Biography
Russian-born Ilya Levinson graduated from the Moscow State Conservatory as a composer, where he studied composition with Alexander Pirumov and orchestration with Edison Denisov. After immigrating to the United States in 1988, Levinson completed a Ph.D. in Composition at the University of Chicago where his training included instruction from Ralph Shapey, Shulamit Ran, John Eaton, and Howard Sandroff.Levinson’s catalogue includes operas, musicals, symphonic and chamber music, film scores and original music for theatre productions. His music was performed by the Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra, Yaroslavl Orchestra, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Sarajevo Philharmonic, CUBE Ensemble, New Music Ensembles of The University of Chicago and Northwestern University, and Duo Montagnard among others.Ilya Levinson was a winner of the 1994 Midwest Composers Competition and recipient of two Illinois Arts Council Fellowships in Music Composition in 1997 and 2003. His “Klezmer Rhapsody”, recorded by the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band and was released on the Shanachie label.A sought-after orchestrator, Levinson worked on Bockchoy Variations by Evan Chen for the Minnesota Opera, Glass House by Ellen Gould for Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL, and Voices, a CD by Michael Reily.Levinson’s film credits include additional music for Shtetl (WBGH Frontline); Cleared for Landing (Discovery); 1998-2000 fundraising videos for the Jewish United Fund, Chicago. He has also worked for Kartemquin Educational Films, Chicago. Levinson wrote the article Kashchey In Blue: The Rimsky-Korsakov-Schillinger-Gershwin Connection, published in the proceedings of the Rimsky-Korsakov and His Heritage in Historical Perspective conference.Levinson is Music Director and Co-Founder of the New Budapest Orpheum Society, an ensemble-in-residence at The University of Chicago. The group specializes in performing music of the Jewish Cabaret. Their two CD’s: Dancing on the Edge of the Volcano and Jewish Cabaret in Exile are recorded on the Cedille label. Ilya Levinson is composer-in-residence with American Music Festivals, an organization committed to promoting cultural exchange and American music.Levinson was featured on WFMT's Relevant Tones show on Saturday, August 31, 2013. Listen to the interview on visit WFMT's Relevant Tones webpage. Levinson's works will be presented May 11-12, 2014, by Chicago Sinfonietta in Identities, an orchestral program exploring cultural convergences. Watch Maestra Mei-Ann Chen discuss Identities in this video preview.
Instructional Areas
Schillinger System of Musical Composition, Use of folk idioms in the concert music, Polytonality, Extended tonality, Polyrhythms
Creative Practice and Research Interests
Schillinger System of Musical Composition in the music of George Gershwin, Klezmer music; Assyrian music; Sevdah tradition
Degrees
Diploma, Music Theory Ippolitov-Ivanov Moscow Municipal Music College 1981
M.A., Composer and Teacher of Music Theory State Conservatory of Music 1986
Ph.D., Music University of Chicago 1997