Levi Mitze-Circiumaru is a passionate, multifaceted artist who has learned from and performed with some of the greatest classical musicians of our time. His teachers have included Jeffrey Multer (concertmaster of The Florida Orchestra), Amy Schwartz Moretti (previously concertmaster of both The Florida Orchestra and the Oregon Symphony), and David Halen (concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony). He has performed for some of the most prominent soloists and pedagogues active today in master class settings, including Donald Weilerstein, James Ehnes, Julia Fischer, Nadja Selerno-Sonenberg, and Robert McDuffie, and has obtained instruction in chamber music performance from such notable ensembles and artists as Ani Kavafian and Wu Han, Hans Jørgen Jensen, the Orion String Quartet, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and the Cavani Quartet.

A native of Florida, Levi has played the violin since he was eight years old. His musical studies began under the tutelage of Yan Jiang Lu, a longtime member of The Florida Orchestra. He first discovered his love for orchestral and chamber playing under the tutelage of other Florida Orchestra members including Lei Liu and Lowell Adams as a member of the Pinellas Youth Symphony and the Tampa Metropolitan Youth Orchestra (formerly the Patel Conservatory Youth Orchestra). Levi’s years in youth orchestra were formative for him, and he enjoyed much success at that time, serving often as concertmaster and winning youth orchestra concerto competitions frequently. It was during this time that Levi won first place in The Florida Orchestra Young Artists Concerto Competition, twice (Junior String Division in 2006 and Senior String Division in 2008).

A scholarship winner and frequent student concertmaster at the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, Levi continued his studies with Jeffrey Multer, who would remain his teacher until his undergraduate studies with Amy Schwartz Moretti and David Halen at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. During his time at Mercer, Levi gained professional orchestral experience performing with both the Macon and Albany Symphony orchestras. Notable artists Levi had the opportunity to perform with, in both solo and chamber settings, include the Cavani Quartet, Hsin-Yun Huang, Robert McDuffie, and his teacher, Amy Schwartz Moretti. A man of diverse interests and talents, Levi majored in both Music and Computer Science at Mercer University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2015.

Levi met his wife, Teodora Mitze-Circiumaru, who is an accomplished Romanian organist, pianist, and harpsichordist in college and followed her to her home country in 2016 to perform with her as a solo vocalist, guitarist, and violinist in the annual “Piano Rocks” concert in Sibiu, Romania. It was also in Romania that Levi had his first experience performing full-time as an orchestral violinist. The National Symphony Orchestra of Romania, Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, Romanian Royal Chamber Orchestra, and State Philharmonic of Sibiu are among the ensembles he performed with at that time.

Upon his return to the States, Levi earned a Master of Teaching degree with a specialty in secondary mathematics from the University of Mississippi and was a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps. He taught Algebra 1 in Mississippi at Meridian High School for several years, where he helped his students, overwhelmingly from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, achieve award-winning levels of year-over-year growth in performance on Mississippi state assessments.

In 2022, Levi moved back to his home state of Florida and returned to his pursuit of musical excellence with The Florida Orchestra, serving as Assistant Principal Second Violinist for the 2022/2023 concert season under the appointment of Maestro Michael Francis. Levi’s musical ambitions had their genesis in The Florida Orchestra. His inspiration was sparked by their performances. His talents were nurtured by its members. And now he is thrilled to call The Florida Orchestra his permanent orchestral home.