In 1947, he was a founding member of the WQXR Radio Quartet, which played the international and American premieres of works by various composers until its dissolution in 1963.
[3] He was invited at the age of 8 to study with Julius Klengel in Germany, but was forced to decline on account of his family's lack of financial resources.
[4] For a time, economic hardship led Shapiro and his family to move to San Francisco; he later returned to New York City where he settled permanently.
[6] While Harold A. Strickland of the Brooklyn Times-Union appraised Shapiro's tone as "not yet agreeable of texture" and criticized his interpretative skills as "limited,"[7] Winthrop Sargeant of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle was more positive: [O]ne was able to perceive that Mr. Shapiro is a talented and thoughtful young musician, not yet capable of interpreting the great works of the repertoire with all the authority of a mature artist, but, nevertheless, showing seriousness of purpose and mechanical resourcefulness that promise well for the future.
[11] During the late 1930s, Shapiro also played in orchestras at Radio City Music Hall[12] and the New York World's Fair.
[15] Shapiro also played in an ensemble called the NBC Trio, with violinist Josef Gingold and pianist Earl Wild.
[4] From 1947 to 1963 Shapiro performed with the WQXR Radio Quartet; his fellow members were Hugo Fiorato, Harry Glickman (violins), and Jack Braunstein (viola).
The quartet played and broadcast the premieres of works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Darius Milhaud, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, and Carl Stamitz.
[16] They also played the American premiere of Anton Bruckner's String Quartet, a performance that was organized in collaboration with the score's publisher, C. F.
The termination was controversial among students at Columbia University, who distributed flyers criticizing the move:[18] Since Toscanini, [the WQXR Radio Quartet] has been the last bulwark of live, good music on the air.
[18]Students also urged supporters to petition the station and its owner, the New York Times, to rescind the WQXR Radio Quartet's termination.
2 he made with pianist Artur Rubinstein drew congratulations from record engineer John Pfeiffer, as well as his fellow Symphony of the Air musicians.
Originally he was to replace Rose on a temporary basis while the latter was touring with Isaac Stern and Eugene Istomin in a piano trio,[4] but ultimately held his position for more than thirty years.
[11] While teaching in British Columbia, Shapiro gave recitals at the McPherson Playhouse marking the 50th anniversary of his professional debut on August 10, 1986[22] and his 80th birthday in 1991.
[22] Nevertheless, Audrey Johnson of the Times-Colonist approved of his performance, writing that he "played the cello as though his hands and arms were a part of his instrument, an extension of his musical instinct and profound understanding.
[24] He remained an active teacher into his 90s, despite health problems, including arthritis, broken hips, failing eyesight, and cancer.
[1] One of his students, James Kreger [de], wrote that Shapiro's methods were well intentioned: It can be very tough on someone who expects to get praised all the time.
In 2006, Shapiro heard fellow cellist Daniel Müller-Schott on a radio broadcast of a concert that had been performed at Carnegie Hall.