Sir Gilbert Levine,

GCSG The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

(born January 22, 1948) is an American conductor. He is considered an "outstanding personality in the world of international music television." He has led the PBS concert debuts of the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly r ...

, Royal Philharmonic,

London Philharmonic The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphon ...

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...

, WDR Symphony Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the PBS premieres of works including the

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

Missa Solemnis, Bach Magnificat in D, Haydn

Creation Creation may refer to: Religion *''Creatio ex nihilo'', the concept that matter was created by God out of nothing *Creation myth, a religious story of the origin of the world and how people first came to inhabit it *Creationism, the belief that ...

, and Bruckner Symphony 9.

Education

Levine was born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, attended the

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

School of Music, and holds an A.B. degree from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

and a M.A. degree from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

. He studied

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

with Stephen Maxym and Sherman Walt,

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

with Gilbert Kalish, Music History with Lewis Lockwood and

Arthur Mendel Arthur Mendel (June 6, 1905 – October 14, 1979) was an American musicologist, known as a Bach scholar. He was born in Boston and died in Newark, New Jersey. Education He graduated from Harvard University in 1925 before going to study with ...

Music Theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the " rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (k ...

with Edward T. Cone,

Peter Westergaard Peter Talbot Westergaard (28 May 1931 – 26 June 2019) was an American composer and music theorist. He was Professor Emeritus of music at Princeton University. Biography Westergaard was born on 28 May 1931 in Champaign, Illinois. He pursued ...

and

Milton Babbitt Milton Byron Babbitt (May 10, 1916 – January 29, 2011) was an American composer, music theorist, mathematician, and teacher. He is particularly noted for his serial and electronic music. Biography Babbitt was born in Philadelphia to Albert E ...

, ear training and score reading with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher and conductor. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organist. From a ...

, Renée Longy, and Luise Vosgerchian, and conducting with

Jacques-Louis Monod Jacques-Louis Monod (25 February 1927 – 21 September 2020) was a French composer, pianist and conductor of 20th century and contemporary music, particularly in the advancement of the music of Charles Ives, Edgard Varèse, Arnold Schoenberg, A ...

and Franco Ferrara. Levine was assistant to Sir

Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt and London, and as a long-servin ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

at the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symp ...

and at the

Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal ...

(Covent Garden), and in Paris with l' Orchestre de Paris. He was a protégé of

Klaus Tennstedt Klaus Hermann Wilhelm Tennstedt (; June 6, 1926 – January 11, 1998) was a German conductor from Merseburg. Known for his interpretation of the Austro-German repertoire, especially his sympathetic approaches towards Gustav Mahler, Tennstedt ...

. Levine has lectured at institutions including

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

, and the

University of North Carolina, Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

. He has taught conducting both at Yale and the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

. His conducting students have included the American composer

Aaron Jay Kernis Aaron Jay Kernis (born January 15, 1960) is a Pulitzer Prize- and Grammy Award-winning American composer serving as a member of the Yale School of Music faculty. Kernis spent 15 years as the music advisor to the Minnesota Orchestra and as D ...

. Levine maintains current ties to his two alma maters. He serves as a member of the Princeton University Department of Music Advisory Council and has recently been appointed to a fifth term as Associate Fellow of Trumbull College, Yale by the Yale Corporation, that university's highest governing body.

Early career and the Kraków Philharmonic years

Early in his career, Levine conducted orchestras both in Europe and the United States, including the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony (SFS), founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San F ...

, the

Minnesota Orchestra The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded originally as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, the Minnesota Orchestra plays most of its concerts at Minneapolis's Orchestra Hall. History Em ...

, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...

, the NDR Sinfonie-Orchester Hamburg, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin. Levine first gained international notice when he became conductor and artistic director of the

Kraków Philharmonic The Kraków Philharmonic ( pl, Filharmonia Krakowska) is the primary concert hall in Kraków, Poland. It is one of the largest auditoriums in the city. It consists of the main hall for orchestral performances with 693 seats, and two smaller ven ...

in 1987. He was the first American chief conductor of an Eastern European orchestra. His appointment was initially controversial because of the general consensus that Krzysztof Penderecki forced the choice of Levine on the orchestra. Under his leadership, the orchestra toured Europe, the major concert halls of North America, and the Far East, including the first visit by any Polish orchestra to South Korea. Under Levine, the Kraków Philharmonic also performed for the first time with such soloists as Emanuel Ax, Garrick Ohlsson, and Shlomo Mintz. He concluded his tenure in Kraków in 1993.

