Ray Lev (Piano, Arranger)

Born: May 8, 1912 - Rostov na Donau, Russia
Died: May 20, 1968 - New York, New York, USA

The Russian born American pianist, Ray Lev, was born into a musical family. Her father was a synagogue cantor, and her mother a concert singer. The family went to the USA in 1913. She sang in her father's synagogue choirs in New York. She studied piano with Waiter Ruel Cowles in New Haven and with Gaston Déthier. She was awarded the Matthay Prize in London, then also took lessons with Tobias Matthay in London from 1930 to 1933.

Ray Lev returned then to New York and appeared in recitals. After World War II she was signed by the Concert Hall Society record company, for which she recorded many significant firsts. Among these was her own transciption of Bach’s Concerto No. 5 in D minor after Antonio Vivaldi’s Opus 3, No. 11, BWV 596 (recorded in New York in 1946).

Source: Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of 20^th Century Classical Musicians (1997); Naxos Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (July 2007)

Ray Lev: Short Biography | Recordings of Instrumental Works | Piano Transcriptions: Works | Recordings

Links to other Sites

Ray Lev Biography (Naxos)

Bibliography