Dr. Eugene Astapov is a Ukrainian-Canadian composer, pianist and conductor. Praised by the New York Times for the “richness of harmony”, Eugene’s artistic activity has been recognized nationally and internationally by the SOCAN Foundation, awarding him the Grand Prize in the 2019 Young Composer’s Competition, as well as by the Juilliard School naming him the recipient of the coveted 2022 Blueprint Bridge Fellowship.

Astapov has worked and collaborated with numerous major orchestras including the Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra of Lower Austria, The National Arts Centre, Athens State Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Bulgaria, Victoria Orchestra, the Juilliard Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra and others. In addition, he has served as the RBC Affiliate Composer/Conductor to Toronto’s Esprit Orchestra.

Further to his orchestral collaborations, Astapov is an active composer of solo and chamber music, and has most recently collaborated with Dame Evelyn Glennie and Land’s End Ensemble, Jeff Zeigler and the National Sawdust, the Rolston and the Penderecki String Quartets. He has also worked with a number of prominent ensembles including the Gryphon Trio, Curtis 20/21, Ensemble Contemporaine du Montréal, New Juilliard Ensemble, and many more. 

Eugene Astapov is a graduate of The Juilliard School and his artistic activity is supported by the Arts Councils of Canada, Ontario and Toronto, the RBC Foundation, and the SOCAN Foundation. He is a member of the Royal Conservatory’s College of Examiners and he has served on the panel of a number of competitions including the Kiwanis Music Festival, the Winnipeg Symphony’s Composer Institute, the Cosmo Music Festival and the SOCAN Young Composer’s competition.

Dr. Astapov is a prominent pedagogue and currently teaches at The Royal Conservatory of Music, Brandon University and Western University, in the rank of Assistant Professor.