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March 3, 2006
Where past meets present
Singer Miri Levi follows in her beloved mother’s footsteps.
KELLEY KORBIN
Miri Levi is thrilled that she will be making her professional
singing debut in the festival named for her late mother. A recent
graduate of the Academy of Music and the Dramatic Arts in New York,
Levi is professionally trained in opera and musical theatre. She
will sing eight musical theatre pieces at Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz
International Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts, including “Moon
River” and “Fly Me to the Moon.”
Levi said she deliberately chose popular tunes for her first gig
because, “I wanted to pick things people would know, so they
could connect to the music.”
She was only 14 years old when her mother, Lisa Nemetz, died of
breast cancer in 1997 – but there’s no doubt that she
inherited her talent and love of the arts from her mother. “I
think my mom would be really proud of me,” said Levi.
Although she was never a singer, in addition to her law career,
Nemetz was at one time a professional dancer, trained in classical
ballet. She later moved to modern dance, where she won awards for
her work in the troupe Prism Dance. (Levi is a dancer too and even
performed with the Shalom Dancers in the first Chutzpah! Festival
in 2001.) Nemetz also worked in the Vancouver arts community for
many years and was a board member of the Vancouver Arts Council.
Nemetz was well aware of her daughter’s talent and had numerous
opportunities to see her sing, including in performances of the
junior Bach Choir.
After her death, her husband David Levi (Miri Levi’s father)
was looking for a way to honor Nemetz’s memory when Chutzpah!
Festival founder Janos Maté, who had known both David Levi
and Nemetz from Camp Miriam, approached David Levi and asked him
to become a sponsor. Levi said he felt that because of her strong
connection to the arts, this was the perfect opportunity to commemorate
Nemetz and he subsequently became the founding festival patron of
Chutzpah!
Levi is delighted that his daughter will be performing in this year’s
festival. “It’s a pretty amazing thing for her and for
me,” he said. He couldn’t resist singing Miri’s praises.
“She has a stunning voice,” he said, “and that’s
not just her dad talking, because I’m tone deaf!
“Obviously it’s a pretty incredible cross-over with the
past. I know that Lisa will be absolutely thrilled to watch Miri
from up there,” he added.
As for Miri Levi, she is excited to be performing in her home town
before she starts auditioning for summer shows on the east coast.
“It’s nice to see how much the festival has grown and
it’s great to be a part of it,” she said. “Chutzpah!
is good experience and will look good on my résumé
and hopefully give me the opportunity to come back and per-form
again.”
Miri Levi will be accompanied at Chutzpah! by local pianist Varda
Seelig and performs in a double bill with international violinist
Zina Schiff and local pianist Zsuzsanna Lukas at 7 p.m., March 4,
in the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tickets are $20 for adults, $18
for seniors and $12 for students.
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