Album Notes

Karyn Levitt Singer/Actress/Writer
Ms. Levitt conceives of and performs cabaret shows that interweave music and theater, including Lyrics by Shakespeare, Puccini and his Contemporaries, Shakespeare and the Dark, Sirens, A Kiss in the Dark, and Foolish Heart. Collaborating with renowned Shakespearean actor/teacher/director, Jonathan Epstein, Ms. Levitt wrote Shakespeare and the Dark, a concert-theatre piece about Shakespeare’s love affair with the Dark Lady of the sonnets. With composer Leslie Shaak Hitelman, she recorded a CD of Shakespeare’s sonnet songs called Lyrics by Shakespeare. Ms. Levitt sings everything from operatic arias to cabaret, from swing to country, klezmer, and rock and roll. Classical sonnets, contemporary monologues, jazz standards, art songs, and original pieces combine in unexpected ways to create an experience you won't forget. She has performed at such venues as Oberlin College (OH), Shakespeare & Company (Lenox, MA), Charles Playhouse Lounge, The Center for Arts Natick, Kendall Cafe, Catch a Rising Star, Dante Alighieri Cultural Center, at numerous libraries, Mariposa Museum for Cultural Heritage (Peterborough), and The Renaissance Room (Peterborough). Ms. Levitt has studied voice and acting privately for many years. She received her Bachelor’s degree with honors from Oberlin College, where she studied English literature, theater, music, and foreign languages.

Leslie Shaak Hitelman (Composer/Pianist). Ms. Hitelman is concert pianist and has composed works for solo piano, voice, chorus, and musical theater. She has performed solo, chamber music, and her own music in recitals throughout the country. She made her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall in 1989. She performed Rachmaninoff’s “Variations on a Theme by Paganini” with the Denver Symphony Orchestra. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees of music from the Mannes College of Music in New York City. Ms. Hitelman is on the music faculty at the Winchester Community Music School and at the Middlesex School in Concord. She also teaches piano privately.