completed her third year of undergraduate studies. Shapiro was a member of the Manhattan School of Music Alumni Council from 1998 to 2016.{{Cite web |title=Alumni Council |url=https://www.msmnyc.edu/alumni/alumni-council/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Manhattan School of Music}}

In the summer of 1983 Shapiro moved from New York City to Los Angeles where she lived for 24 years, first in the San Fernando Valley until 1993 and then in Malibu until 2007.{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro {{!}} Landscape Music |url=https://landscapemusic.org/members/alex-shapiro/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=en-US}}

Shapiro has lived on Washington State's San Juan Island since 2007.

Shapiro began her career composing for commercial media,{{Cite web |title=Interview with Alex Shapiro {{!}} Alex Shapiro USA Experimental |url=http://www.tokafi.com/15questions/interview-alex-shapiro/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.tokafi.com}}{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro, composer: Jazz, Film and TV |url=https://www.alexshapiro.org/ASJazzFilmTV.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.alexshapiro.org}} and in the late 1990s made the decision to shift her focus away from writing commercial music to devote her time to composing for the concert stage. Her music catalog includes over 200 scores for large ensembles, choir, chamber ensembles, and soloists, as well as jazz charts, film cues, and pop songs. She has composed nearly 30 works for concert wind band, the majority of which are electroacoustic, and is known for her contemporary approach to the genre's repertoire at all performance skill levels, through pieces that often incorporate visual and physical multimedia, as well as extended instrumental techniques.

Her works often incorporate unusual instruments such as printer paper, metal bowls of water dripped from sponges, rocks, ping pong balls, and balloons in pieces like “Paper Cut” (2010), “Liquid Compass” (2014), “Rock Music” (2016), “Masked” (2021) and “Pop Music” (2022), and make extensive use of recorded found sounds and sound design in works including “Beneath” (2010), “Trains of Thought” (2017), “Ascent” (2020), “Breathe” (2020), and “Viral” (2021). Shapiro is widely regarded as a pioneer in bringing technology into the wind band genre, both through her music and as an early adopter in engaging with ensembles in hundreds of online sessions for which she coined the term, “webhearsals”.{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro, Educational Clinician |url=http://www.musser-mallets.com/en-us/education/clinician/profile/alex-shapiro |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Conn-Selmer Department of Education}}{{Cite web |title=DP Music: A Composer's Insight Into Contemporary Music: Alex Shapiro |url=https://thinkib.net/music/page/56748/a-composers-insight-into-contemporary-music-alex-shapiro |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Subscription websites for IB teachers & their classes |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=NAfME 2022 Conference Book |url=https://nafme.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022-NAfME-National-Conference-Program-Guide.pdf |access-date=January 30, 2025 |website=NAfME.org}}{{Cite web |date=2022-07-19 |title=Off the Edge by Alex Shapiro |url=https://windliterature.org/2022/07/19/off-the-edge-by-alex-shapiro/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Wind Band Literature |language=en-US}} Her music in the field has been the subject of more than thirty dissertations. Conductor Aaron Noe writes, "Composer Alex Shapiro's music is cutting edge. She is a master at blending live performance and electronic performance. To say the least, she is not intimidated by new technological advancement; in fact, she embraces it and shapes it into a beautiful or energetic masterpiece.{{Cite web |last=Noe |first=Aaron |date=2020-05-21 |title=Alex Shapiro: Embracing the New |url=https://www.windconductor.org/single-post/2020/05/21/alex-shapiro-embracing-the-new |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Wind Conductor}}

In addition to the many professional-level works in her catalog, Shapiro is known for her non-traditional contributions to educational pieces for the wind band repertoire, beginning with her 2010 work for band, prerecorded track, and printer paper titled “Paper Cut” commissioned by the American Composers Forum's BandQuest program. Two of her pieces composed in 2021, “Count to Ten” and “Kitchen Sync” take approaches to teaching students compound meters and syncopated rhythms not usually found in beginner's repertoire. “Rock Music” is a textural, minimalist piece with no melody and almost no rhythm, “Pop Music” is a serial work that explores macabre, circus-like humor and is based on a 12-tone row, and “Slump” (2024), with its ominous tone, requires musicians to continually shift their posture. In 2020 Shapiro added to the ultra-flex repertoire with an electroacoustic piece for any large ensemble titled “Passages,” the basis of which are individual one-line cells that can be played in an order, and in any combination with the audio track.

Shapiro did not begin composing for wind band until she received an unexpected commission in 2007 from the U.S. Army TRADOC Band, resulting in "Homecoming".{{Cite web |last=McManus |first=Drew |date=2009-09-02 |title=This Is How To Avoid The Middleman |url=https://adaptistration.com/2009/09/02/this-is-how-to-avoid-the-middleman/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=Adaptistration |language=en-US}} During the prior decade, her concert music catalog was comprised mainly works for acoustic chamber ensembles, as well as several electroacoustic works for soloists and duets.{{Cite web |last=Cross-Eyed Pianist |first=The |date=2020-11-07 |title=Alex Shapiro, composer |url=https://meettheartist.online/2020/11/07/alex-shapiro-composer/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=MEET THE ARTIST |language=en}} In his 2008 composer profile article on Alex Shapiro for Chamber Music America magazine, journalist and composer Kyle Gann wrote, "Shapiro has tech skills and style information that most classical composers can only wonder at...Trained for infinite versatility, she can write any kind of music she wants, and she writes only what she wants... Shapiro has a deep connection to nature, and an engaging and articulate personality that has gotten her multifariously involved in the new-classical-music world. She gets more performances than any one person could attend, and despite her nature wonderland she's socially inclined."{{Cite web |title=American Composer Column in Chamber Music Magazine |url=https://www.kylegann.com/AmericanComposer.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.kylegann.com}}