Concerts for Pope John Paul II and pontifical knighthood

In 1988, while working in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

, Levine met Pope John Paul II, at the latter's invitation. The Pope subsequently asked Levine to conduct the concert commemorating the 10th anniversary of his Pontificate. This concert was originally broadcast by RAI, Italian television, and throughout Europe via Eurovision. It was subsequently broadcast and re-broadcast on Public Television in the U.S. over the next 17 years. In 1993, Levine conducted for the Pope at

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. That program included the first performances of works by Bernstein,

Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

, and Copland at any Papal event, and was televised worldwide. In 1994, Levine (whose mother-in-law was an

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...

survivor) conducted the

in the historic " Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah (

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

)," which marked the first official Vatican commemoration of the Nazi genocide of World War II. Featured guest artists were Lynn Harrell and

Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (; born Dreyfus; October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He is known for starring in popular films during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, including '' American Graffiti'' (1973), ''Jaws'' (1975), '' Close Encounters of the ...

, who narrated an excerpt from

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first America ...

's Third Symphony (Kaddish). In 1998, Levine led members of the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic, commonly referred to as the LA Phil, is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at th ...

and, with the special permission of Pope John Paul II, the ancient Capella Giulia Choir of St. Peter's Basilica, in concerts to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the founding of Mission San Luis Rey in California. These concerts constituted the first visit of this 500-year-old choir to the Western Hemisphere, and were broadcast on NPR's " Performance Today". Other Papal concerts at the Vatican directed by Levine included the first of two concerts celebrating the Catholic Church's Grand Jubilee in 2000 with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the

Philharmonia Chorus The Philharmonia Chorus is an independent self-governing symphony chorus based in London, UK. Since its foundation in 1957 the Chorus has given over 900 concerts and made over 100 recordings. The Chorus Master is Gavin Carr. Foundation Th ...

performing parts one and two of Haydn's '' The Creation'' Levine conducted a 2003 televised musical celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's pontificate with the

in Saint Peter's Basilica, a concert which aired on

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Calif ...

(ABC). In 2004, Levine conducted his last concert for Pope John Paul II, leading the

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an Ameri ...

and members of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, the London Philharmonic Choir, the Kraków Philharmonic Choir, and the Ankara Polyphonic Choir in the " Papal Concert of Reconciliation." This event was the first time that any American orchestra had performed for any Pope in the Vatican. The concert, broadcast worldwide, included

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

's Symphony No. 2 ''Resurrection'', and ''Abraham'', a specially-commissioned

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Ma ...

by John Harbison. Over the years of his relationship with John Paul II, Levine became known as "the Pope's Maestro." In 1994, for his services to the Pope and to the Vatican, he was invested as a Knight Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great (KCSG), the highest Papal knighthood accorded to a non-ecclesiastical musician since

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

.Gouveia, Georgette. "Writings revealed John Paul as a pope with an artist's soul". ''The Journal News'', 2005. Upon John Paul II's death, Levine called him a friend and "an incredible sustenance for me." In 2005, Levine conducted a memorial concert for the Pontiff, which was broadcast on PBS. That same year, Pope John Paul II's successor,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

, honoured Levine with the Silver Star of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (KC*SG), the highest papal distinction received by a Jew in the history of the Vatican. On January 31, 2016,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

honored Levine as a Pontifical Knight Grand Cross of the Equestrian Order of Saint Gregory the Great (GCSG), the highest rank of the order and one very rarely bestowed. He is the second artist so honored. The other is Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who received that honor from

in 2012.

Additional work

In the UK, Levine and the

have recorded Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3. In 2000, Levine was named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra's "Millennium Creation Series." In this capacity he toured America and Europe, performing Haydn's '' The Creation'' in televised concerts in Baltimore, London, and Rome. He led the

(LPO) in 2003, conducting selections from

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

and Mozart on ABC's "

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...

