"Ittai Shapira [brings] solo violin writing to life with a sweet, plaintive tone and an almost narrative approach to phrasing." New York Times Violinist-composer Ittai Shapira presents a new concert "The Old Man and the Sea" in the 50th anniversary year of Hemmingway's Pulitzer prize winning novel. Prompted by events surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, his love of all things Cuban, and his affection for Hemmingway's story, this new concerto is in three movements, from the loneliness of the fisherman to the bustle of island life and finally the heroic struggle as he finally catches a huge marlin, only for it to be eaten by sharks. Shapira has performed as soloist with orchestras worldwide including Detroit Symphony Philharmonia, English Chamber Orchestra, Czech National Symphony, and made his critically acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall in 2003.