Alexey Shor

Alexey Shor
Background information
GenresClassical music
OccupationMusic composer
LabelsWarner Classics, DECCA, Sony Classics, Delos, Berlin Classics, and Melodiya
Websitealexeyshor.com

Alexey Shor is an American composer. He is the Composer-in-Residence for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, and an associate composer at the Yehudi Menuhin School. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary professorship at the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory.

Biography

Shor was born Alexey Vladimorovich Kononenko[a] in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine).[1] In 1991, he left the Soviet Union for Israel with his parents. Subsequently, he moved to the US for his graduate studies and obtained a PhD in mathematics in 1996. He worked as a mathematician until 2016 (geometry, dynamic systems).[2] From 1999 until 2016 he worked for the Long Island hedge fund Renaissance Technologies.[3]

Since he was a child, Alexey loved classical music. He tried his hand at composing in 2012 and started writing short pieces as a hobby. One day his friend, viola player David Aaron Carpenter saw one of his scores on Alexey's desk. He loved Shor's piece.[4]

Alexey's works have been showcased in concert venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.,[5] The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Munich's Gasteig, London's Wigmore Hall, Rome's Teatro Argentina, among others.[6]

Shor's scores have been published by publishers such as Breitkopf & Härtel, Universal Edition and P. Jurgenson.[7] His compositions have been featured on CDs released by major labels including Warner Classics, DECCA, Sony Classics, Delos, Berlin Classics, and Melodiya.[7]

Performances featuring his music have been aired on platforms like Medici.tv, Mezzo, and Euronews. The overture to his ballet, “Crystal Palace,” was performed at the 40th Gramophone Classical Music Awards event in London. In 2019, a documentary about Alexey Shor was showcased on Medici.tv.[8]

Shor's works have been performed by many soloists and ensembles, such as (in alphabetical order) Behzod Abduraimov, Salvatore Accardo, Ray Chen, Steven Isserlis, Clara-Jumi Kang, Evgeny Kissin, Denis Kozukhin, Shlomo Mintz, Mikhail Pletnev, Gil Shaham, Yeol Eum Son, Yekwon Sunwoo, Maxim Vengerov, Nikolaj Znaider and many others.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ Ukrainian: Олексій Володимирович Кононенко, romanized: Oleksii Volodymyrovych Kononenko

References

  1. ^ "The many passports (and alias) of the mystery orchestra composer". Times of Malta.
  2. ^ "Composer Alexey Shor Makes Significant Impact During Short Career". Classical Post.
  3. ^ Hugh Morris and Jeffrey Arlo Brown. 'Welcome to Shorworld', in VAN Magazine, 11 September 2024
  4. ^ "From mathematician to musician". Times of Malta.
  5. ^ "Contemporary composer Alexey Shor takes centre stage at InClassica International Music Festival". Euronews. 31 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Shor in Seoul: The rise of an unusual composer". The Korea Herald. 18 February 2021.
  7. ^ a b "InClassica Malta International Music Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary with star-studded line-up". Musical America.
  8. ^ "Alexey Shor, The Portrait of a Maltese Composer". Medici.tv.
  9. ^ "The road less travelled: a profile of composer Alexey Shor". MaltaToday.com.mt. Retrieved 2 June 2024.

Further reading