Sunderman Conservatory of Music

Prof. Daniel Levitov’s musical life is dedicated to performing and teaching at the highest levels. Levitov is a cello faculty member at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music at Gettysburg College and Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. At Peabody, Levitov serves in the preparatory as coordinator of cello and chamber music, and teaches minor and secondary cello in the conservatory. He is the director of the Preparatory Young Artists Orchestra.

Levitov finds inspiration and joy in training the next generation of musicians. His philosophy centers on cultivating and nurturing his students’ individual artistic voices, while providing a technical foundation and physical approach to playing that gives freedom to that voice. Levitov gives master classes and workshops across the country, including recent classes at the ASTA National Conference, the National Orchestra Festival, the Music Institute of Chicago, Penn State University, and James Madison University. Levitov’s students regularly place in local and regional competitions, and have gone on to study at major U.S. and European conservatories including Juilliard, Eastman, CIM, Indiana University, and the Royal Northern Academy of Music. Under his direction, the chamber music program at Peabody Preparatory has developed into one of the premier programs in the region. One of Levitov’s chamber music groups was recently a winner of the Lincoln Center Outstanding Student Performance Award, and their performance is featured on the Live at Lincoln Center website.

Levitov performs locally and nationally as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician. Recognized by the Baltimore Sun for his “warmth of tone and phrasing” and “expressive force,” he serves as a regular substitute with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and has toured and recorded with the ensemble. Levitov is a founding member of the Clipper Mill Quartet, and appears frequently with the Clipper Mill and other members of the symphony on the Chamber Music by Candlelight series. His chamber music performances include collaborations with prominent artists in the field, such as Theodore Arm, Catherine Cho, and the Maia Quartet. He has performed as a soloist in Carnegie Weill Hall, on Strathmore Hall’s Music in the Mansion series, and at the Peabody Institute. A recent concerto appearance with the Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra (Bulgaria) was broadcast on local radio and television.

Speaking and writing about music and teaching is a passion for Levitov. He presents regularly at the American String Teacher’s Association (ASTA) National Conferences, and has published in Stringendo and Strings magazines. Recent publications focus on developing efficient practice techniques and developing good orchestral technique. He is the contributing editor for Two Octave Scales and Bowings for Cello by Susan C. Brown, published by Tempo Press. He was president of the Maryland/DC ASTA chapter from 2012-14.

A native of Nebraska, Levitov holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the City University of New York. He holds a bachelor’s from the Oberlin Conservatory (with a minor in music history) and a master’s from the Manhattan School of Music, where he received the Janet Schenk award for distinguished service. He has studied with cellists David Geber, Julia Lichten, Peter Rejto, Carol Work, and Tracy Sands.

Levitov currently resides in Baltimore with his wife Karin Brown (assistant principal viola, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) and his twin daughters, Arabella and Imogen.