|
The Israeli bass-baritone, Assaf Levitin, studied with Agnes Massini at the Tel Aviv Conservatory and had his debut at the Habima - Israel National Theatre. Several scholarships, amongst others from the Rotary Club Germany, the America Israel Cultural Fund, the University of the Saarland and the Israel Institute of Vocal Art, enabled him to complete his musical education with Prof. Yaron Windmüller in Germany at the Hochschule des Saarlandes für Musik und Theater, where he achieved his diploma at the year 2000, and continued for a master´s degree in concert singing. During his studies, he has won several prizes. In 1998, he was awarded a third prize at the Vera Rozsa Nordell Competition for Israeli singers. He was honoured with second prize at the Walter Gieseking Competition 1999, and a prize at Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg, He was finalist of the Paula Solomon Lindberg Competition in 1999. Later on, he worked under the guidance of Baritone Karoly Szilagyi.
In Israel, Assaf Levitin has been much in demand as a singer in concert performances and has toured in Northern America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. His versatility as a singer as well as his wide ranged voice and perfect pitch have made him an extremely popular singer in the field of contemporary music, side by side with the classical oratorio, Lieder and opera roles. contemporary works in his repertoire include, among others, Aribert Reimann’s Entsorgt, Schönberg's Ode to Napoleon Bonaparte, the title role in John Casken’s opera Golem or Honneger´s Danse des morts. He had guest appearances at the Expo 2000 in Hannover as well as at the Concert of Berlin Contemporary Opera with Aribert Reimann's Entsorgt. During the World Music Days Festival in Luxemburg, he interpreted Brandmüller's work Löwe, leih mir deine Stimme, and in the Vienna Arnold Schönberg Centre he sang in Arnold Schoenberg's Ode an Napoleon Bonaparte. He also sang the world Premiere of the operas Seven Attempted Escapes from Silence (Staatsoper unter den Linden, Berlin 2005), Eckhard Meyer's Das Treffen in Telgte (Dortmund 2005) and Bernhard Lang's The Old Man from the Mountains (Schwetzinger Festspiele, 2007).
During his two years as an ensemble member at Habima - Israel National Theatre as well as in the course of various operatic productions during his studies and in workshops, Assaf Levitin has been gathering stage experience. Most recently, he was involved in the production of Jakob Lenz at the Pfalztheater, Kaiserslautern.
Since the beginning of the season 2002-2003 season, shortly after having completed his one-year training at the International Opera Studio in the Zürich opera house, Assaf Levitin joined the Dortmund Opera House. During his 3-year collaboration with this Opera House he sang various roles, including Figaro in W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Colline in Puccini’s La Bohéme, Prince Gremin in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Masetto in W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni, W.A. Mozart’s Don Alfonso, the night guard in Wagner’s Meistersinger, and Baculus in Wildschütz and many other roles.
On the concert stage, his repertoire includes, among others, L.v. Beethovens Symphony No. 9, as well as the major works of J.S. Bach, Georg Frideric Handel, Puccini, Rossini and W.A. Mozart. He has collaborated with Orchestras such as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, SWR Stuttgart, WDR Köln, Berliner Symphoniker, Brandenburger Symphonikern, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.
Since the beginning of the season 2005-2006 Assaf Levitin works as a freelance singer, residing in Berlin. He has since collaborated with orchestras and opera houses in Europe, South Korea and Israel. He was recently invited to perform Mendelssohn's Paulus with the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, as well as other Oratorio roles with orchestras in Israel and in Europe. Future projects involve festivals in Greece and Norway, as well as debut collaborations with the Philharmonie in Colone, Germany, a WDR radio recordings and debut opera collaboration with the opera house in Basel.
Assaf Levitin is an avid interpreter of Hebrew and Jewish music. In 2004 he toured with a concert program with Hebrew popular songs in new musical arrangements throughout Germany. His CD with the world premiere of Israeli art songs of the composer Noa Blass appeared in the spring of 2005. Recently a double CD with Jewish A-capella songs appeared at the label of Schott Mainz.
Numerous radio recordings with the Israeli Radio, the Saarländische and Mitteldeutsche Rundfunk have documented Assaf Levitin's wide repertoire ranging from Stradella and J.S. Bach up to Tobias Schwenke. |
