Alessandra Levy: A Life Set to Music

Few people can claim to be master vocalists, profess fluency in both the piano and double bass and to have performed alongside such great jazz musicians as Jon Secada, Patti Austin and Arturo Sandoval. Even fewer can claim to have done so before graduating college. Alessandra Levy is one of those few.

Levy, 21, graduated from the University of Miami in May, where she studied and performed jazz music.

“I decided to do that because I figured if I could learn the history of that, any other type of music would be easy," Levy said.

As the daughter of two musicians, Levy says music was “pretty much instilled in me … There was music around me all the time.”

By age three, she was playing piano, and at five, she was taking formal lessons. It is from her mother, however, that Levy drew particular inspiration.

"I would go to her concerts," Levy said. "She’s a teacher first, and me being a performer first, I find it really rewarding to see people appreciate music."

Levy was born in New Hyde Park but lived most of her life in Stony Brook. Now that she has graduated college, she has returned to her birthplace to live with her grandmother, Florence Lisanti.

Lisanti’s name will sound familiar to many New Hyde Park residents. She is the only woman to have served both as Village trustee and deputy mayor, and she also served as a historian and the president of the Chamber of Commerce. Growing up, Levy frequently visited New Hyde Park to see her grandmother, and when they went out together, people would recognize Lisanti immediately.

“We would go out, and people would thank her for doing great things for the town,” Levy says. “She’s such a hard worker and so motivated to push boundaries, just finding new ways to teach people about the history [of the town]. Her open mind, willingness and drive — I can relate to that, being in the performance world.”

When asked about her granddaughter’s success, Lisanti, 83, was diplomatic.

“All of my grandchildren are great, and all of them take music lessons," Lisanti said. "I have a grandson that’s a music teacher — that’s our background — music is a very important part of our lives ... My husband was a teacher and taught applied physics… so, our house was always open to young people. We don’t curse; we sing music when we get angry.”

For her part, Levy hopes to continue her career, now that she is out of college and possibly dive into the music industry as a side project.

“Going to school for music I didn’t think was going to be such a life-changing event, but it really was…. I’m definitely at the beginning stage of my career thanks to my school,” she says. “In the future, I want to continue playing all types of music. As long as I’m with all types of musicians and I’m having fun while doing it, that’s a rewarding experience for me.”

You can listen to some of Levy’s work on her Myspace page and view her professional profile at LinkedIn.