Alexei Shanin was born in 1978 in Moscow in a family of musicians. In 1997 he graduated with distinction from the Academic Music College at the Moscow Conservatory (Evgeny Kryukovtsev’s classes) and in 2002, also with distinction, from the P.I. Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory (Anatoly Demin’s classes) followed by assistantship-internship there. Then he polished his mastery with Peter Arnold in the University for Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim (Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim).
He was a scholarship holder of the "New Names" International Charity Program and got an award at the Nikolai Rubinstein and "Classical Heritage" International Competition.
In 1994-1999, he performed in a woodwind quintet and an ensemble of soloists in many countries (Greece, Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and Switzerland). In 2009-2003, he worked in Germany: in the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra, the Mannheim Chamber Orchestra and the SWR Orchestra in Kaiserslautern.
He played in the Russian State Academic Symphony Capella directed by Valery Polyansky, collaborated with the Moscow Virtuosi State Chamber Orchestra, the Russia State Academic Chamber Orchestra, the Pratum Integrum Ancient Music Orchestra (playing an original horn), Persimfans and other well-known collectives.
Since 2003 — an artist of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia.