Gary Levinson: Artistic Director

Biography

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gary Levinson began studying violin at the age of five with Professor Sergeev at the Leningrad Special Music School. After immigrating to the United States in 1977, he continued his musical development at the highest level and went on to earn his Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School. His teachers included Dorothy DeLay, Glenn Dicterow, and Felix Galimir.

Levinson made his New York Philharmonic solo debut in 1991 under the baton of Erich Leinsdorf, coinciding with the completion of his graduate studies at Juilliard. His international recognition had begun several years earlier, when he won the top prize at the 1986 Romano Romanini International Violin Competition in Brescia, Italy, and became the top American prize winner at the 1987 Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competition in Paris.

As a soloist, Levinson has performed with conductors including Erich Leinsdorf, Jaap van Zweden, and Miguel Harth-Bedoya. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with many of the world’s most respected artists, including Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Eugenia Zukerman, Lukas Foss, Carter Brey, Joseph Kalichstein, and Christopher O’Riley.

In 1998, Levinson was appointed first violinist of the Elysium String Quartet. That same year, he led the inaugural season of the Mykonos International Music Festival and performed in a gala concert honoring the quartet at the United States Ambassador’s Residence in Athens, Greece. His work with the Elysium String Quartet included several critically acclaimed recordings and international performances.

A champion of contemporary music, Levinson recorded the Margaret Brouwer Violin Concerto under the baton of Jaap van Zweden, Musical America’s 2012 Conductor of the Year. He has premiered and recorded several works dedicated to him by award-winning Iranian composer Behzad Ranjbaran. In 1996, he and his father, renowned double bassist Eugene Levinson, recorded the world premiere of Dances of Life, a bass and violin duo written for and dedicated to the Levinsons.

Levinson’s discography includes the complete Beethoven Violin and Piano Sonatas with acclaimed pianist Daredjan Kakouberi, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, the Brouwer Violin Concerto, My New York Years, and critically acclaimed recordings with the Elysium String Quartet. His all-Mozart recording featuring the Elysium String Quartet and New York Philharmonic principals Stanley Drucker, Joseph Robinson, and L. William Kuyper was praised by the American Record Guide as “utterly Mozartean...full of good spirits and a real sense of occasion.”