Bio
A pianist with a brain…a strategist who has the distant grasp.”
- Alan Walker, Author and Musicologist
Praised by the New York Concert Review as “much more than a pianist, but a musician with a fine mind and enormously promising creative energy,” Jonathan Levin has established himself as a compelling pianist, composer, concert producer and music entrepreneur, creating innovative programs and cross cultural events which reach diverse audiences throughout the world.
Jonathan performed Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia as a part of the 4th Melody of Generations Festival with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation, and has made solo appearances in major venues across the US including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Chicago Cultural Center (live on WFMT) and Beneroya Hall. He has been a laureate of many competitions and prizes including the National Stillman-Kelley Award, 2nd Prize at the 2012 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition and recipient of the Alan Walker Award from the American Liszt Society.
Jonathan is Vice President and co-founder of Kygyz American Foundation and its offshoot, Eurasia Festival, an NYC based nonprofit with the mission to strengthen ties between musical artists from Eurasian countries and the United States through unique cultural and educational initiatives. He has produced dozens of events with his fellow co-founder, Aza Sydykov, not only in the NYC Metro Area, but also as far afield as Chicago and Washington, D.C.
“Showmanship, intelligence, more than ample pianism, and sensitive musicality are all wrapped up in one package in this young artist…”
- Rorianne Schrade, New York Concert Review
Jonathan is Vice President and co-founder of Kygyz American Foundation and its offshoot, Eurasia Festival, an NYC based nonprofit with the mission to strengthen ties between musical artists from Eurasian countries and the United States through unique cultural and educational initiatives. He has produced dozens of events with his fellow co-founder, Aza Sydykov, not only in the NYC Metro Area, but also as far afield as Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Aside from his time in New York City, Jonathan has been a cultural advocate in his home state of North Carolina. He has performed with the Durham Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony and as a returning guest artist with the Raleigh Symphony as well as appearances at the NC Governor’s Mansion and the NC Museum of Art. He is Artistic Director and Founder of Clayton Piano Festival in Clayton, NC which is now in its 13th season of concerts, public outreach in schools, and other community events. The festival creates accessible, educational, world-class concerts and music presentations that uniquely enrich the cultural life of the region. As an educator, he has been on faculty and a guest lecturer at Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division in NYC, as well as held masterclasses as guest clinician in many universities and music schools across the country.