Biography

Aleksey Shegolev was born on October 23, 1984, in Gorky, USSR. The youngest of three children, Shegolev came from a middle-class family of engineers. He moved to Israel with his family in 1991, where they lived in poverty. In December 1992, the family immigrated to Canada. Growing up, Shegolev developed an interest in theatre and attended a variety of acting classes. At the age of 14, he discovered his passion for music.

Shegolev studied piano at Collège Vincent d’Indy and studied Liberal Arts at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf before graduating from both institutions in 2006. The following year, he enrolled at the University of Montreal where he studied piano and composition. Shegolev obtained his doctoral degree in 2014 with exceptional distinction. He was also assigned the position of lecturer for Harmony and Counterpoint.

Shegolev has composed and orchestrated two full-length musicals. His second, WAG! The Musical, was performed at an off-Broadway theatre in New York City in the summer of 2013. He has also worked with various choirs and instrumental ensembles over the years, providing them with arrangements and original compositions. Shegolev has given conferences about song writing and other music-related topics, and his music has been performed in Montreal and abroad, including China, France, Russia and the United States.

In 2014, he started writing an opera along side the librettist Louise Gareau-Desbois titled Maisonneuve & Mance. The concert version featuring piano and full cast had five representations in May 2016. As of 2017, he is currently teaching at both University of Montreal and Sherbrooke University.