Among the 40 commercially released albums that include Shapiro's music are two devoted solely to her works: a compilation of her chamber music titled Notes From the Kelp (2007){{Cite web |title=Notes From The Kelp {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/alex-shapiro/notes-kelp |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.innova.mu}} and a recording of her solo piano works recorded by Adam Marks for the album Arcana (2020),{{Cite web |title=ARCANA {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/alex-shapiro/arcana |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.innova.mu}} both on Innova Recordings.

Calling on Shapiro’s previous work in commercial media, in 2015 Clemson University commissioned her to create the music for the Clemson Tiger Band entrance video, projected  as the marching band enters Memorial Stadium for their halftime performances. The music continues to be used in 2025{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBWnw-4u6rE&list=PLXJHsZ39ZbS1mSWBoRxkREjAs7j2GUb1Y&index=1 |title=2015 Clemson University Tiger Band Entrance Video |date=2015-09-16 |last=Clemson University Tiger Band |access-date=2025-04-11 |via=YouTube}}.

In addition to her career as a composer, Shapiro is an active speaker and author. She has been a clinician and keynote speaker at many national conferences, including The Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2013){{Cite web |title=The Midwest Clinic - The e-Frontier: Music, M... |url=https://www.midwestclinic.org/2013_clinician_Alex_Shapiro |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Midwest Clinic}},(2018),{{Cite web |title=The Midwest Clinic - Bridging the Gender Gap:... |url=https://www.midwestclinic.org/2018_clinician_Jacob_Wallace.html |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Midwest Clinic}} (2021){{Cite web |title=The Midwest Clinic - The Horizon Leans Forwar... |url=https://www.midwestclinic.org/2021_clinician_Erik_Leung |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Midwest Clinic}}(2024)(ref: 2024 Midwest Clinic,{{Cite web |title=The Midwest Clinic - The Band Director's Tool... |url=https://www.midwestclinic.org/2024_clinician_Gregory_Whitmore |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Midwest Clinic}} conferences of the College Band Directors National Association (2020, 2022, 2024),{{Cite web |title=CBDNA – College Band Directors National Association – College Band Directors National Association |url=https://www.cbdna.org/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=en-US}} the Texas Music Educators Association annual convention (2014), British Columbia Music Educators’ Association (2019),{{Cite web |title=BRITISH COLUMBIA MUSIC EDUCATORS' ASSOCIATION |url=http://www.bcmusiced.ca/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=BRITISH COLUMBIA MUSIC EDUCATORS' ASSOCIATION}} University of British Columbia's 2016 Wind Conducting Symposium{{Cite web |title=Conducting {{!}} Areas of Focus {{!}} School of Music {{!}} UBC |url=https://music.ubc.ca/research/areas-of-study/conducting/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=School of Music |language=en-US}} and the National Association for Music Education, and a featured speaker at events including those hosted by The Recording Academy, CISAC’s General Assembly, Society of Composers, Inc.,{{Cite web |title=Society of Composers, Inc. – Dedicated to the promotion of composition, performance, understanding, and dissemination of new and contemporary music. |url=http://wp.societyofcomposers.org/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=wp.societyofcomposers.org}} The International Alliance for Women in Music International Congress, The Film Music Society, The Society of Composers & Lyricists, New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), Chamber Music America, and the National Performing Arts Convention in Denver, Colorado.{{Cite web |last1=Long Lingo |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Taylor |first2=Andrew |last3=Lee |first3=Caroline |title=Assessing the field's capacity for collective action |url=https://sites.lafayette.edu/leecw/files/2010/03/IDOC_2008_final-copy.pdf |access-date=October 31, 2024 |website=Sites at Lafayette}} Shapiro has appeared as a speaker at 11 of the 15 ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPOs in Hollywood, from 2007 to 2019.{{Cite web |title=The 2019 ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO |url=https://www.ascap.com/news-events/Events/2019/Expo/Expo_splash |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=www.ascap.com}}

Shapiro has been a composer-in-residence at many universities and festivals hosting concerts devoted to her music, including the NOW New Music Festival at Capital University, the Festival of Contemporary American Music at Washington State University,{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro {{!}} Festival of Contemporary Artists in Music {{!}} Washington State University |url=https://music.wsu.edu/focam/alex-shapiro/ |access-date=2024-10-31 |language=en-US}} New Frontiers Music Festival at University of Wyoming, Aries Composers Festival at Colorado State University, the Athena New Music Festival at Murray State University, Santa Clara University's New Music Festival, Voices on the Edge New Music Festival at California State University at Fullerton, Festival of New American Music at Sacramento State University, the Bowling Green New Music Festival at Bowling Green State University, Roosevelt University, University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Wisconsin-River Falls,{{Cite web |title=56th Commissioned Composer Concert is April 21 |url=https://www.uwrf.edu/News/56thCommissionedComposerConcertisApril21.cfm |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.uwrf.edu}} University of Montana, Carthage College, University of Hawai’i, and a Celebrity Cruises Classical Music Cruise in 2011.

