James Levine [b. 1943] began his musical life as a pianist but rose to become one of the most prominent opera and orchestra conductors of the latter part of the 20th century. Although he has been stricken with health problems that stretch back over the past decade, Levine remains a prominent force with the two institutions he is most often associated: the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Levine was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he debuted with the local symphony at the age of ten, performing Mendelssohn’s second piano concerto. In 1963, after studying piano and conducting at Juilliard, Levine accepted the position of assistant conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra, which at the time was led by George Szell. His experience there helped raise his skill level as well as his professional profile. Levine first appeared on the podium of the Metropolitan Opera in 1971, where he conducted Puccini’s Tosca. Two years later he became the company’s principal conductor, and he was named to the post of music director in 1976.
More than any single person, Levine’s tenure at the Met has led to its continued prominence as the top opera company in the world. In his role as music director, Levine is the primary decision maker for each season’s repertoire. He also enjoys unofficial “right of first refusal” as to which productions he will personally conduct, although these have declined considerably over the past few years as he has battled back problems and other ills.
Simultaneous to his long career at the Met, Levine has also been intimately associated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). His first appearance there took place in 1972, and every year since he has conducted a number of programs with the ensemble. However, it wasn’t until 2001 that he officially became music director of the BSO, but that was more a formality as he’d effectively fulfilled that role for several decades.
With the Met in 1980, Levine was the initiator of their Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, which has served as a major proving ground for up-and-coming opera singers. Among those who have benefited from membership in this program are Renée Fleming, Danielle de Niese, Dwayne Croft, Eric Cutler, Nathan Gunn, and Sondra Radvanovsky, among many others.
Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in the overture (and a bit of the first-act orchestration) to the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet:
James Levine resigned as Music Director of the Boston Symphony almost a year ago, on March 1, 2011. (And he did not work with that orchestra between 1979 and 1993.). Renée Fleming was never in LYADP.