Michael Shapiro is a critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated American composer and conductor whose distinguished career spans over four decades. The Brooklyn-born musician has received numerous prestigious honors. His extensive catalog features over 100 works spanning opera, film, television, orchestral, and chamber music, with his compositions characterized by their lyrical, neo-romantic style and described by The New York Times as possessing a "rare melodic gift."

Shapiro's works have been performed by major ensembles worldwide including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Symphony, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He has collaborated with such distinguished artists as soprano Teresa Stratas, conductor Marin Alsop, cellist Janos Starker, and actress Kim Cattrall. His music has been broadcast internationally on NPR, BBC, CBC, and other major networks.

A particularly remarkable achievement is his original score for the 1931 classic film "Frankenstein," which has been presented in over 75 sold-out international productions.

As Laureate Conductor of The Chappaqua Orchestra and former assistant conductor at the Zurich Opera Studio, Shapiro maintains an active conducting career. His educational background includes studies at Columbia University and The Juilliard School, where he worked with Vincent Persichetti and Renee Longy, with private composition studies under Elie Siegmeister. Shapiro's significant cultural contributions extend to his role as music consultant for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he produced and performed works by composers affected by the Holocaust, further solidifying his reputation as an artist of both exceptional talent and profound historical consciousness.

“It’s a classical movie but a contemporary composition, which gives it a completely different kind of emotional underpinning.”
Marta Hepler Drahos, Traverse City, Michigan Record-Eagle

“This unique inaugural event pairs the excitement of a classic horror movie with a symphonic score designed especially for this movie. Boris Karloff made Frankenstein world famous, and Michael Shapiro is world-renowned in the music world. What a fabulous partnership and premise for viewer pleasure. Don’t miss it.”
Roy Blackwood, Columbia Theatre, Hammond, Louisiana.

"Shapiro's score is a massive, sprawling work of orchestral and choral might... He approaches the story with a sense of tragic romance, lending the monster a surprisingly sympathetic and noble sound... The score's highlight is its love theme, a gorgeous melody of sweeping strings that represents the idyllic life Frankenstein is attempting to reclaim."

"Shapiro's score is a magnificent, grandly romantic work... It is unashamedly old-fashioned, a throwback to the golden age, but is done with such skill and such heart that it's impossible not to be swept along by it. The main theme is one of the most beautiful of the 1990s.
James Southall, Movie-Wave.net

Instrumentation
Available Editions:
1. Chamber orchestra – 1,1,1,1 – 1,1,1,1 – piano/electronic keyboard with amp – timp., BD – single strings (please note that the chamber orchestra version can be increased to theater size orchestra by adding strings)
2. Full orchestra – 2 (alt. picc.), 2,2,2 – 4,2,2,1 – piano/electronic keyboard with amp, – timp. , perc. (2) – strings□(percussion instruments are as follow: Perc 1: Glockenspiel (played with mallets as well as Finger Cymbals) and Vibraphone□Perc 2: Tam Tam, Bass
Drum, Suspended Cymbal, Mark Tree, Triangle) [Overture to Frankenstein, The Movie Score, performed by the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra (UK) conducted by Michael Shapiro is available on Spotify
3. Wind ensemble – Flute 1, Flute 2 (doubles on Piccolo), Oboe 1 & 2, Bb Clarinet 1 & 2, Bb Bass Clarinet, Bassoon 1 & 2, Alto Sax 1 & 2, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Horn in F 1 & 2, Bb Trumpet 1&2, Trombone 1 & 2, Tuba, String Bass, Timpani, Percussion 1,
Percussion 2, Piano

Michael Shapiro’s Frankenstein (1931)
Tech Rider
1. Operatic Version – five singers (soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone, and bass) with either the chamber orchestra or full orchestra (please note that the chamber orchestra can be modified to add more strings keeping the single winds in place)
2.Organ Only
3. Piano Quintet

Rehearsal Requirements
1. It is highly recommended that at least two (2) orchestral rehearsals precede the performance. Three (3) rehearsals are ideal. In the operatic version, three (3) rehearsals with the singers alone is preferred.
2. The first rehearsal should be restricted to the music without the film. The dress rehearsal should include spots and then the running of the film without interruption in the hall where the performance will take place.
3. A dry tech rehearsal in the hall prior to the performance is highly recommended with the projectionist and sound engineer.