After decades of shaping the sonic landscape of South African film, television, theatre and advertising, revered composer and musical director Colin Shapiro steps into a deeply personal new chapter with the release of his long-awaited album, ‘Safe Travels – Rambles for Small Ensemble’.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!A true pioneer of composition in South Africa, Shapiro’s career spans over 30 years and includes an extraordinary catalogue of work: music for 34 films, 28 television series, 87 TV logos, and more than 90 TV and radio commercials. His contributions extend far beyond the studio. From his early beginnings performing as a singer-songwriter at just 16, to studying classical guitar, flute, harmony and composition, Shapiro has remained a lifelong student and master of musical storytelling.
His journey has seen him traverse genres and instruments with rare fluency, from banjo and autoharp to sitar, performing at folk festivals across the country and shaping generations of musicians through 20 years of teaching guitar, flute and music theory.
Shapiro’s influence is also deeply rooted in South Africa’s theatrical and cultural history. He was the first performer on stage in the iconic opening production of ‘Marat/Sade’ at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre, where he also served as musical director under the legendary Barney Simon. His collaborative work with Des & Dawn Lindberg further cemented his reputation as a versatile and visionary musical director across stage and television. In 2010, Shapiro partnered with acclaimed musician Pops Mohamed to compose the score for ‘Elalini’, a short film directed by Tristan Holmes. The film went on to achieve international recognition, winning Best Foreign Film at the Student Academy Awards.
A respected industry leader, Shapiro has served as Chairman of the Composers Association of South Africa and as a director of the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition, contributing significantly to the growth and advocacy of the local music industry.
Now, with ‘Safe Travels’, Shapiro offers listeners something profoundly intimate: a window into his own creative explorations. Crafted in the spaces between commercial deadlines, the album is a collection of compositions that began as spontaneous improvisations, or “rambles”, and evolved into richly layered, fully realised works.
Blending classical and orchestral sensibilities with global textures, the album features an intricate tapestry of guitars, virtual instrumentation, and rare, exotic sounds. The result is a deeply immersive listening experience that transcends genre and invites the audience into a world of imagination and reflection.
Every note on the album is a testament to Shapiro’s artistry, composed, arranged, performed, recorded, mixed and produced entirely by the composer himself.
Shapiro describes his music as “music for armchair journeys” and “soundtracks for eyelid movies” and explains that ‘Safe Travels’ is less a traditional album and more a cinematic voyage for the mind. It’s an invitation to pause, drift, and explore, with dancing remaining entirely optional.
With this release, Colin Shapiro not only reflects on a lifetime of musical excellence, but boldly claims a new creative space: one that is personal, exploratory, and entirely his own.
“Safe Travels” is out now on all major streaming platforms: https://lnk.to/ColinShapiroSafeTravels