Piano with Colin L.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, recent performances and awards of Colin Levins include a performance for the University of Central Missouri’s President’s Gala in the Kauffman Center, being recognized with the Honorable Mention at the Missouri Music Teachers Association 2018 competition, and recent world premiers. His past teachers include Nanell Kupits McAlpin, Jacqueline Ashley, Karen Poore, Dr. Jennifer Judd, and Dr. Mia Kim. Levins has performed throughout the United States and abroad, including solo piano music and chamber ensembles. He enjoys exploring different styles of music and examining how the musical language operates, and thinking about how to communicate that to the audience. In an effort to explore this in more detail, in 2022 he launched a project called “Classical Horizons,” which is a series of mini-recitals with exciting pieces for a casual audience. Additionally, Levins was previously the pianist at the United Methodist Church in Clinton, Missouri, and at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Warrensburg, Missouri. To further his goal of interaction between the performer and audience, Levins has undertaken a couple of opportunities to arrange music; some recent works were an arrangement of Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and arranging the popular “Silent Night” into a teaching piece. Levins graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Missouri Honors College with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy under the instruction of Dr. Mia Kim. Levins is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Piano Performance under Sean Chen at the UMKC Conservatory, where he is also serving as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in Keyboard Skills under Dr. Christopher Madden. He completed additional studies under Michael Chertock at the Brevard Music Center and has participated in other various music festivals such as the Zodiac Music Festival and the Pennsylvania State Honors Music Institute. A dedicated teacher, he served as Vice President and Secretary of the University of Central Missouri’s Music Teachers National Association chapter. After arriving to Kansas City, he and Dr. Christopher Madden formed a collegiate chapter of MTNA at the UMKC Conservatory, where he is also currently serving as President. He has held teaching positions at the Warrensburg Community Music Program and the Music Studio of Warrensburg. On top of his current GTA work, Levins teaches piano at the Wentzville Academy of Music, Art, and Education. Outside of music, Levins takes pleasure in photography as a hobby and attempts to be a runner. In his free time, Levins works part-time at the UMKC Music/Media Library.