People Background
Headshot of Conner Shaw playing guitar.

Conner Shaw

Lecturer of Music

Academic Divisions

School of the Arts Music Program

Functional Area

Music Industry

Education

M.M., University of Southern California, Music Composition, 2021
B.M., University of Northern Colorado, Jazz Studies, 2019
B.M., University of Northern Colorado, Music Composition, 2019
B.A., University of Northern Colorado, Music (Classical guitar emphasis), 2019

Biography

Conner Leigh Shaw’s formative experiences in the majestic open spaces of Colorado, and his emotional interpretations on both his life and the cataclysmic events occurring in the world shape his writing and playing into a style simultaneously haunting and beautiful. From 2019 to 2024, Shaw lived in Los Angeles and pursued a variety of projects, including: writing for Classical music chamber ensembles, performing bluegrass and folk music on multiple instruments including banjo and guitar, performing jazz and ambient music, creating short film scores, and playing electric guitar with the industrial rap metal artist Jurakhan. He now resides again in Colorado, and is playing in a professional bluegrass and folk duo with his collaborator Aaron Zimola. Some notable appearances and releases from the past three years include the release of his opera “A Date With Reality” in April 2024, a show entitled “ExoResonance” with Renegade Ensemble in Minneapolis, Minnesota in October 2023, and a premiere by Sputterbox ensemble in New York City in April 2022.

Courses Taught

  • Music Industry
  • Music Technology
  • History of Rock ‘n Roll
  • Guitar Performance
  • Jazz Ensemble
  • Pop Ensemble

External Professional Affiliations

  • Shaw Zimola Music Company
  • Millennium Composers Institute
  • Greeley Philharmonic Youth Orchestra