Shapiro is an active participant in the U.S. art music community. Since 2014 she has served as the Symphony and Concert Representative on the ASCAP{{Cite web |title=Welcome to ASCAP - the world leader in performance royalties, advocacy and service for songwriters, composers and music publishers |url=https://www.ascap.com |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.ascap.com}} Board of Directors,{{Cite web |title=Governance |url=https://www.ascap.com/about-us/governance |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.ascap.com}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDR5Qvk1Ae0 |title=Meet the ASCAP Board: Alex Shapiro |date=2017-11-20 |last=ASCAP |access-date=2024-11-01 |via=YouTube}} and is the first woman elected to that seat since the organization's founding in 1914. In 2015 she was elected to the board of The ASCAP Foundation{{Cite web |title=The ASCAP Foundation |url=https://www.ascapfoundation.org |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.ascapfoundation.org}} and in 2022 became one of its four officers.{{Cite web |title=Foundation About Us |url=https://www.ascapfoundation.org/about |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.ascapfoundation.org}} From 2016 to 2019 Shapiro was ASCAP's elected representative on the executive committee of CIAM, the writer's council to CISAC,{{Cite web |date=2024-10-24 |title=Homepage {{!}} CISAC |url=https://www.cisac.org |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.cisac.org}} the global network of collective management companies. In 2009 Shapiro joined the ASCAP Symphony & Concert Committee, which she now co-chairs with classical music publisher ASCAP board member counterpart James Kendrick.{{Cite web |last=Lisefski |first=Alek |date=2022-04-28 |title=James M. Kendrick |url=https://akbllp.com/team-member/james-m-kendrick/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Alter, Kendrick & Baron, LLP |language=en-US}} Shapiro was elected as the concert music composer representative on the ASCAP Board of Review in 2010 and served until her 2014 election to the ASCAP Board of Directors.

Shapiro co-founded the U.S. touring series, the ASCAP Composer Career Workshop,{{Cite web |title=The ASCAP Composer Career Workshop |url=https://www.alexshapiro.org/ASCAPWorkshop.html |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.alexshapiro.org}} with James Kendrick, Stephen Paulus, and Jennifer Higdon, and from 2009 to 2015 gave 11 day-long presentations for composers about essential music business skills in venues, including the University of Chicago, Yale University, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the University of Southern California.

Shapiro joined the Board of Directors of The Aaron Copland Fund for Music{{Cite web |title=About the Fund {{!}} The Aaron Copland Fund for Music |url=https://coplandfund.org |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=coplandfund.org}} in 2016, and in 2022 was elected to the Board of Directors of the Music Publishers Association of the United States, on which she represents her publishing company Activist Music LLC.{{Cite web |title=Activist Music LLC • Music Publishers Association of the United States |url=https://www.mpa.org/music-publisher/activist-music-llc/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Music Publishers Association of the United States |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=MPA Officers and Board • Music Publishers Association of the United States |url=https://www.mpa.org/mpa-officers-and-board/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Music Publishers Association of the United States |language=en-US}}

In 2021 Shapiro joined the advisory board for United Sound,{{Cite web |title=United Sound Music |url=https://www.unitedsoundmusic.org |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=United Sound Music |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Composer Project Board |url=https://www.unitedsoundmusic.org/board |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=United Sound Music |language=en-US}} and since 2022 she has served as the Northwest Division Representative of the Council for Music Composition for NAfME.{{Cite web |title=Council for Music Composition – NAfME |url=https://nafme.org/group/council-for-music-composition/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=National Association for Music Education |language=en-US}}

From 2010 to 2013 Shapiro chaired the composition panel for The MacDowell Colony and served on the organization's Board of Directors.

Shapiro served on the Board of Directors of the American Music Center from 2009 until 2011 when the organization shifted to become New Music USA, for which Shapiro was Chairperson of its Program Council from 2014 to 2017 and a frequent essayist to its online magazine NewMusicBox.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-09 |title=Search Results - New Music USA |url=https://newmusicusa.org/search-results/?_sf_s=%22Alex%20Shapiro%E2%80%9D&post_types=post |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=newmusicusa.org |language=en-US}}

Between 1999 and 2002, Shapiro was an officer of the Pacific Southern Chapter of the College Music Society,{{Cite web |last1=Simpson |first1=Anne |last2=King |first2=Vicki |title=A Brief History of the Southern Chapter (1979-1999) |url=https://www.music.org/so-history.html |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=The College Music Society}} and an officer of The National Association of Composers USA (NACUSA).{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.nacusamusic.org |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.nacusamusic.org |language=en-US}} She was a board member of The Society of Composers & Lyricists between 1992 and 1999, including one term as its vice president. She chaired the 1996-1999 “State of the Art” Film & TV Music Conferences, co-presented in Los Angeles at The Directors Guild of America by the SCL and The Hollywood Reporter.

