2021 ITG Commission

About the trumpet soloist: Rene Shapiro is assistant principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Since 2004, he has served as leader of the brass section on BSO’s pops concerts and featured on stage with Paquito D’Rivera, Al Jarreau, John Williams, Leslie Odham, Jr., Linda Ronstadt, and Burt Bacharach, to name just a few. A native of San Diego, California, he has performed with such ensembles as the Boston Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, and Colorado and Albany Symphony Orchestras. Globally, he has worked with the International Symphony in Jerusalem, Orquesta Sinfonica de Galicia in Spain, Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico, Giuseppe Verdi Orchestra di Milano, and Namdo, a Korean festival with leading European principals in orchestras such as Vienna Philharmonic. Traveling internationally has been a passion that has also allowed him to meet a violinist and his future wife, Silva, in Italy. Their daughter, Tehya, was the winner of the senior youth division of the inaugural Ryan Anthony Memorial Solo Trumpet Competition.

In addition to BSO Music Directors Marin Alsop and Yuri Temirkanov, a few of the notable conductors with whom he has worked include Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Lorin Maazel. His teaching has included the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, French Woods Festival, Maryland Classical Youth Orchestra, Chesapeake Youth Symphony, Master Players Festival at the University of Delaware, and Towson University. When resting his chops during the arduous winter season, Shapiro can be found on major ski slopes around the United States. He is a descendent of the Tohono O’odham nation and honored to premiere Nakai’s fantastic new work for ITG.