Trivia

His last name is pronounced "le-VYNE," not "le-VEEN"

Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Lincoln Center, New York City, USA

Mr. Levine made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971, becoming Principal Conductor in 1973, Music Director in 1976, and Artistic Director (the first in the Company's history) in 1986.

James Levine is the 2002 John F. Kennedy Honors recipient.

In 1985, he conducted the first performance ever given at the Metropolitan Opera of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess", fifty years after the work premiered on Broadway. Unfortunately, the complete Metropolitan Opera production has not yet been performed on television as of 2003, nor has it been released on CD or LP.

In addition to his operatic duties, he is also highly regarded in the symphonic repertoire. Among other things, he has conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra both in concert and on recordings and, beginning in 2004, took up the position of Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

He was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1997 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.