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  Joseph Levitt Assistant Professor of Voice View e-mail address | Log in to view e-mail w/your BSU Username MU 111B (765) 285-5563 Fax: 285-5401 School of Music Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306 Add Contact Info to Outlook Biography Joseph Levitt – Tenor Joseph Levitt joined the Ball State University School of Music faculty in 2004 as an assistant professor of voice and director of the BSU Opera Theatre. In both an international and national career of opera, oratorio and recitals, Mr. Levitt has sung over 40 leading tenor roles in more than 1,500 performances, including the New York City Opera National Company, where he was heard as Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème. Other roles include Hoffmann, Belmonte, Tamino and Pinkerton, in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, which he has performed with Opera Illinois and the Opernair Festspiel in Vienna, Austria. He created the part of Kaufmann in the American premiere of Jakob Lenz by Wolfgang Rihm; Mr. Broucek in the opera of the same name, and Stewa in Jenufa by Janacek. With conductor and composer Lukas Foss, he sang the American premiere of Gian-Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera The Egg, along with the world premiere of John Eaton’s opera, The Cry of Clytemnestra. Mr. Levitt has sung with the Indianapolis Opera Company, and was heard in Robert Ward’s The Crucible with the Toledo Opera, and as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Illinois. He was also guest tenor soloist with The Champaign-Urbana Symphony in Penderecki’s Credo. Also on this continent, he has sung Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra and the title character in Berlioz’ La damnation de Faust with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. Other solo engagements have included the Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, and Theater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen. Roles he performed include Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Graf Zedlau in Wienerblut and The Italian Singer in Capriccio. Equally at home in light opera, Mr. Levitt has performed the works of Strauss, Lehàr and Kalman in many of the historic opera houses in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. His vocal education includes bachelor and master’s degrees from the Indiana University School of Music. He also received the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, for “Outstanding Musical Performance in Voice”. As the Director of the BSU Opera Theatre, his productions include Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Händel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto and most recently, Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Mr. Levitt has sung with many famous conductors and coaches such as Bryan Balkwill, Tibor Kozma, Fiora Contino, Lukas Foss, Mignon Dunn, Kurt Adler, Donald Neuen, John Wustman, Günter Neuhold, Wolfgang Vacano and Ks. Sena Jurinac. As a recitalist, Mr. Levitt and his friend and colleague, pianist Robert Palmer have appeared at Steinway Hall in New York City as well as venues across the country. |
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