Gerald Levinson: Composer

One of the reasons that classical composer and Jane Lang Professor of Music Gerald Levinson is drawn to the orchestra as a medium, he says, is that it has very rich possibilities. "There are lots of people playing lots of instruments that, together, form some very rich texture." Here, he discusses how his work often develops from "sound images" that occur to him, specifically the experience of composing Toward Light, which was commissioned and performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra for the dedication of its pipe organ. Levinson's vocal, chamber, and orchestral works have been widely performed in the U.S., France, and England. Among his many awards are the Music Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a 2007 Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Directed by 1997 Pew Fellow Glenn Holsten, this film project is a collaboration between Pew Fellowships in the Arts and the Marketing Innovation Program, both programs of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts. (Flash 8 or higher is required)