Shapiro is a clinician for Music for All{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro |url=https://education.musicforall.org/clinician/alex-shapiro/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=MFA Education |language=en-US}} and Conn Selmer.{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro, Educational Clinician |url=http://www.musser-mallets.com/en-us/education/clinician/profile/alex-shapiro |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Conn-Selmer Department of Education}} Since 2017 she has annually sponsored The Alex Shapiro Prize for Wind Band{{Cite web |title=IAWM Search for New Music Competition {{!}} International Alliance for Women in Music |url=https://iawm.org/snm-non-members/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Rusnak |first=Christina |date=2018-07-05 |title=Widening Inclusion & Visibility - New Music USA |url=https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/widening-inclusion-visibility/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=newmusicusa.org |language=en-US}} for The International Alliance for Women in Music.

Shapiro was a mentor for the 2009 and 2010 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute,{{Cite web |title=Composer Institute - Minnesota Orchestra |url=https://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/community-education/emerging-artists/composer-institute/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.minnesotaorchestra.org |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Topel |first=Spencer |date=2009-11-20 |title=The 2009 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute Blog: Composer Fine Print - New Music USA |url=https://newmusicusa.org/nmbx/the-2009-minnesota-orchestra-composer-institute-blog-composer-fine-print/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=newmusicusa.org |language=en-US}} and is a mentor for Graphite Publishing's Compose Like a Girl initiative.{{Cite web |date=2022-09-21 |title=Compose Like a Girl - Graphite Publishing |url=https://graphitepublishing.com/publisher/compose-like-a-girl/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=graphitepublishing.com |language=en-US}}

In 2021 Shapiro was initiated as an Honorary Brother of both Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, and is the recipient of the 2021 Tau Beta Sigma's Outstanding Service to Music Award.{{Cite web |title=Past Award Recipients |url=https://www.tbsigma.org/past-award-recipients/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Tau Beta Sigma |language=en-US}}

Between 2003 and 2006 Shapiro served as president of the Board of Directors of The American Composers Forum of Los Angeles.{{Cite web |title=ACF-Los Angeles Archives |url=https://composersforum.org/tag/acf-los-angeles |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=American Composers Forum |language=en-US}} With Kubilay Uner{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.kubilayuner.com/about |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Kubilay Uner - Uncommon Music |language=en-US}} and Giovanna Imbesi she co-founded the live quarterly Los Angeles Composers Salon series and from 2000 to 2010 moderated the sessions, for which she interviewed over 100 composers from the concert, musical theater, opera, jazz, and film music worlds.

Shapiro was the sole composer invited in the spring of 2020 to join eleven collegiate wind band conductors and form the CBDNA COVID-19 Response Committee{{Cite web |title=CBDNA COVID-19 Response Committee Report – CBDNA – College Band Directors National Association |url=https://www.cbdna.org/covid19/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |language=en-US}} to address the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on the fields of music performance and education. She co-authored a national report containing information, resources, and detailed suggestions for keeping university ensemble programs functioning.

Alex is the author of the online composition syllabus, [https://www.alexshapiro.org/Shapiro-E-ensemble_Syllabus.html Putting the E- in Ensemble],{{Cite web |title=Making Music — at a Distance {{!}} UW College of Arts & Sciences |url=https://artsci.washington.edu/news/2020-05/making-music-distance |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=artsci.washington.edu}}{{Cite web |date=2021-06-29 |title=Getting Young Performers to Compose, Putting the E in Ensemble (and Much more), with Alex Shapiro |url=http://www.robbyburns.com/blog/hwihaizfhcg85cs1ixlku4g8y49n5a |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=Robby Burns |language=en-US}} an online composition, performance, and recording lesson plan created during the COVID-19 quarantine in response to the need to continue university and high school music ensemble classes throughout the year.{{Cite web |title=Making Music — at a Distance {{!}} UW College of Arts & Sciences |url=https://artsci.washington.edu/news/2020-05/making-music-distance |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=artsci.washington.edu}}

Shapiro is a co-founder of The Creative Repertoire Initiative,{{Cite web |title=Initatives: Creative Repertoire Initiative |url=https://www.windrep.org/Initiatives:Creative_Repertoire_Initiative |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=Wind Repertory Project}} formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the need for adaptable repertoire in the wind band and educational music field.

In 1997 Shapiro teamed with ASCAP Board member Dean Kay to co-chair ASCAP's new Digital Rights Committee. In September 2009, Shapiro testified on a Federal Communications Commission panel hearing in Washington, D.C. about broadband access in rural areas, and copyright challenges in the digital realm.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&t=2691&v=pOfe-ZzZh_w |title="The Role of Content in the Broadband Ecosystem" - Broadband Workshop |date=2009-09-17 |last=Federal Communications Commission |access-date=2024-11-15 |via=YouTube}} Shapiro served as co-moderator of the October 2021 ASCAP/NYU Media Lab webinar about AI and augmented realities impacting artists' lives,{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixVyxKmYB0 |title=ASCAP Workshop |date=2021-10-20 |last=NYC Media Lab |access-date=2024-11-15 |via=YouTube}} and in 2024 she gave a multimedia clinic on artificial intelligence, immersive performances, and their impact on concerts and education, at the College Band Directors National Association Western/Northwestern Division Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.{{Cite web |title=Session Spotlight – CBDNA Western/Northwestern Divisions |url=http://wnwcbdna.org/?page_id=496 |access-date=2024-11-15 |language=en-US}} Shapiro regularly discusses new technology and the importance of understanding how it works and its effect on the music industry, as a frequent guest on webcasts and podcasts.{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro Articles and Broadcasts |url=https://www.alexshapiro.org/ShapiroArticles.html#Videos |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.alexshapiro.org}}{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2bhHipRqME |title=A Composer's Insight Into Contemporary Music: An Interview with Alex Shapiro (InThinking) |date=2024-08-25 |last=dr. anton d luiten |access-date=2025-01-30 |via=YouTube}}

