Jason Levis began his music career as a jazz and improvised music drummer/percussionist and composer. His studies and love of composition led him to classical music after earning his BA from Naropa University in performance and improvisation, where he worked extensively with dancers, poets and painters as well as musicians. His music has been performed extensively throughout the Bay Area, in concert halls, theaters, clubs, bars, cafes, museums and other art spaces, by his own ensembles, the Heftpistole Chamber Ensemble, the Walnut Chamber Ensemble, duo B, Married Couple and Joseph’s Bones, as well as by the ensembles Four Flea Circus, Blowout and Noertker’s Moxie. His music has also been performed by The Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players and the Aaron Novik Chamber Ensemble. He has recently performed with the Berkeley Contemporary Chamber Players on prepared piano and the sfSound Group on percussion and drum set. His music spans the range from structured improvisations to highly notated compositions. Jason currently lives and works in the San Francisco Bay Area, performing with his own groups, drumming in numerous local bands, and studying for his PhD in composition at the University of California, Berkeley.
