John Levis and Co.

Tonight is a celebration and a maze, density arrays, the goals are visual sonic navigations centered around the genius of John Levis. It is a showcase of improvisatory genius and the infinite joys of sound, a return to ritual truth. Dance, Music, You. Musicians

John Levis- Synthesizers

Julius Masri- Drums/Electronics

Andy Thierauf- Percussion

Tom Kraines- Cello

John Levis (he/him) is a composer, pianist, and synthesist who has been involved with the Philadelphia dance community since 1971. A graduate of the University of the Arts, he has worked with Philadelphia schools and companies including Gwendolyn Bye Dance Center, Philadanco, Temple University, The Rock School of Dance Education, and The University of the Arts, where he is Accompanist Coordinator for the School of Dance. In 1995, he composed and performed the musical score for two videos/DVDs on Lester Horton technique, with staff and dancers from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. John collaborated with Thang Dao in Folded Prism for Philadanco’s 2016 Spring Season at the Kimmel Center. He has composed several scores for Milton Myers, both for the University of the Arts and Philadanco. The first collaboration, Song of Glory, was presented in 1991 at the University of the Arts. The latest, Waves, was performed in November of 2018 by Philadanco at the Kimmel Center. Levis has collaborated as Musical Composer with Roni Koresh, director of the Koresh Dance Company, in a number of ballets; the latest ballet Muse was premiered in the spring of 2022 at the Suzanne Roberts Theater in Philadelphia.

Julius Masri is a Philadelphia based multi instrumentalist, and performer/composer for the city’s  dance  community at large. His  music focuses on improvisatory methods and syncretic / linguistic  exchanges  within  various  musical languages including Jazz, Metal, AfroCuban, Experimental Noise, and Arabic music. Born in Tripoli, Lebanon, he moved to the States in 1990 and picked  up drumming a year later. He studied with Philadelphia instructors Carl Mottola, Elaine Hoffman-Watts, and as an  undergraduate  at Bard College, with AACM’s Thurman Barker, Richard Teitelbaum, and Joan Tower. Julius plays drums, circuit modified Casio keyboards, Oud, Kamancheh  (aka Rabab, Spike Fiddle), and various other instruments.

Andy Thierauf is a Philadelphia based percussionist who specializes in the creation and performance of contemporary music. He is particularly interested in combining percussion with theater, dance, and technology.  He performs with `Arcana New Music Ensemble, NakedEye Ensemble, Orchestra 2001, among other ensembles in the Philadelphia area. Andy teaches at Settlement Music School and is an adjunct professor of percussion at Kutztown University.

Thomas Kraines, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, has gained renown as a versatile cellist, composer, and teacher. In addition to the Daedalus Quartet, he performs often with his wife, violinist Juliette Kang, with the Philadelphia-based Network for New Music, the Arcana Ensemble, and the improvisatory ensembles Great Blue Heron and Basquiat Blues. Kraines’ solo cello and chamber compositions have been heard around the country. He has performed his own works in collaboration with artists such as Awadagin Pratt, Mimi Stillman, Maria Jette, Ilana Davidson, and Kinan Abou-afach. Kraines has served on the faculty of the Longy School of Music, Princeton University, Peabody Conservatory, Phillips Academy Andover, and Yellow Barn. He currently teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. He has performed chamber music at the Moab Music Festival, Festival dei Due Mondi (Spoleto, Italy), Bravo! Vail, Caramoor Summer Music Festival, Next Generation Festival, Portland Chamber Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Mostly Mozart Festival, and Bard Music Festival. Kraines studied cello with Frederic Raimi, Orlando Cole, and Joel Krosnick, and composition with Tom Benjamin. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Juliette, and daughters Rosalie and Clarissa.