in 2008 Shapiro joined the Advancement Board{{Cite web |title=FHL Advancement Board {{!}} Friday Harbor Laboratories |url=https://fhl.uw.edu/about/community/advancement-board/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=fhl.uw.edu}} of the University of Washington's Friday Harbor Laboratories.

Shapiro served on the board of directors of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California{{Cite web |title=ACLU of Southern California |url=https://www.aclusocal.org/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.aclusocal.org}} from 1990 to 1996, including two terms as the 30,000-member affiliate's vice president.{{Cite web |last=Harpstead |first=Ella |date=June 27, 2022 |title=Ten band composers you should know - besides Sousa |url=https://www.alexshapiro.org/Articles/Ten%20band%20composers%20you%20should%20know%20besides%20Sousa.pdf |access-date=November 1, 2024 |website=Your Classical}} During this period she served as Chairperson of ACLU/SC's State and National Legislative Action Committee, co-producer two day-long conferences, and was a frequent public speaker and debater on issues of reproductive freedom. As a co-founder of The Clinic Defense Alliance, she coordinated with the ACLU, The Fund for the Feminist Majority, The National Organization for Women (NOW), and local activists from Queer Nation and Act Up/LA{{Cite web |title=HOME |url=https://www.actupla.org/ |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=ACT UP LA}} to gather thousands of volunteers around Los Angeles in immediate response to blockaded healthcare clinics. Shapiro is the recipient of three awards from the ACLU honoring her activism, including being named the 1993 Chapter Activist of the Year.

Shapiro is the recipient of the 2018 Local Hero Award from The Friday Harbor Film Festival.{{Cite web |title=Alex Shapiro to receive Local Hero award Oct. 28 at Friday Harbor Film Fest |url=https://sanjuanislander.com/news-articles/people/28271/alex-shapiro-to-receive-local-hero-award-oct-28-at-friday-harbor-film-fest |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=sanjuanislander.com}}

Between 2003 and 2018 Shapiro penned 11 essays about music and the music business for the online magazine NewMusicBox.{{Cite web |date=2021-05-09 |title=Search Results - New Music USA |url=https://newmusicusa.org/search-results/?_sf_s=%22Alex%20Shapiro%22&post_types=post |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=newmusicusa.org |language=en-US}}

Shapiro is the author of a chapter in the 2013 GIA Publications book, Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra, titled "Releasing A Student's Inner Composer.”{{Cite web |title=Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra |url=https://giamusic.com/resource/musicianship-composing-in-band-and-orchestra-book-g8444 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=GIA Publications}}

Two of Shapiro’s electroacoustic works for wind band, “Paper Cut,” and “Tight Squeeze,” are featured in Volume 10 of the series, "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band," edited by Eugene Migliaro Corporon and released by GIA Publications in December 2014.{{Cite web |last=Miles |first=Larry Blocher, Eugene M. Corporon, Ray Cramer, Tim Lautzenheiser, Edward S. Lisk, Richard |title=Teaching Music through Performance in Band - Volume 10 |url=https://giamusic.com/resource/teaching-music-through-performance-in-band-volume-10-book-g8876 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=GIA Publications}}

Shapiro is one of six co-authors of the 2020 GIA Publications book, "The Horizon Leans Forward... Stories of Courage, Strength, and Triumph of Underrepresented Communities in the Wind Band Field," for which she wrote  the chapter, "Reaching Out and Bringing Women In.”{{Cite web |last=Leung |first=Erik |title=The Horizon Leans Forward |url=https://giamusic.com/resource/the-horizon-leans-forward-book-g10369 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=GIA Publications}}

Shapiro's extensive two-part article titled, The e-Frontier: Music, Multimedia, Education, and Audiences in the Digital World, appears in the June and September 2014 issues of the magazine of the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, WASBE World.{{Cite web |title=WASBE {{!}} World Association for Symphonic Bands & Ensembles |url=https://www.wasbe.online/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=WASBE}}

From 2006 to 2016, Shapiro regularly contributed to the blog of her music, photos, and essays titled “[https://www.alexshapiro.org/blog/ Notes from the Kelp].”{{Cite web |date=2006-07-01 |title=The arts online |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/the-arts-online-m3d56cm2vn2 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=The Times}}

