Larry Shapiro Answers Why I Play
“I cannot remember a time when my life was not filled with classical music,” says Concertmaster Larry Shapiro.
An avid concert and opera goer since the age of three, his parents knew the importance of introducing beautiful music young. At age six, he picked his instrument of choice – the violin. Why? Because it was the hardest! By age 10, he was playing in a professional orchestra. “I knew I was immersed in an incredible wash of divine beauty, and it was a place I needed to be for the rest of my life! I also knew I had a precise agenda: To become Concertmaster of a major orchestra, soloist and first violinist of a major string quartet. I’ve done all that, and yet I feel as if I’m just getting warmed up,” says Shapiro.
“I love every aspect of the process of being a musician, from the calisthenics (scales and exercises) to the performances and everything in between,” says Shapiro. His favorite piece to play? He teases that it is a little like asking someone with a number of children their favorite child and often answers, “Whatever I am playing at the moment.” However he is sure, if pressed, most violinists would answer “the Bach Unaccompanied Sonatas and Partitas.” Not a day goes by that he does not play some unaccompanied Bach.
Shapiro, who has been with the Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for more than a decade, says what he loves the most about being a part of the CSO is the very nature of its composition – a synthesis of professional, volunteer and student musicians. In his opinion, that special blend is what raises the CSO to the level of a major orchestra, along with the great camaraderie among musicians and the phenomenal performing venue of The Palladium.
Learn more about Concertmaster Larry Shapiro.
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