Sam Levine
Composer - Performer - Teacher
Bio
Starting with classical cello at age 5, music has always been at the center of my life. At 12 I was introduced to jazz on the bass, and taught myself guitar and piano in varying genres such as folk and rock. I also began writing dozens of songs and compositions around this time.
In high school, my performing career really started to take off. Besides playing in county and state jazz bands and orchestras, as well as my high school jazz band and orchestra (as principal cellist), I started playing out at jazz bars, parties, musical competitions, and fundraisers. Desiring to expand my ability to express myself musically, I began to focus on composition and electronic music, studying the subjects at Eastman and Oberlin summer programs.
At Brown University, I started to further branch out. Majoring in electronic music and composition, I was able to concentrate all my energy on exploring my musical passions. I formed two bands performing my original songs, and composed several pieces for orchestra, voice, synthesizer, Jazz band, Jazz combo, piano, cello, and much more. Using my knowledge of studio techniques, I recorded and mixed my debut album, Geranium.
During this time I also became fascinated with analog synthesis and its ability to form impossible multi-voice soundscapes simply by the interactions of voltages and digital bits, and started working on several long-form ambient works.
I am currently pursuing my masters in concert composition at NYU, and have studied with Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, Robert Honstein, and Ezequiel Vinao.
For me, music is all about creating stories, new worlds, a sense of awe; but this story must be productive. As artists, our duty should be to help heal the world, not revel in it’s darkness, promote anger or anxiety, or simply create empty, meaningless distractions. And yes, while darkness and anger and anxiety is often necessary to tell a story, this negative energy in music should serve a purpose, it should be constructive. For this reason, I always aim to make my music a facilitator of compassion, awe, community, playfulness, and imagination. If I can create a transformative experience in my audience, allow them to connect deeper with their emotional self and that of others and the world, I have done my job as an artist.
Composer
For my most recent album, check out the “Songwriter” tab!
Film Scoring
Below are examples of my palette when scoring to film or media. The videos are rescores of existing movies. My original collaborations can be found under “Collaborations”.
“Arrival”
“Words”
“Mr. Robot”
Trollz - “Incredible Spy Poppy”
“Infiltrator”
Musical Mood Board
“Mad Max”
“Crown Heights”
Collaborations
“Flintt’s Kiss” (2023) Spec Commercial, Directed by Jeremy Gumener
Iota - Winner of Best Animated Experimental Film Award, 46th Concordia Film Festival, 2019, Directed by Maelle Andre, Soundtrack by Sam Levine;
Also has been displayed at many festivals, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, BLOW UP International Arthouse Film Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Les Sommets du cinema d’animation, among others.
Blindless - Directed by Maelle Andre, Soundtrack by Sam Levine
Performer
Live Electronics
Instrumental
Upright Bass
Guitar
Cello
Electric Bass
Album art by Laura Jaramillo
Geranium is: Sam Levine, Laura Jaramillo, Sam Cohen
Geranium at Folk Fest, Brown University, 2017
Contact
I am located in the Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
If you are interested in lessons, commissions, collaborations, performance requests, or just want to say “hi”, please contact me below.