Biography
Specializing in contemporary music, pianist Bruce Levingston has recorded for Philip Glass' Orange Mountain Music label as well as the similarly oriented Sono Luminus. Born in 1961 in Greenville, he grew up in nearby Cleveland in Mississippi's Delta region. A Rotary International Fellowship enabled him to study at several American universities, the Royal Conservatory of Toronto, and in Sion, Switzerland. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the United Nations in New York, the Library of Congress in Washington, the Royal Opera House in London, Italy's Teatro Reggio, the Teatro del Lago in Chile, and the Théâtre de Croissette in Cannes, France, along with numerous music festivals. His projects have brought together composers with painters, dancers, writers, and choreographers, among them Glass, painter Chuck Close, actor Ethan Hawke, authors George Plimpton and Michael Cunningham, and dancers Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo. Levingston debuted on record in 2006 with Portraits on Orange Mountain Music, a program of works by Glass, Ravel, Messiaen, and Satie; many subsequent Sono Luminus releases have paired contemporary pieces with Romantic repertory.
On the faculty of the University of Mississippi, he has presented concerts throughout the state, conducted master classes in Mississippi schools, and actively supported human rights and education. Levingston performed at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and joined in commissioning and premiering the oratorio Repast, drawn from the life of civil rights figure Booker Wright. In 2018 he released Windows, containing music by Robert Schumann, James Matheson, and David Bruce. He has continued recording for Sono Luminus with the thematic albums Citizen (2019), Prelude to Dawn (2021), and Without Words (2023). Levingston wrote Bright Fields, a biography of Mississippi artist Marie Hull. He received the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2006 and was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2017. The following year Governor Phil Bryant proclaimed April 9 Bruce Levingston Day in Mississippi. He divides his time between Oxford, Mississippi, and New York.
On the faculty of the University of Mississippi, he has presented concerts throughout the state, conducted master classes in Mississippi schools, and actively supported human rights and education. Levingston performed at the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and joined in commissioning and premiering the oratorio Repast, drawn from the life of civil rights figure Booker Wright. In 2018 he released Windows, containing music by Robert Schumann, James Matheson, and David Bruce. He has continued recording for Sono Luminus with the thematic albums Citizen (2019), Prelude to Dawn (2021), and Without Words (2023). Levingston wrote Bright Fields, a biography of Mississippi artist Marie Hull. He received the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2006 and was inducted into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame in 2017. The following year Governor Phil Bryant proclaimed April 9 Bruce Levingston Day in Mississippi. He divides his time between Oxford, Mississippi, and New York.
Albums
