About Alexandre Zapolski 
Alexandre Zapolski was a composer, violinist, arranger, conductor, pedagogue, Associate Professor, Honored Artist of Ukraine, Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Alexandre Zapolski (1951-2025) was one of the most influential figures in Danish classical music life for several decades. As a violinist, composer, arranger, conductor, and teacher, he left a profound mark on generations of musicians and on the very foundation of classical music education in Denmark.
To his students, he was far more than a teacher. He was a role model, a guide, and a human being of rare presence and integrity. His work was defined by uncompromising musical standards, deep human insight, and a fundamental belief that music has the power to shape lives.
Education and early career 
Alexandre Zapolski was born in Odessa in 1951, in what was then the USSR and is today Ukraine.
One of his first violin teachers was A. N. Karavatzkij in Kherson.
He continued his violin studies at the National Music Conservatory in Kyiv, studying with Professor Olga Parhomenko, including the soloist class. She herself was a student of the legendary violinist David Oistrakh.
During these years, Zapolski became one of the founders of the ensemble Akvarelli, for which a substantial body of music was composed based on texts by Ukrainian poets. In the same period, he was also among the prize winners of the Mykola Lysenko International Violin Competition.
From 1976 to 1990, Alexandre Zapolski served as a docent at the Prokofiev Music Academy in Donetsk, while simultaneously holding the position of concertmaster (primarius) of the Donetsk Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
This was an exceptionally productive period. He founded and led a number of chamber ensembles and musical formations, several of which received major awards at national competitions in Ukraine and the Soviet Union, including:
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The Ukrainian Piano Trio, winner of the Grand Prix at the National Chamber Music Competition
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The modern ensemble Diapazon, winner of First Prize at the Ukrainian Instrumental Music Competition and Second Prize at the All-Union Music Competition in Moscow
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The string orchestra Viola, winner of First Prize at the First Ukrainian Chamber Orchestra Competition
At the same time, he pursued formal studies in composition.
Music was his life, and his life was music.
Composer and arranger 
Alexandre Zapolski left behind an extensive catalogue of original compositions and arrangements. His work ranges from original pieces to arrangements of major classical masterpieces, created with an exceptional understanding of instrumentation, sound, and pedagogy, spanning solo works, chamber ensembles, string orchestras, and symphonic repertoire.
In addition to arrangements for traditional ensembles, he composed specialised pedagogical scores for his string orchestras, designed specifically for educational purposes.
A defining feature of his arrangements was their ability to bring together beginners, advanced students, and professional musicians within the same musical work. This approach was highly distinctive and had a decisive impact on both orchestral practice and music education in Denmark.
In some scores, he wrote as many as seventeen different parts, each carefully adapted to a specific technical and musical level.
Even during his illness, Alexandre Zapolski continued tirelessly to compose and arrange music.
Zapolski Strings and Zapolski Young Strings 
After settling in Denmark in 1992, Alexandre Zapolski was appointed, following a competitive selection process, as a violinist in the Danish National Symphony Orchestra (DR Symfoniorkestret).
Shortly thereafter, he founded the Zapolski Quartet, which quickly became a prominent name in Danish musical life and toured both nationally and internationally.
The following year, he established the children’s and youth string orchestras Zapolski Strings and Zapolski Young Strings (the beginners’ ensemble) at Brøndby Music School. The ensembles later became independent and subsequently operated under the Copenhagen Music School.
The orchestral structure encompassed Zapolski Young Strings, for the youngest beginners, and Zapolski Strings for the older students, many of whom later continued their studies at MGK, the Royal Danish Academy of Music, and eventually the soloist class.
Together, these ensembles formed a living and sustainable pipeline for Danish classical music life, where musicians developed step by step within the same musical environment.
Alexandre Zapolski as a human being 
Alexandre Zapolski was a selfless and courageous individual. Following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, he travelled with his string orchestra Viola into the radioactive zone near Pripyat to perform for the miners involved in the cleanup operation.
Recognition and honours never altered his character. He remained humble, deeply dedicated, and unwaveringly committed to his students and to music.
Among his many distinctions were the title of Honoured Artist of Ukraine, the Fritz Busch Grant from the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Jacob Gade Grant, the Music Critics’ Award, the Danish Association of Music Schools’ Music School Prize, an Honorary Diploma at the Carl Nielsen International Competition, the Summarum Laude Special Prize in Vienna for exceptional sound and pedagogical achievement, and appointment as Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Sheet music catalogue 
This website presents the complete sheet music catalogue of Alexandre Zapolski, including his compositions and arrangements for solo instruments, chamber music, string orchestra, and larger ensembles.
The music reflects a life devoted to music and pedagogy and is written with deep respect for both the art of music and the performing musician.
Alexandre Zapolski’s music continues to live on through all those who play it.