Shapiro appears in three of Michael Stillwater's films:{{Cite web |title=Film Series |url=https://innerharmony.com/the-film-series/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Inner Harmony |language=en-US}} Shining Night,{{Cite web |title=Shining Night |url=https://innerharmony.com/portfolio_page/shining-night/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Inner Harmony |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Shining Night: About the Film |url=https://www.mortenlauridsen.net/shining-about.html |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.mortenlauridsen.net}} In Search of the Great Song, which also includes some of her music,{{Cite web |title=In Search of the Great Song |url=https://innerharmony.com/portfolio_page/in-search-of-the-great-song/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Inner Harmony |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=People in Film |url=https://innerharmony.com/people-film-intro/#alex-shapiro |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Inner Harmony |language=en-US}} and Beyond the Fear of Singing.{{Cite web |title=Beyond the Fear of Singing |url=https://innerharmony.com/portfolio_page/beyond-the-fear-of-singing/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Inner Harmony |language=en-US}}

Shapiro’s web presences are infused with her wildlife and landscape photography. Her photography was featured in the 2013 Spirit of Flight exhibit at Seattle's Museum of Flight, and was also on display at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art{{Cite web |title=Art Museum {{!}} San Juan Islands Museum Of Art {{!}} Friday Harbor |url=https://www.sjima.org/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=SJIMA}} after being awarded a prize in the Ernest H. Brooks II  ‘Above and Beneath the Sea’ photo competition.{{Cite web |date=2012-06-13 |title=Winners of 'Above and Beneath the Sea' photo competition |url=https://www.islandssounder.com/news/winners-of-above-and-beneath-the-sea-photo-competition/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Islands' Sounder |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=In Memoriam: Ernest H. Brooks II |url=https://www.divephotoguide.com/underwater-photography-special-features/article/memoriam-tribute-ernie-brooks/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=DivePhotoGuide}}

From 1983 to 1994, Shapiro was an avid amateur herpetologist and an active member of the Los Angeles chapter of The Southwestern Herpetologists Society.[https://swhs.org/] She cared for 40 different species of snakes, frogs and lizards, and bred Burmese pythons.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.buzzsprout.com/1505860/episodes/8933056 |title=Alex Shapiro Bonus Episode - The Band Room Podcast |date=2021-08-04 |language=en |access-date=2024-11-08 |via=www.buzzsprout.com}}

• From a Deep Blue Sky,{{Cite web |title=From a Deep Blue Sky |url=https://www.tonsehen.com/products/from-a-deep-blue-sky |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Tonsehen}} work included: Train of Thought. Tonsehen Records, 2023.
• Suspended,{{Cite web |title=MarkCustom MusicStore |url=https://markcustom.com/Markcustom_new/Menu2_ViewAlbum.asp?CDNum=56191-MCD |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=markcustom.com}} work included: Suspended. Mark Custom Records, 2022
• Arcana,{{Cite web |title=ARCANA {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/alex-shapiro/arcana |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.innova.mu}} works included: Spark; Slowly, Searching; Arcana; Piano Suite No. 1, The Resonance of Childhood; Intermezzo; Chord History; Luvina; Sonata for Piano. Innova Recordings, 2020.
• Double or Nothing,{{Cite web |title=MarkCustom MusicStore |url=https://markcustom.com/Markcustom_new/Menu2_ViewAlbum.asp?CDNum=54263-MCD |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=markcustom.com}} work included: Deep. Mark Custom Records, 2018.
• Everything Beautiful,{{Cite web |title=MarkCustom MusicStore |url=https://markcustom.com/Markcustom_new/Menu2_ViewAlbum.asp?CDNum=52332-MCD |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=markcustom.com}} works included: Liquid Compass; Tight Squeeze. Mark Custom Records, 2016.
• 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven,{{Cite web |title=Susanne Kessel – 250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven |url=https://obst-music.com/cds/250-susanne-kessel.html |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=obst-music.com}} work included: Chord History. Obst Records, 2016.
• Atmospheres, work included: Water Crossing. Taukay Edizioni Musicali, 2015.{{Cite web |title=Home it |url=https://www.taukay.it/data1/index.php?lang=it |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=I Nuovi Suoni |language=it-it}}
• Excelsior,{{Cite web |title=Excelsior {{!}} Classical Music |url=https://www.cedillerecords.org/albums/excelsior/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Cedille Records}} work included: Perpetual Spark. Cedille Records, 2013.
• The Dreams Of Birds,{{Cite web |title=The Dreams of Birds |url=https://outhere-music.com/en/albums/dreams-birds |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=Out Here Music}} work included: Intermezzo. Delos Records, 2012.
• An Robert Schumann,{{Cite web |title=Der Obstkorb - An Robert Schumann |url=https://obst-music.com/cds/an-robert-schumann.htm |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=obst-music.com}} work included: Slowly, searching. Obst Records, 2010.
• Delicate Balance,{{Cite web |title=Delicate Balance |url=https://aucourantrecords.com/store/delicate-balance/ |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Aucourant Records |language=en-US}} work included: Water Crossing. Aucourant Records, 2010.
• Below: Music for Low Flutes,{{Citation |title=Below: Music For Low Flutes |url=http://www.move.com.au/disc/below-music-for-low-flutes |access-date=2024-11-08}} work included: Below. Move Records, 2009.
• Notes From The Kelp,{{Cite web |title=Notes From The Kelp {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/alex-shapiro/notes-kelp |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.innova.mu}} works included: Slipping; Bioplasm; Current Events; For My Father; At the Abyss; Phos Hilaron; Music for Two Big Instruments; Deep. Innova Recordings, 2007.
• Solo Rumores,{{Cite web |title=Sólo Rumores |url=https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8619337--solo-rumores |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=Presto Music}} work Included: Luvina. Quindecim Recordings, 2007.
• Saxtronic Soundscape,{{Cite web |title=Saxtronic Soundscape |url=https://www.amazon.com/Saxtronic-Soundscape-DORATI-ROSEMAN-SCHULLER/dp/B000SQKZ5G |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=Amazon}} work included: Desert Tide. Centaur Records, 2007.
• Trumpet Colors,{{Cite web |title=Crystal Records |url=https://www.crystalrecords.com/#!/CD766-Trio-Chromos-Trumpet-Colors/p/144917878 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.crystalrecords.com}} work included: Elegy. Crystal Records, 2007.
• Californian Concert: Music of European Immigrants and Their American Contemporaries,{{Cite web |title=OehmsClassics: Susanne Kessel: Music of European Immigrants and their American Contemporaries |url=https://www.oehmsclassics.de/artikel/1305/Susanne_Kessel_Music_of_European_Immigrants_and_their_American_Contemporaries |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=OehmsClassics}} work included: For My Father. Oehms Classics, 2006.
• Music for Hammers and Sticks,{{Cite web |title=Music for Hammers and Sticks {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/teresa-mccollough/music-hammers-and-sticks |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.innova.mu}} work included: At the Abyss. Innova Recordings, 2005.
• Coast to Coast,{{Cite web |title=Alan Baer - Baer Tracks Music |url=https://www.baertracksmusic.com/index.php?page=baertracks |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.baertracksmusic.com}} work included: Music for Two Big Instruments. Baer Tracks Records, 2005.
• Beck and Call,{{Cite web |title=Crystal Records |url=https://www.crystalrecords.com/#!/CD846-Carolyn-Beck-Beck-and-Call/p/144917765 |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.crystalrecords.com}} works included: Of Breath and Touch; Deep. Crystal Records, 2005.
• New American Piano Music,{{Cite web |title=New American Piano Music {{!}} Innova Recordings |url=https://www.innova.mu/albums/teresa-mccollough/new-american-piano-music |access-date=2024-11-08 |website=www.innova.mu}} work included: Sonata for Piano. Innova Recordings, 2001.
• Clariphonia - Music Of The 20th Century On Clarinet,{{Cite web |title=Clarifonia: Music of the 20th Century on Clarinet |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/15331673-Berkeley-Price-Deon-Nielsen-Price-Nancy-Roth-Clariphonia-Music-Of-The-20th-Century-On-Clarinet |access-date=November 7, 2024 |website=Discogs}} work included: Trio For Violin, Clarinet And Piano. Cambria Records, 2000.

