Levi Hammer; photo credit: Cyrus Allyar
Friday, May 26, 2026
7:30 PM
Levi Hammer’s solo piano album Gershwin in Vienna brings together his American roots and his current life in Europe, where he has lived for the last decade. The historical and musical connections between Gershwin, Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern are fascinating but rarely explored beyond a tantalizing footnote. At the Athenaeum, Hammer will play much of the album and speak about the musical parallels between Gershwin and the Viennese modernist masters. Paintings by Gershwin and Schoenberg— both accomplished painters!— will accompany Hammer’s performance of their music. In addition, the composers’ Californian connection will be highlighted in a short film shot on Gershwin’s own tennis court in Los Angeles in the 1930s—right where their legendary tennis matches took place. This program is also an artistic and personal self-portrait of Hammer himself as he describes growing from a child of the Great American Songbook to a conductor and pianist wrestling with the rigorous beauties of the Second Viennese School.
About Levi Hammer
Known for his remarkable range and versatility, Levi Hammer performs regularly as both a conductor and pianist. He has conducted orchestras across the United States and Europe, and his repertoire encompasses more than 70 operas. Additionally, he has prepared acclaimed operatic productions for major conductors, including Lorin Maazel, Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, and Gustavo Dudamel. Besides the standard repertoire, Hammer is an accomplished performer of both Baroque and contemporary music. As a pianist, he appears as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and art song collaborator, and he has frequently performed Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier and Aaron Copland’s complete music for piano.
Tickets: $37/47/13
The concert-lecture will be in person at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. There are no physical tickets for this event. Your name will be on an attendee list at the front door. Doors open at 12:30 p.m. Seating is first-come; first-served. Priority seating will be given to Donor level members and above.
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