" in a historic first for that program. In the same year, Levine led the LPO and London Philharmonic Choir in televised performances of excerpts of Gorecki's Third Symphony and

's Ninth Symphony from Krakow, during the city's reign as the European Capital of Culture. On this occasion, Levine received the Kraków Gold Medallion from the city president, in recognition of his services to Kraków's cultural life. From 2004 to 2006, Levine led the

in a series of concerts called "Music for the Spirit," which included a 2004 performance of the Verdi ''

Requiem A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

''., a January 2006 concert to commemorate the 100th anniversary of St. Paul's Cathedral in Pittsburgh of Haydn's ''The Creation'', and a June 2006 concert of

's Third Symphony. In July 2005, Levine led the

and the

Choir in the first complete performance of Beethoven Missa Solemnis in

Cologne Cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese ...

. The performance was broadcast throughout Europe and North America. The international quartet of soloists included American tenor

Jerry Hadley Jerry Hadley (June 16, 1952 – July 18, 2007) was an American operatic tenor. He received three Grammy awards for his vocal performances in the recordings of ''Jenůfa'' (2004 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording), '' Susannah'' (1995 Grammy Awa ...

in his last televised concert performance. In November of that same year, Levine directed the Orchestra of Saint Luke's and the

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

Choir in a concert entitled "Rejoice in this Land", which included Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and the world premiere of ''Washington Speaks'' by Richard Danielpour, with Ted Koppel as narrator. The performance was broadcast throughout the United States both on terrestrial radio in major cities and on

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM, Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable televisi ...

. Levine made his debut with the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne in 2007 in a performance of Bruckner Symphony 9 and

Te Deum The "Te Deum" (, ; from its incipit, , ) is a Latin Christian hymn traditionally ascribed to AD 387 authorship, but with antecedents that place it much earlier. It is central to the Ambrosian hymnal, which spread throughout the Latin Ch ...

with the choirs of the WDR of Cologne and the NDR Chor of Hamburg. On April 23, 2012, Levine conducted the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra and the

Chicago Symphony Chorus The Chicago Symphony Chorus began on September 22, 1957, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced that Margaret Hillis would organize and train a symphony chorus. The music director Fritz Reiner's original intent was to utilize the choru ...

in their first ever performance together, at Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center, Chicago. The program included

Bogurodzica ] Bogurodzica (, calque of the Greek term ''Theotokos''), in English known as the Mother of God, is a medieval Roman Catholic hymn composed sometime between the 10th and 13th centuries in Poland. It is believed to be the oldest religious hymn or ...

(an ancient Polish hymn), Edward T. Cone Psalm 91 (1948), Bach Magnificat in D, and Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven), Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”. The concert was filmed for national and international television and radio broadcast. It was first broadcast in Chicago in October 2012. On May 5, 2014, Levine led the Orchestra of Saint Luke's, the Kraków Philharmonic Choir and the Choral Arts Society of Washington in "Peace Through Music: In Our Age," a musical celebration of the Canonizations of Popes

John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June ...

and John Paul II, at

Constitution Hall DAR Constitution Hall is a concert hall located at 1776 D Street NW, near the White House in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1929 by the Daughters of the American Revolution to house its annual convention when membership delegations outgrew Me ...

in Washington, D.C. The concert included performances of Copland Fanfare for the Common Man, Verdi Messa di Requiem (Sanctus), Górecki

Totus Tuus was routinely used to sign off letters written in Latin, meaning "all yours", often abbreviated as "t.t." (a variation was ). In recent history was used by Pope John Paul II as his personal motto to express his personal Consecration to Mary ...

, Bernstein

Chichester Psalms ''Chichester Psalms'' is an extended choral composition in three movements by Leonard Bernstein for boy treble or countertenor, choir and orchestra. The text was arranged by the composer from the Book of Psalms in the original Hebrew. Part 1 use ...

and Brahms First Symphony. The concert was sponsored by the Embassies of Poland, Italy, Argentina and the Holy See to the U.S., the Catholic

Archdiocese of Washington The Archdiocese of Washington is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the District of Columbia and the counties of Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

, and WETA. The concert was taped for broadcast on PBS and internationally in Fall 2014.

Media coverage

On television, Levine has been featured on many occasions, both as a news subject and in concert. In addition to his appearance on "Good Morning America," and his numerous performances on European television, the CBS newsmagazine ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique st ...

