American conductor Ira Levin, artistic director of Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, was dismissed by the institution on Monday, Brazilian media report.
Levin joined the theater in 2019, as conductor of the Municipal Symphony Orchestra, and had held the position of artistic director since August last year. His collaboration was much affected by the pandemic and there were complaints that he was spending most of his time away from Rio de Janeiro, conducting other institutions.
Previously Levin was the Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires from 2011-15, served as Music Director and Artistic Director of the Teatro Municipal in Sao Paulo (2002-2005) and of the National Theater of Brazil, in Brasilia (2007-2010). He held posts as assistant conductor at the Frankfurt Opera (1985-88), principal conductor of the Bremen Opera (1988-1996) and the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf-Duisburg (1996-2002) and as the principal guest conductor of the Kassel Opera (1994-1998).
