Draft:David Levi (conductor)

• Comment: The citations aren't very good, and the two references I clicked on failed the WP:CTRL+F-test. Johannes (Talk) (Contribs) (Articles) 12:20, 1 November 2023 (UTC)

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David Levi (born October 22, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a Franco-American conductor, and pianist.

Early Life

David Levi’s father, Isaac Levi, was a philosopher of science known for his work on epistemology and decision theory. His mother, Judith Levi, was a social worker who participated in a program which pioneered home care for patients suffering from hemophilia.

Early Education

His first piano teacher, the Lithuanian pedagogue, Birute Smetona, was instrumental in defining his piano technique, musicality and affinity for European culture. Upon moving to New York City at the age of 11, David was greatly influenced by the stage director and conductor Cynthia Auerbach who directed numerous opera productions at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division. Equally important was his immersion in orchestral playing and chamber music as both pianist and oboist through several summers spent at the Kinhaven Music School under the direction of David Dushkin.

Education and work as a stage performer

David graduated from Harvard College in 1980 with a BS in Psychology. However, his major activity throughout his four years at the University was as an actor. He was president of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals in 1980, overseeing the production of A Little Knife Music and the nomination of Meryl Streep as Woman of the Year. He moved to Rome in 1980 and participated in the founding by Sandra Provost of an English-language theater company, the Rome Savoyards. He moved back to New York City in the fall of 1981 to pursue studies in singing, dancing and acting, receiving his Actors Equity membership in 1982 while performing the role of Cesar Rodney in the musical, 1776. During this period, he resolved to pursue a career in music for the theater. He received his Masters in Music (Piano Accompaniment) from the Manhattan School of Music in 1985 and then worked as accompanist for various small opera companies and apprenticed as a pianist and conductor in the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera.

Career

David moved to Germany in 1987. His first performances as conductor were of der Bettelstudent and die Fledermaus at the Theater Essen. He was noticed by the East German conductor Rolf Reuter during Master Classes in Weimar during the summer of 1988. While pursuing further engagements in Hannover and Hildesheim, he simultaneously brought to life with the stage director Corina van Eijk, the Spanga Opera Festival in Holland, conducting many productions from Il Trittico to Ariadne auf Naxos. He became assistant to James Conlon at the Cologne Opera in 1993, where, amongst other projects, he conducted to critical acclaim Die Nase (the Nose) of Shostakovich in a new production by the stage director, Harry Kupfer.

David was invited in 1997 to become Chorus Master of the Paris National Opera (Bastille and Palais Garnier). In 2002 he moved on to conduct his first performances in Austria: Turandot, Cabaret and later Sweeney Todd in Graz.

He has since become known for his musical direction of numerous musicals in Vienna at the Volksoper at the Mörbisch Seefestspiele and in Magdeburg in Germany. He was discovered by the Eifman Dance Company of Saint Petersburg when he conducted the European premiere of Anna Karenina with the Vienna State Ballet. He has toured extensively with them in Italy, Slovenia and Oman. At the Rome Opera he conducted the European Premiere of William Bolcom’s opera A View From the Bridge as well as a new production of Romeo e Giulietta for the Caracalla Baths.

Ballet

David has been remarked for his work as conductor for ballet not only in Vienna and Rome, but also for the new productions of Ballo della Regina, and La Sylphide with the Royal Danish Ballet and for his collaboration with the New York City Ballet.

Works

Educational projects in France

Since 2003 David has worked with the public schools in France to promote choral singing and participative music making working with the Orchestre National d’Ile de France and le Grand Mélange.

• 2003 Hi! Broadway
• 2004 Mass by Leonard Bernstein
• 2005 Oi! Brasil
• 2010 L’Enfant et les Sortilèges with “le Grand Mélange”
• 2018 Broadway Rive Gauche
• 2020 Hair
• 2022 Airs Purs

Recordings

• 2011: Rodgers and Hammerstein: South Pacific —Furlanetto, Lipovsek, Pires, Chaundy—chorus and orchestra of the Volksoper Wien—dir. David Levi (ORF CD 3123 LC 11428)
• 2014: Bock and Harnick: Anatevka (Fiddler On the Roof). Mörbisch Festival Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus—dir. David Levi (OEHMS Classics)
• 2019: Vienne—Le Monde d’Hier Violin : Sharman Plesner. Piano : David Levi (Pierre Verany PV719051)
• 2022: Leokadiya Kashperova Cello and Piano Sonata No. 1 Cello: Susan Edward Piano: David Levi (TerrOpera)

Film Scores

• 2003: Rigoletto—Michailov, Wierzba, Besig, Alves da Cruz, Uleman, Music Director: David Levi, Film director Corina van Eijk (Opera Spanga)
• 2005: Samson and Delilah—Uleman, Alvez da Cruz, Michailov, Music Director: David Levi, Film director Corina van Eijk (Opera Spanga)

TerrOpera

In the Gascon village of Terraube, David has brought to life several theater productions and a chamber music series under the name TerrOpera.

• 2016: Histoire du Soldat
• 2017: La Voix humaine
• 2019: Les Fantastiques