'' featured a profile of him titled "The Pope's Maestro". Other stories about him have been featured on such programs as '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Sunday Morning'' (on which he was profiled by

Eugenia Zukerman Eugenia Rich Zukerman (born September 25, 1944, Cambridge, Massachusetts) is an American flutist, writer, and journalist. An internationally renowned flute virtuoso, Zukerman has been performing with major orchestras and at major music festivals i ...

), ''

ABC World News Tonight ''ABC World News Tonight'' (titled ''ABC World News Tonight with David Muir'' for its weeknight broadcasts since September 2014) is the flagship daily evening television news program of ABC News, the news division of the American Broadcasting ...

'', ''

Nightline ''Nightline'' (or ''ABC News Nightline'') is ABC News' late-night television news program broadcast on ABC in the United States with a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. Created by Roone Arledge, the prog ...

'' (ABC), '' Larry King Live'' (CNN), and ''

The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer ''The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer'' (also simply ''The Situation Room'') is a daily newscast on CNN hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The show currently airs weekdays live from 6:00p.m. to 7:00pm ET from CNN's stud ...

'' (CNN). He has appeared on

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

on such programs as ''Symphony Cast'', '' Performance Today'', and ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

''. On January 14, 1992, Levine was interviewed by

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1985 for '' The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral h ...

on his

WFMT WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk. The station is managed by Window to the World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, Chicago ...

(Chicago) nationally syndicated radio broadcast. Levine's recording of the Shostakovich Suite from The Golden Age, with the Krakow Philharmonic, was the featured work on that program. In 2009, TVN (Poland) broadcast a 30-minute biographical documentary on Levine entitled "The Pope’s Maestro". The film dealt with his life and career, from the arrival of his family in New York from Warsaw in the early years of the 20th Century, to his studies at The

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely ...

, his life and work in Kraków under communism, and his concerts for

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. Levine's memoir, ''The Pope’s Maestro,'' was published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint, in October 2010, and in Polish translation in 2012 under the title Papieski Maestro by Wydawnictwo Świat Książki. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote of ''The Pope's Maestro,'' "Not all books are worth writing; this one assuredly is, because it tells how peace can happen, one heart at a time." On April 25, 2014, Levine was the subject of the "Saturday Interview" in the

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

. The article was written by

Matthew Kaminski Matthew Kaminski (born November 11, 1971) is an American journalist working as the editor-in-chief of ''Politico.'' He is also the founding editor of '' Politico Europe'', which launched on April 21, 2015. He was previously a foreign correspondent ...

. In 2017, the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University commissioned a video profile of Sir Gilbert Levine. The profile was produced by Angel Gardner and filmed and edited by Zohar Lavi-Hasson.

Personal life

Levine is married to Dr. Vera Kalina-Levine. They have two children, David (b. 1984) and Gabriel (b. 1991).

Television concerts

Levine's television-aired concert performances have included the following: *1982: Reykjavik Arts Festival (

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

, Founder) Closing Concert: June 20, 1982. Sinfóníuhljómsveitinn ( Iceland Symphony Orchestra) and Iceland Symphony Choir. Glinka:

A Life for the Tsar ''A Life for the Tsar'' ( rus, "Жизнь за царя", italic=yes, Zhizn za tsarya ) is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in four acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka. During the Soviet era the opera was known under the name ''Ivan Susanin'' ...

(Excerpts);

Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

Boris Godunov Borís Fyodorovich Godunóv (; russian: Борис Фёдорович Годунов; 1552 ) ruled the Tsardom of Russia as ''de facto'' regent from c. 1585 to 1598 and then as the first non-Rurikid tsar from 1598 to 1605. After the end of his ...

(Excerpts). Soloist:

Boris Christoff Boris Christoff ( bg, Борис Кирилов Христов, Boris Kirilov Hristov, ; 18 May 1914 – 28 June 1993) was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century. Early life He was born ...

. Live Broadcast:

RÚV Ríkisútvarpið (RÚV) (pronounced or ) ( en, 'The Icelandic National Broadcasting Service') is Iceland's national public-service broadcasting organization. Operating from studios in the country's capital, Reykjavík, as well as regional ce ...

- Icelandic National Broadcasting * 1988: "A Musical Offering from the Vatican". Orchestra of RAI/Roma, Choirs of RAI, Kraków Philharmonic and Warsaw Philharmonic. Brahms "Ave Maria",

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', ''Polish Requiem'', '' ...

