Shir Victoria Levy

Shir Victoria Levy is a violinist born in New York City who thrives on crossing modalities in performance art, marrying dance, acting, music and live action painting. She commissioned three composers to write works for solo violin and actor, and three works for solo violin and painter, all of which she performed in October 2018 at The Cockpit Theatre in London. Shir has premiered many new solo violin works, including Endurance, a 2 to 9 hour performance art contest piece between herself and a contemporary dancer, composed by Richard Hames and performed at London’s Open Senses Festival 2017. She also enjoys an invigorating performance art duo partnership with live action painter James John Jolly. She performed Bach Sonata No. 2 on Luca Alessandrini’s Spider-Silk Violin at the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of London Design Festival, and at ExCel London as part of New Scientist Live.

Shir is an award-winning musician – her many prizes include the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society competition (1st Prize) and the “American Protégé International Piano and Strings” Competition (1st Prize and Judges Award). She has performed at Merkin Concert Hall, Steinway Hall, New Jersey PAC, Tel-Aviv Opera House in Israel and had her Carnegie Hall debut with violinist Ida Haendel. In 2019 she graduated with a Masters degree in music from the Royal Academy of Music. Shir also greatly enjoys Alexander Technique, drawing, painting and meditation.