Colin was recently selected as an American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) Fellow for 2023-24. He will be using the Grant to collaborate with contemporary Icelandic composers for both performing new works and building a historical record of contemporary vocal literature, in addition to preparing and performing a new edition of Jórunn Viðar’s final song "Gátur fyrir konunga."

 

Regularly requested for consultation to aid repertoire selections, Dr. Colin Levin frequently works with University professors, students at the Doctoral, Masters, and Undergraduate level, as well as Young Artists programs. Colin is a Nordic Song specialist, with an extensive background in the repertoire and lyric diction of Icelandic art song, especially promoting the works of Jórunn Viðar (1918-2017). He additional specializes in Repertoire Diversification, with significant experience in programming queer, female, and BIPOC composers, in the anticipation of this being the industry standard.

 

Presentations in the 2022-2023 season include the lecture recital "A Re-examination of Gender Equity in Nordic Art Song” in Puerto Rico for the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study Conference, the lecture recital “The treatment of humorous topics found within Icelandic Art Song” in Lund, Sweden for the Centre for Scandinavian Studies Copenhagen-Lund-Hankuk (CSS), “The Setting of Saga and Eddic Material in Nordic Vocal Literature” at Listaháskóli Íslands/Iceland University of the Arts, and returning to the Longy School of Music of Bard College on a series of Lectures and Masterclasses on Icelandic and Faroese Vocal Literature and Lyric Diction. He is additionally currently writing the complete phonetic transcriptions of the songs of Jórunn Viðar. 

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Colin has appeared as a guest lecturer at the Mannes School of Music in Graduate performance practice, in residence with the Longy School of Music of Bard College giving both lectures and a Masterclass in Graduate and Undergraduate Vocal Literature on Nordic Art Song, at alma mater University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana in a week long series of classes on Nordic Art Song and Phonetics in Graduate Vocal Literature, Icelandic Art Song repertory at University of Wisconsin: Oshkosh as a guest of noted Scandinavian music expert Anna Hersey, and an analysis of leitmotifs in Die Walküre at Concordia College. He presented the lecture recital "The implementation of Icelandic Vocal Repertoire in Higher Education" at the Sam Houston State University Art Song Festival and the paper “Performance practice and pedagogical studies within the idiomatic quality of the Icelandic language in establishing a national art song tradition” at the annual Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study Conference in May 2021. He additionally recorded for both WNYC in New York City, as well as National Public Radio, discussing the music of Richard Wagner on a segment entitled "The Sexual Mystery" in the internationally broadcast weeklong show, The Tristan Mysteries. 

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Colin currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music and is the principal professor for Vocal Literature at Long Island University: Brooklyn, and has been on Music History Faculty at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute since 2013 as the Music History Program Coordinator. He is a board member for the website SongHelix, as the editor for Nordic art song. Colin Levin holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Musicology from the Oberlin Conservatory, a Master of Music Degree in Vocal Literature from the University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Rutgers University where his doctoral dissertation "The Value of Icelandic Art Song within the Context of Higher Education" earned him the Irene Alm Memorial Prize for Excellence in Performance and Scholarly Research. He began researching Nordic Song post a winter term in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2007, with specific focus on Icelandic song following an artist-in-residence position at the Landakotsskóli in Reykjavík, Iceland in the Spring of 2017. He additionally studied the Icelandic language at Háskólasetur Vestfjarða/University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, Iceland during the summer of 2022, and will be returning in the summer of 2023.

 

Below is a list of the different courses, coachings, and consultations that Colin offers, as well as their description. To inquire about any of the following, please email Colin directly.