HELLO Levy Lorenzo Contemporary Percussionist

Levy Lorenzo plays electronics and percussion

"electronics wizard" - The New York Times

"The digital world is not an unmitigated good for the music industry. Still...Mr. Lorenzo showed that the compression of sound into a stream of digital 0s and 1s can be a potent force on the side of exuberance, pleasure and awe of virtuosity." - The New York Times

Born in Bucharest, Filipino-American Levy Marcel Ingles Lorenzo, Jr. works at the intersection of music, art, and technology. On an international scale, his body of work spans electronics design, sound engineering, instrument building, installation art, improvisation, and percussion performance. With a primary focus on inventing new instruments, he prototypes, composes, and performs new electronic music.

As an art consultant, Levy designs interactive electronics ranging from small sculptures to large-scale public art installations with artists such as Alvin Lucier, Christine Sun Kim, Ligorano/Reese, Autumn Knight, and Leo Villareal. As a musician, he has worked with artists such as Peter Evans, Tyshawn Sorey, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Ryuichi Sakamoto, George Lewis, Henry Threadgill, and Claire Chase. As a sound engineer, he is in demand as a specialist in the realization of complete electroacoustic concerts with nontraditional configurations.

A core member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), he fulfills multiple roles as percussionist, electronics performer, and sound engineer. His work has been featured at IRCAM, STEIM, REWIRE, MIT Media Lab, Harvestworks, Banff Centre, The Hermitage, Harvard University, G4TV, Grey Group, Bose, Amazon Studios, BBC, The New York Times, and Burning Man. In 2022, he made his debut as an electronic concerto soloist with the New York Philharmonic. More recently, he has had multiple engagements at Carnegie Hall as a soloist, technologist, curator, and composer.

Levy earned a Master's degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell University and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Percussion Performance from Stony Brook University. He has presented numerous workshops and lectures on electronic musical instrument design and performance practice. Dr. Lorenzo holds a position as Professor of Creative Technologies at The New School College of Performing Arts, where he directs the Nstrument Lab.

photo credit: Peter Gannushkin

photo credit: Fadi Kheir

photo credit: Tristan Cook

photo credit: Molly Lorenzo

photo credit: Studio-Pramudiya