Teacher Profile: Yaniv Levi
About Yaniv Levi
Yaniv Levi is a passionate performer that enjoys art in its several forms, but believes music is the one true universal language, the one of the soul. Yaniv started his journey at age 12 falling in love with music, and learning piano at his local church, determined to eventually learn how to play all instruments in the band. He eventually got to do so and much more, such as learning several languages, acting, (in theatre, voice-acting, musical theatre, and opera) learning music production, learning guitar/bass tech skills, music composition, directing some musical productions (where he mainly served as a vocal director/coach), being part of numerous bands and musical projects, teaching both privately and in music schools/academies, etc. He currently teaches guitar, voice, bass, and piano since moving to Seattle.
While performing at his church, Yaniv knew he wanted to be a professional musician, so he sought musical guidance through virtuoso pianist Hugo Rosales (also renowned for directing and winning international choir contests with the choir he started in town) at age 13. At the age of 16, he discovered his connection with the guitar after playing in his high school's guitar ensemble of traditional Mexican music and received his first electric guitar. After being obsessed with it and practicing over 8 hours a day, Yaniv formed his first official band and competes in Battle of the Bands to represent his city on a state level, where he finishes falling deeply in love with performing live and the energy exchange that can only be found on stage.
From age 18 to 21, Yaniv took a local diplomate in an arts academy named ARPA and participated in a Jazz festival hosted by Faculty of Arts of his city, where he extended his theory knowledge under the wing of several teachers, but mainly the Israeli-Mexican internationally renowned guitar player Ilan Bar-Lavi. He then learned the value of musical theory and that being self-taught would only take his skills so far, so he decided to work full time for a couple of years to pay his tuition and get a bachelor's degree in music. At the same time, Yaniv also started in an original rock project named "Jack's Madness" with who he recorded a 5 track EP titled "The Flow".
After enrolling in a music college at age 23, he discovered many different areas of music he didn't know such as opera and theatre, despite being told many times before that he had a good voice (singing at church and being the lead vocalist in his bands), he never took it seriously until he started college, where he decided to go all in and be the best singer he could be, starting his operatic journey. After learning from many, many vocal teachers such as; tenor Angel Garcia, tenor Gustavo Flores, baritone Ramon Farias, soprano Bonnie McNaughton, tenor Manuel Castillo, tenor Jose Luis Ordonez, Yaniv began participating in opera festivals, recitals, countless gigs, performing with several opera/musical theatre companies in his city, recording and producing demos for local artists, taking on some small acting and voice acting gigs, directing semi-professional shows such as "The Lion King Musical" in 2019 with "Ritual Productions" and "Concerto" (versatile music show hosted by ITCH, a local college). It was then that he double majored in Music Performance for Jazz Guitar (under the wing of acknowledged guitar virtuoso Gabriel Pena) and Operatic Vocals.
Yaniv's philosophy towards music and music teaching is that anyone can learn as long as they have a passion for what they do, and discipline, which in the long run, will outrun talent. Even if your goal is not to be a professional musician, music will give you benefits that no other art form or athletic activity will, as well as actively connecting you to your emotions and the people around you, making you a more sensitive, emotionally intelligent human being, that if everyone in our society was more kin in that sense, the world would be completely different than we know it. Music can change lives, and he is a living testament to that, and he hopes that he can help you connect with it so that it can change your life for the better too.