" Stabat Mater:, Dvořák Mass in D. Original Broadcaster: RAI/Roma/European Broadcast Union. PBS broadcast as "A Musical Offering from the Vatican: A Papal Concert" (1992). Released on VHS by View Video * 1994: "Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah".

, Coro della Filharmonia Romana. Bruch

Kol Nidre Kol Nidre (also known as Kol Nidrey or Kol Nidrei; Aramaic: ''kāl niḏrē'') is a Hebrew and Aramaic declaration which is recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). Strictl ...

Ninth Symphony (Third Movement), Schubert Psalm 92, Excerpt of the Bernstein Third Symphony ("Kaddish"), Bernstein

(Movements 2 and 3) --Original Broadcaster: RAI/EBU, PBS (WNET). Released on VHS by Rhino * 1995: "A Symphony of Psalms."

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

and Chorus.

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

Symphony of Psalms (1930). Original Broadcaster: MPT ( Maryland Public Television) and NPR * 2000: "Jubilee Creation".

and Chorus. Haydn: ''The Creation''. US Broadcast by Maryland Public Broadcasting/PBS * 2000: Concert for the 80th Birthday of His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Haydn: '' The Creation''.

and Chorus. Original Broadcaster: RAI/EBU. * 2000: "A Thousand Years of Music and Spirit".

and Choir.

, Gorecki Third Symphony (Second Movement),

Ninth Symphony. Original Broadcaster: Telewizja Polska. US broadcast (nationwide) by

WTTW WTTW (channel 11) is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT (98.7 FM). T ...

/PBS. * 2002: Concert in Commemoration of the 1st Anniversary of the Terror Attacks of September 11. Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Münchener Bach-Chor.

Agnus Dei is the Latin name under which the "Lamb of God" is honoured within the Catholic Mass and other Christian liturgies descending from the Latin liturgical tradition. It is the name given to a specific prayer that occurs in these liturgies, and i ...

'', Gorecki Totus Tuus, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem—Original Broadcaster: Telewizja Polska/EBU * 2004: " Papal Concert of Reconciliation".

, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, London Philharmonic Choir, Kraków Philharmonic Choir, Ankara Polyphonic Choir. Harbison "Abraham" (World Premiere), Mahler Second Symphony (First, Fourth, and Fifth Movements) --Original Broadcaster: RAI/EBU. US broadcast by WQED (Pittsburgh). Released on DVD by WQED Multimedia Pittsburgh * 2004: ABC "

." Verdi

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's ...

; Mozart Symphony K.95.

, Narrator: Diane Sawyer. Broadcast live from Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City * 2005: "Crossing the Bridge of Faiths: Im Memoriam Pope John Paul II"— Sachsische Staatskapelle Dresden and Münchener Bach-Chor -- Gorecki Totus Tuus, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem—Original Broadcaster: WQED (Pittsburgh)/PBS * 2005: "Missa Solemnis".

Missa Solemnis.

, London Philharmonic Choir—Original Broadcaster: WDR (Köln)/3SAT (released on DVD by Arthaus) * 2007: Bruckner Ninth Symphony, Bruckner

WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln The WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne (German: WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) is a German radio orchestra based in Cologne, where the orchestra mainly performs at two concert halls: the WDR Funkhaus Wallrafplatz and the Kölner Philharmonie. Histo ...

, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, NDR Chor (Hamburg). Original Broadcaster: WDR (Köln)/3SAT * 2008: "From Heart to Heart: Beethoven’s Plea for Peace" . "Missa Solemnis" from Cologne Cathedral.

, London Philharmonic Choir. Soloists: Bożena Harasimowicz, Monica Groop,

, Franz-Josef Selig. Co-production of WDR/Köln and Peter Rosen Productions, Inc. Original Broadcaster: WQED Multimedia/Pittsburgh and American Public Television (APT). * 2010: “Music of Majestic Spirit”. Anton Bruckner: Symphony 9 and “Te Deum” from Cologne Cathedral.

, WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, NDR Chor (Hamburg). Soloists: Anja Harteros, Liliana Nikiteanu,

Christian Elsner Christian Elsner (born 11 August 1965) is a German tenor in opera and concert, and an academic voice teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. He focused first on lied and oratorio, then entered the opera stage in roles such as Handel's Tab ...

