Blog

Robert Levine has been the Principal Violist of the Milwaukee Symphony since September 1987. Before coming to Milwaukee Mr. Levine had been a member of the Orford String Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Toronto, with whom he toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, and South America. Prior to joining the Orford Quartet, Mr. Levine had served as Principal Violist of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for six years. He has also performed with the San Francisco Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, and the Oklahoma City Symphony, as well as serving as guest principal with the orchestras of Indianapolis and Hong Kong.

He has performed as soloist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Symphony, the London Symphony of Canada, the Midsummer Mozart Festival (San Francisco), and numerous community orchestras in Northern California and Minnesota. He has also been featured on American Public Radio's nationally broadcast show "St. Paul Sunday Morning" on several occasions.

Mr. Levine has been an active chamber musician, having performed at the Festival Rolandseck in Germany, the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Palm Beach Festival, the "Strings in the Mountains" Festival in Colorado, and numerous concerts in the Twin Cities and Milwaukee. He has also been active in the field of new music, having commissioned and premiered works for viola and orchestra from Minnesota composers Janika Vandervelde and Libby Larsen.

Mr. Levine was chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians from 1996 to 2002 and currently serves as President of the Milwaukee Musicians Association, Local 8 of the American Federation of Musicians, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. He has written extensively about issues concerning orchestra musicians for publications of ICSOM, the AFM, the Symphony Orchestra Institute, and the League of American Orchestras.

Mr. Levine attended Stanford University and the Institute for Advanced Musical Studies in Switzerland. His primary teachers were Aaron Sten and Pamela Goldsmith. He also studied with Paul Doctor, Walter Trampler, Bruno Giuranna, and David Abel.

He lives with his wife Emily and his son Sam in Glendale.

A hornist, Michael spent his early years touring with “Miss Saigon," “Les Miserables," and The New York City Opera National Company..His service as a union steward sparked an interest in labor and representation, which led him to working at The American Federation of Musicians, where he headed the AFM's Touring, Theatre, and Immigration Services Division.

Michael was a 2006/2007 Fellow in the League of American Orchestras' Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, and was the League's Director of Artistic Programs following the Fellowship. He enjoyed working with many talented conductors, musicians and composers across the field.

Michael left the League to return to performing, and enjoyed a nearly three-year run with "Disney's The Lion King" in Las Vegas. While in Las Vegas, he served as a para-professional in the Clark County School District, working with young brass players in middle and high school.

Michael currently lives in Los Angeles, CA where he has recently re-joined the American Federation of Musicians, in the Electronic Media Services Division.

Michael has written about arts and labor for for the AFM’s International Musician, Symphony magazine, and Polyphonic.org.

Michael co-wrote, with Angela Chan, the one-act musical "Legacy of the Tiger Mother." It is the first musical to be set at a piano recital, and has enjoyed productions in Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Adelaide, Australia. www.tigermotherthemusical.com