Jonathan Shapiro

Dr. Jonathan Shapiro is an advocate for contemporary music and an active performer of solo and chamber works for percussion. Based in northern Germany, he is the percussionist for the Decoder Ensemble, RADAR ensemble, and Ensemble LABORATORIUM. He appears frequently as a guest performer with such ensembles as Ensemble MusikFabrik, Ensemble Resonanz, Alarm Will Sound, Zafraan, Signal, Oh Ton and Newband. Jonathan has also performed with such groups as the Percussionists of the New York Philharmonic, Argento Chamber Ensemble, Talujon Percussion Quartet, International Ensemble Modern Akademie and in performances of Terry Riley’s classic work In C with the Bang on a Can All-Stars

Jonathan works regularly with such composers as Steve Reich, Tristan Murail, Vinko Globokar, Wolfgang Rihm, Louis Andriessen, Georges Aperghis, Michel van der Aa, Roger Reynolds, Terry Riley, David Lang, Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, Annie Gosfield, Alexander Schubert, Leopold Hurt, Tristan Perich and Matthias Spahlinger in developing interpretations of their works.

Jonathan has appeared in performance at such festivals as the Bang on a Can Marathon (NY), Darmstadt Ferienkurse (Germany), Festival Internacional Cervantino (Mexico), Shanghai International Arts Festival (China), 2 Days 2 Night (Ukraine), Salzburg Bienalle (Austria), BEMUS (Serbia), Klangspuren (Austria), Kunstfestspiele Herrenhausen (Germany), June in Buffalo (U.S.), ECLAT Musik der Jahrhunderte (Germany), Ultrschall (Berlin), Reverb (London), Blurred Edges (Germany), and the New York Philharmonic Charles Ives Festival (NY).

Jonathan can be heard on recordings from Mode Records, Ahornfelder, NEOS and London Hall Records. His live performances have been broadcast on national TV and radio stations in Germany, Serbia, Ukraine, U.S., Austria and Mexico.

Jonathan holds degrees from the Interlochen Arts Academy (HS), Manhattan School of Music (BM), SUNY Stony Brook (MM, DMA) and the Musikhochschule Lübeck (Advanced Studies). He has taught at SUNY Stony Brook’s Undergraduate Music Program, the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division and the United Nations International School. Jonathan has given lectures on contemporary percussion literature at the Shanghai Conservatory, Poznan Conservatory, SUNY Stony Brook, NYU and the Juilliard Summer Percussion Seminar. Jonathan is an endorser for Black Swamp Percussion, Mike Balter Mallets, and Zildjian Cymbals.