• {{cite thesis |last1=Rose |first1=Emily |title=An Annotated Bibliography of 45 Select 21st-Century Electroacoustic Pieces for B-Flat Clarinet Suitable for the Undergraduate Clarinetist |date=Spring 2024 |url=https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissunl/102/ }}
• {{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|3057046229}} |last1=Weingarten |first1=Kevin M |date=2023 |title=Seeking Refuge: An Intrinsic Case Study of Musical Creativity Around a Collegiate Band Room During COVID-19 }}
• Stoughton, Derek Carter, “Honor Band Repertoire: Creating A Life-Changing Experience Through A Diverse Selection Of Quality Repertoire” (March 2023). University of Colorado Boulder. CU Scholar.
• {{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|2702205935}} |last1=Land |first1=Anneliese |date=2022 |title=Perceptions of Flex Band Repertoire: From Origins in Elastic Scoring to Revival in the COVID Era }}
• Kujawa, Bryan C., “Composer Diversity in High School Band Literature” (July 2021). VanderCook College of Music.
• Bello, Joseph Martin, “Recognizing Underrepresented Composers In The Wind Band Community: Fostering Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (Dei)” (December 2021). Northwestern University.
• Miller, Arielle, “Female Composers And Pedagogical Publishing For Band” (April 2021). Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.{{Cite web |title=Arielle Miller • Maestra |url=https://maestramusic.org/profile/arielle-sara-miller/ |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=Maestra |language=en-US}}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Wilson |first1=Thomas |title=The Rougarou Concerto and Initial Observations of the Flex Ensemble |date=13 July 2021 |doi=10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5604 }}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Russo |first1=Victoria Rose |title=Analysis of Women Composers' Representation in State Prescribed Repertoire Lists for Band |date=2021 |id={{ProQuest|2544882787}} |url=https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/diginole/2020_Summer_Fall_Russo_fsu_0071N_16533 }}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Kaatz |first1=Chris |title=Dissolving Barriers: The Influence of Popular Music in Selected Twenty-First Century Wind Ensemble Repertoire |date=15 June 2020 |doi=10.21985/n2-p97f-gt88 }}
• Hubbard, Justin, “So, You Want to Do a Piece with Electronics? A Layperson’s Guide to Works for Wind Band and Electronics” (May 2020). Arizona State University. DOI: https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.57354
• Collins, Steven Randall,  “The Programming Of Women Composers: Perceptions And Practices Of Oklahoma Secondary School Band Directors” (2020). University of Oklahoma.{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Steven Randall |date=2020 |title=The programming of Women Composers: Perceptions and Practices of Oklahoma Secondary School Band Directors |url=https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/324839/2020_Collins_Steven_Thesis.pdf?sequence=5 |access-date=November 27, 2024}}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Bonds |first1=Corey |title=Steven Bryant's The Automatic Earth: A Conductor's Analysis And Performance Perspectives |date=2020 |publisher=University of Kentucky Libraries |doi=10.13023/etd.2020.226 }}
• Montgomery, Benjamin. (2020). “Audio-Tactile Cross-Modal Correspondences in the Composition of Phantasmagorical, for Wind Ensemble and Electronics”, University of Miami.{{Cite web |title=Research Portal |url=https://scholarship.miami.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Audio-Tactile-Cross-Modal-Correspondences-in-the-Composition/991031456286202976/filesAndLinks?index=0 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=scholarship.miami.edu}}
• Noon, C. M.(2020). Cultivating Socially Just Concert Programming Perspectives through Preservice Music Teachers' Band Experiences: A Multiple Case Study. (Doctoral dissertation).{{Cite journal |last=Noon |first=Christian |date=2020-04-01 |title=Cultivating Socially Just Concert Programming Perspectives through Preservice Music Teachers' Band Experiences: A Multiple Case Study |url=https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/6086/ |journal=Theses and Dissertations}}
• Zanchuk, Justin Thomas, “The Influence of Minimalist Compositional Techniques on Literature for Wind Ensemble" (2018). Dissertations. 540. University of Northern Colorado.{{Cite journal |last=Zanchuk |first=Justin |date=2018-12-01 |title=The Influence of Minimalist Compositional Techniques on Literature for Wind Ensemble |url=https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/540/ |journal=Dissertations}} 
• {{cite thesis |last1=Anderson |first1=Elizabeth |title=Contemporary Classical Female Composer: An Exploration of Gender Roles and Stereotypes |date=September 2018 |doi=10.17918/D8408P }}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Etnoyer |first1=Elizabeth Mary |title=The Keyboard Works of Alex Shapiro |date=2015 |doi=10.33915/etd.5556 }}
• {{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|1711143984}} |last1=Perez |first1=Frank |date=2015 |title=A survey of performance practice of electroacoustic music for wind band grades 2-3 }}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Gallion |first1=Brian |title=Tuba solo discography: a comprehensive guide to solo literature recordings released on compact disc |date=24 March 2010 |doi=10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.33 }}
• {{cite thesis |last1=Kosack |first1=Alicia Joyelle |date=2010 |title=American women composers: Selected published works for flute and piano and for unaccompanied flute composed between 1930 and 2008 |id={{ProQuest|1292309885}} |hdl=1903/13304 }}
• Fischer, Stephen M., “An Annotated Bibliography Of Published Works For Saxophone, Violin, And Piano” (2008). University of Georgia.{{Cite web |last=Fischer |first=Stephen M. |date=2008 |title=An Annotated Bibliography of Published Works for Saxophone, Violin, and Piano |url=https://getd.libs.uga.edu/pdfs/fischer_stephen_m_200812_dma.pdf |access-date=November 27, 2024}}

