Portraits by Bruce LevingstonIncludes Philip Glass’ A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close and pieces from Ravel, Messiaen and Satie. Learn More >
Glass: A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close
Pianist Bruce Levingston is one of today's leading figures in contemporary music. Many of the country's most important composers have written works for him including Philip Glass and Pulitzer Prize winners William Bolcom, David Del Tredici, George Perle and Charles Wuorinen. His Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center world premiere performances of their works have won notable critical acclaim. The New Yorker describes him as "elegant and engaging", "a poetic pianist who has a gift for inventive - and glamorous - programming" while The New York Times calls his performances "graceful", "sensuous" and "hauntingly serene."
In 2005, Mr. Levingston gave the world premiere of Philip Glass's acclaimed A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close at Lincoln Center, and, in 2006, the West Coast premiere at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in many international music festivals and his recordings and performances have been broadcast throughout the world. His recent CD Portraits received international critical praise. Classics Today lauded his "transcendent virtuosity and huge arsenal of tone color" while Germany's Klassic Magazin noted his "warm playing, deep understanding and intimate, richly colored sound."
Noted for thoughtful programming, Mr. Levingston has performed and collaborated with some of the most interesting artists of our time including painter Chuck Close, actor/author Ethan Hawke, authors Michael Cunningham, Nick McDonell, and George Plimpton, composer/performers Lisa Bielawa and Philip Glass, violinist Colin Jacobsen, and choreographers Jorma Elo and Peter Quanz. His repertoire spans from the Baroque works of Bach and Scarlatti to the Classical and Romantic masterpieces of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms to the most avant-garde works of today. His programs often feature and highlight many of the twentieth century's most influential composers including Satie, Debussy, Bartok, Webern, and Messiaen. In 2007, Mr. Levingston played a critically acclaimed sold-out concert devoted to the music of Erik Satie at New York's French Institute/Alliance Française.
Long interested in human rights, Mr. Levingston gave performances to assist emerging "refusniks" from the Soviet Union, served as a U.S. delegate to the American Council on Germany in Berlin and Hamburg, and performed at the United Nations in honor of the people of Denmark for their heroism during World War II. He is founding chair and artistic director of Premiere Commission, Inc., a non-profit foundation that has commissioned and premiered over thirty new works. In the 2007-2008 season, Mr. Levingston performed a critically acclaimed sold-out solo concert at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall premiering works by 2007 Grawemeyer Award-winner Sebastian Currier, Germany's celebrated Wolfgang Rihm and Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Wuorinen and also appeared as special guest artist at New York's City Center for the world premiere of American Ballet Theatre's production of a new ballet inspired by Chuck Close's life with music by Philip Glass.
