Rhoda Jane Levine (June 15, 1932 – January 6, 2026) was an American opera director, choreographer and a faculty member at several schools of music.
Early life and career Levine was born in New York City on June 15, 1932. She wrote the libretto for Opus Number Zoo by Luciano Berio and also wrote children's books. She was the artistic director of Play It By Ear, an improvisational opera group. She was the recipient of the National Institute for Music Theater Award. She got her BA at Bard College.
In the summer, she taught at the John Duffy Composers Institute, in Norfolk, Virginia.
Levine was a faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Drama, The Juilliard School, and Northwestern University, and taught at Manhattan School of Music from 1992 and Mannes College and was a frequent guest teacher and visiting artist at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU.
Personal life and death Levine died in New York City, aged 93. She left no immediate survivors. Operas directed by Rhoda Levine Opera Company Year Notes Porgy and BessCape Town Opera1996South African premiere Der Kaiser von AtlantisChicago Opera TheatreViktor Ullmann Orpheus DescendingChicago Opera TheatreWorld premiere The Good Soldier SchweikGlimmerglass Opera Lizzie BordenGlimmerglass Opera RigolettoGlimmerglass Opera Little WomenGlimmerglass OperaBy Adamo SusannahKentucky Opera The Marriage of FigaroKentucky Opera Der Kaiser von AtlantisNederlandse Opera1975Viktor Ullmann; world premiere Le Nozze di FigaroNederlandse Opera1986 LuluNederlandse Opera The Good Soldier SchweikNederlandse Opera From the House of the DeadNederlandse Opera The Love for Three OrangesNederlandse Opera The FantasticksNederlandse Opera MacbethNederlandse Opera Of Mice and MenNederlandse Opera The Marriage of FigaroNederlandse Opera MedeaNew York City Opera1982Directing debut Of Mice and MenNew York City Opera1997 Little WomenNew York City Opera2003By Adamo Lizzie BordenNew York City Opera1996 RigolettoNew York City Opera The Ballad of Baby DoeNew York City Opera X, The Life and Times of Malcolm XNew York City OperaWorld premiere; by Anthony Davis From the House of the DeadNew York City OperaAmerican stage premiere; by Janacek Die SoldatenNew York City OperaBy Zimmermann Mathis der MalerNew York City Opera1995 Wakonda's DreamOpera OmahaBy Anthony Davis TreemonishaOpera Theatre of St. Louis2000 La BohèmeOpera Theatre of St. Louis A Death in the FamilyOpera Theatre of St. Louis1986 Under the Double MoonOpera Theatre of St. LouisWorld premiere Madama ButterflySan Diego Opera1982 La BohèmeSan Diego Opera1985 Lucia di LammermoorSan Diego Opera1989 Of Mice and MenSan Diego Opera1999 FigaroSanta Fe Opera L'histoire du SoldatSanta Fe Opera1987 KabbalahBy Stewart Wallace Where the Wild Things AreMusic composed by Oliver Knussen
Additionally, she directed productions at Belgium's Opéra National; Scottish Opera; San Francisco Opera; Festival of the Two Worlds; Cabrillo Festival; and Holland Festival, and helmed and choreographed productions on and off-Broadway, in London's West End, and for CBS and WNET.
Books
Republished by the New York Review of Books in June 2010.
References
External links Rhoda Levine papers, 1952–2009, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts