Eugene Levinson
Encyclopedia
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and teaches at the Juilliard School. According to Book 1 of the New Method for Double Bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
(Carl Fischer edition), Levinson, who was born in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, began to study music at the age of nine. He graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory, later receiving a doctoral degree from this institution. At the age of twenty-nine, he was the youngest member ever to be appointed to the Leningrad Conservatory's faculty. In Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
, he also became a member of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, where he played for almost sixteen years, and was Principal Bass of the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra for thirteen years.
Levinson traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1977, and began a short tenure as principal Bass of the Minnesota Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
The Minnesota Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Emil Oberhoffer founded the orchestra as the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra in 1903, and it gave its first performance on November 5 of that year. In 1968 the orchestra changed to its name to the Minnesota Orchestra...
soon after his arrival. While living in the States, he served on the faculty of both the Sarasota Music Festival
Sarasota Music Festival
Sarasota Music Festival is an American classical music festival held annually during the month of June in Sarasota, Florida under the sponsorship of the Sarasota Orchestra. The Festival was founded in 1965 by conductor Paul Wolfe who remained director of the festival through the summer of 2006....
and the Aspen Music Festival, as well as the Indiana University Summer School. He joined the bass faculty of Juilliard in 1985, and was appointed Principal Bass of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
in May of that year.
In 2003, Levinson was given the Special Recognition Award in Orchestral Performance from the International Society of Bassists
International Society of Bassists
The International Society of Bassists is a 501 not-for-profit organization for anybody who enjoys the double bass. The society was founded in 1967 by Gary Karr as the International Institute for String Bass...
for his "extraordinary skills and contribution to the worldwide community of bassists".
The School of Agility
The School of Agility is a book by Eugene Levinson (also published by Carl Fischer) which concentrates on improving vital fingering technique for bass players of all levels. His approach focuses on improving rhythm, intonation and fingerboard agility via a variety of fingerings.The book includes:
-Fingerings designed to allow the individual bassist to find those most suitable to their style and level of playing.
-Fingerings appropriate to certain playing situations
-Fingerings concerned with the shaping of phrases by facilitating smoother transitions.
-Techniques to help produce a clean and clear sound.
Many respected publications have offered their opinions on this book;
"Levinson, a legendary figure...Any method by him is certainly worth a second, third and even a fourth look" -The Strad
"A great publication for serious string bass students" -Instrumentalist
"A stellar contribution to the field of bass pedagogy" -American String Teacher