, Franz-Josef Selig Co-production of WDR/Koln and Peter Rosen Productions, Inc. Original Broadcaster: WQED Multimedia/Pittsburgh. Released on DVD by WQED/Multimedia * 2012: “Out of Many, One - a Musical Offering from Chicago - in the Spirit of John Paul”. Bogurodzica, Edward. T. Cone: Psalm 91 (1948), J.S. Bach: Magnificat in D BWV 243, Beethoven: Symphony 3, “Eroica”. Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus; Soloists: Amanda Majeski,

Sara Mingardo Sara Mingardo (born 2 March 1961) is an Italian classical contralto who has had an active international career in concerts and operas since the 1980s. Her complete recording of Anna in Hector Berlioz's ''Les Troyens'' won a Gramophone Award and bo ...

, Antonio Poli,

John Relyea John Relyea (born 1972 in Toronto) is a Canadian bass-baritone opera singer and winner of the 2003 Richard Tucker Award. He was born in 1972 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Gary Relyea, one of Canada's well-known opera singers, and a native Es ...

; Co-Production: Peter Rosen Productions, D² Digital. Original Broadcaster:

/Chicago * 2015: "A Celebration of Peace Through Music". Copland Fanfare for the Common Man, Verdi Messa da Requiem (Sanctus), Gorecki Totus Tuus, Bernstein Chichester Psalms, Brahms First Symphony. Orchestra of St. Luke's, Krakow Philharmonic Choir, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Theodore Nisbett, Boy Solo. Director: Janos Darvas; Producers: Dennis Obrien - D2 Digital, Claudia Groh. WETA (APT). Released on DVD by Kino Lorber.

Selected audio recordings

: '' Pictures at an Exhibition'', RSO Berlin (Capriccio) *

: Passacaglia and Rondo For Orchestra, Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra (Polskie Nagrania Muza) * Britten: '' Simple Symphony'', '' Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge'', ''Les Illuminations'' (with Elisabeth Söderström), English Chamber Orchestra (Arabesque) * Shostakovich: First Symphony, ''Age of Gold'' (excerpts), Concerto for Piano, Trumpet, and Strings, Op. 35 ( Garrick Ohlsson, Maurice Murphy), Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra (Arabesque) * Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust: Bruch, '' Kol Nidrei'';

, Ninth Symphony (Movement 3); Schubert, Psalm 92; Bernstein, Third Symphony (excerpt) and

(Movements 2 and 3);

; Lynn Harrell,

(Narrator) * Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 3 (Tchaikovsky), Third Symphony; Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Piano Concerto, Op. 30 (Jeffrey Campbell):

(Telarc) * A Celebration of Peace Through Music: Copland Fanfare for the Common Man, Verdi Messa da Requiem (Sanctus), Gorecki Totus Tuus, Bernstein Chichester Psalms, Brahms First Symphony. Orchestra of St. Luke's, Krakow Philharmonic Choir, Choral Arts Society of Washington, Theodore Nisbett, Boy Solo. (Delos Productions)

Honours

* Order of Saint Gregory the Great

Bibliography

References

External links

Gilbert Levine quotes at ThinkExist.com

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121008162007/http://www.princeton.edu/arts/news/archive/u.s.-premiere-of-the-7th-/index.xml "U.S. Premiere of the 7th Public Television Special by Princeton University Alumnus Sir Gilbert Levine '71", Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton University announcement]
"Address of John Paul II at the end of the Concert at Paul VI Hall". 18 May 2000

American Public Television, "A Thousand Years of Music and Spirit", program description

Maryland Public Television Press Release: "Pope Benedict XVI, Beethoven "'Plea for Peace'", 7 April 2008

WQED Pittsburgh: Press Release on "Crossing the Bridge of Faiths: Music in Memoriam"

Press Release: "WQED/PBS Present 'A Celebration of Faiths: The Papal Concert of Reconciliation'

Knights of Columbus: 'Rejoice In This Land' Concert, 15 November 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levine, Gilbert American male conductors (music) 1948 births Living people Harvard University people Manhattan School of Music faculty Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Conductors (music) awarded knighthoods Classical music radio people American people of Polish-Jewish descent Yale University faculty Princeton University faculty Juilliard School faculty Pupils of Edward T. Cone 21st-century American conductors (music)