Born in
Baltimore, Levin won a scholarship to study piano at the
Peabody Institute at the young age of 12, studying there for several years. He continued with further piano and conducting studies at the
Curtis Institute of Music in
Philadelphia. While still a student, Levin began to work as a concert pianist. He appeared several times as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, notably playing the American premiere of
Ravel's
Piano Concerto in G with the orchestra in 1932 under the baton of Stokowski. Programs for which he conducted the orchestra included
Passport to Romance. During the 1940s and 1950s, Levin served as music director for a number of
Broadway musicals and musicals on tour in the United States. He notably led the
U.S. State Department sponsored European and South American tours of
George Gershwin's
Porgy and Bess from 1954 to 1956. He also served as the music director for two
Broadway productions,
The Girl in Pink Tights (1954) and
The Wayward Saint (1955). In 1957 he conducted the national road company performances of
Lerner and Loewe's
My Fair Lady. ==References==