Lucas Levin

From starting the Suzuki program with a cardboard violin, to winning the Theodore Holland Viola Prize at the Royal Academy of Music, Lucas’ performance career already spans two instruments and four continents.

An involved chamber musician, he hopes to give earnest, moving performances with a high level of maturity. Alongside pianist Yi-Shing Cheng, they have given recitals in various UK venues as the directors of Qualia Ensemble, including St-Martin-in-the-Fields, Fairfield Halls and more. His string quartet playing has seen him playing from London, to Italy, to China, and he was the winner of the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize at the Royal Academy of Music with the Florizel Quartet.

Lucas also has a wealth of orchestral experience, under renowned conductors including Sir Mark Elder, Semyon Bychkov, Benjamin Northey, Christian Badea, Larry Rachleff, Stefan Ashbury and more. He regularly appears with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and has led the viola sections of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, Royal Academy Symphony Orchestra, Royal Academy Opera, Amadeus Orchestra, the London Mahler Orchestra, Pro Youth Philharmonia, and Royal Academy String Orchestra.

Particularly interested in contemporary and experimental music, Lucas has worked on a number on immersive and interactive digital sound experiences. These include "Layers", an interactive online sound installation commisioned by the Dover Arts Development Digital Festival, and his research project at the RAM into spatial augmented reality performances.

Lucas studied a Masters of Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with Paul Silverthorne, Hélène Clément and Jon Thorne. There he graduated with a first-class degree, as well as a DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. He has previously learnt with Julian Quirit and Simon Oswell, and has played in masterclasses to Kim Kashkashian, Máté Szűcs, Frank Huang, and more. A student and a teacher, Lucas has an active studio with pupils of all ages and abilities and is a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) for upper strings teaching.

Outside of music, Lucas has diplomas in acting and French, a Bachelor of Science, and enjoys practicing speaking Chinese and creating websites. He plays on a 1992 American viola made by Tetsuo Matsuda in Chicago.