Alexander Shirunov

Alexander Shirunov is an accordion player and educator from
Russia. After his father presented him with a tiny accordion at the age of
four, he fell in love. He immediately began rigorous classical training on the
instrument, eventually graduating from the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State
Conservatory in 2007. Alexander, an adept improviser and avid collaborator,
also plays the piano, violin, and saxophone, and calls singing an important
facet of his musical life. He released his first album, Absolute, in 2006 to
much acclaim and followed up a few years later with his second album, Solo For
Two, recorded as a duet with acclaimed Russian accordionist Nadia Guseva. A
prizewinner of more than 15 international competitions, he has toured around
the world performing concerts and leading workshops, both as a solo artist and
as a collaborator.