• [http://www.alexshapiro.org Alex Shapiro website]
• "[https://www.alexshapiro.org/Articles/ITEA_Journal-Shapiro-Profile-2024.pdf Composer's Corner]" (Michael Waddell article in the ITEA Journal, 2024)
• "[https://icareifyoulisten.com/2023/05/endlessly-curious-alex-shapiro-draws-inspiration-from-nature-technology-humble-beginnings/ Endlessly Curios, Alex Shapiro Draws Inspiration from Nature, Technology, and Humble Beginnings]" (Amanda Cook article on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, 2023)
• "[https://www.alexshapiro.org/Articles/Estudios%20Bandisticos2018-CAMILA_FERNANDEZ-ALEX%20SHAPIRO.pdf Let the music wash over the audience]" (Camila Fernández chapter in Estudios Bandisticos, 2018)
• "[https://www.capital.edu/about/capital-stories/2023-now-music-festival-guest-composer-alex-shapiro-finds-inspiration-from-the-score-of-everyday-life/ 2023 NOW Music Festival Guest Composer Alex Shapiro Finds Inspiration from the Score of Everyday Life]" (Rebecca Mohr Capital University blog post, 2023)
• "[https://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2019/09/13/alex-shapiro-making-her-own-rules/ Alex Shapiro: Making Her Own Rules]" (Take Note blog post, 2019)
• "[https://www.kylegann.com/AC0805-Shapiro.pdf Alex]" (Kyle Gann article in American Composer, 2008)

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Category:Manhattan School of Music alumni

Category:American women classical composers

Category:1962 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American classical composers

Category:20th-century American women composers

Category:21st-century American classical composers

Category:21st-century American women composers

Category:American contemporary classical composers

Category:American women in electronic music

Category:Ethical Culture Fieldston School alumni