Eugene Shapiro is excited to become a new addition to Ventura College’s Performing Arts Department faculty! Mr. Shapiro holds Master’s Degree in Jazz studies from University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is a Jazz guitarist, educator, composer, and bandleader.
Eugene has over 20 years of college teaching experience in the field of music in Las Vegas, NV where he resides, as well as in Missouri, both on the ground and online. He has taught a variety of classes, including Jazz Appreciation, History of Rock, Music Appreciation, Beginning Guitar, Private Guitar, Music Fundamentals, and more. He is an author of the Beginning Guitar textbook that has been in print for over 15 years.
Mr. Shapiro leads the Shapiro Project Jazz quartet. Shapiro Project has released three albums with Eugene’s original music and performed all over the Las Vegas Valley, as well as in California (Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco), Idaho, and Utah. Eugene Shapiro is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP).
He has received numerous awards from the Nevada Arts Council, including two Fellowships in Jazz Composition, as well as ASCAPLUS Jazz and Pop awards, and an honorable mention in the Billboard Songwriting Contest.
Mr. Shapiro has done educational Jazz outreach in collaboration with The Smith Center and Nevada Arts Council in the Las Vegas area, bringing Jazz to elementary, middle, and high schools. He has shared the stage with Sandy Duncan, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Art Van Damme, Carl Fontana, Walt Weiskopf, Jiggs Wigham, Ed Soph, Stefan Karlsson, and Tom Warrington. Eugene Shapiro is endorsed by Thomastik-Infeld Strings, Martin Guitars, Radial Engineering Ltd., and AMT Electronics.