James Levine

Conductor, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. From a musical family, he studied piano in childhood, and soloed with the Cincinnati Symphony at the age of 10. After studies in piano and conducting at the Juilliard School, New York City (from 1961), he became assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra. He made his opera debut conducting Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971; two years later he became the house's principal conductor, in 1976 music director, and since 1986 artistic director. He has successfully built the Met orchestra into one of the finest in the world, and guest-conducted orchestras and opera companies internationally. In 2001 he became music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra while retaining his position with the Met.

James Levine (born June 23, 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American orchestral pianist and conductor and most well known as the music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He is also the current music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Levine subsequently studied music with Walter Levin, first violinist in the La Salle Quartet. In 1964 he graduated from the Juilliard School and joined the American Conductors project connected with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

From 1964 to 1965, Levine served as an apprentice to George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra and then served as assistant conductor until 1970. Levine had a long association with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and served from 1973 to 1993 as music director of the Ravinia Festival. Disney, he arranged the music and conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the soundtrack of Fantasia 2000 released by Walt Disney Pictures.

Under his leadership, the Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus became one of the finest operatic ensembles in the world, and Levine started a regular concert series for the orchestra (and chamber ensembles thereof) at Carnegie Hall. On his recent appointment as General manager of the Met, Peter Gelb emphasised that, even after 35 years as music director, something exceptional in the major opera houses of the world, James Levine would be most welcome to remain as long as he wanted to direct music there.

Levine has led the Metropolitan Opera on many domestic and international tours.

In October 2004, Levine took the helm of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, succeeding Seiji Ozawa as music director, and becoming the first American to head the venerable orchestra. (In Europe, Herbert von Karajan had performed a similar feat in the 1950s as chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and director of the Vienna Staatsoper.)

His Boston Symphony contract limits his guest appearances with American orchestras but Levine conducts regularly in Europe, with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and at the Bayreuth Festival. Levine is also a regular guest with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London and the Dresden Staatskapelle.

Levine also performs regularly in chamber music ensembles and as an accompanist in Lieder recitals.

On 1 March 2006, Mr. Levine fell onstage during a standing ovation after a performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Preceded by: Sergiu Celibidache	Chief Conductor, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra 1999-2004	Succeeded by: Christian Thielemann
Preceded by: Seiji Ozawa	Music Director, Boston Symphony Orchestra 2004–	Succeeded by: Incumbent