Timothy J. LeVan, pianist
Tim LeVan began his “piano lessons” in 1969 at the age of six, when Baldwin Piano & Organ Co. began it’s nationwide lab group-piano “experiment” in Cincinnati. S. Steven Lee, Tom Long, and Alison Fahrer were the driving force behind that program that caused a group of six boys to fall in love with the piano. Compliments of his elementary school music teacher, Tim was introduced to John Toedtman in 1974. Toedtman remained LeVan’s teacher through 1981, and was responsible for his introduction to the maestro, Eugene List in 1979. Studies with List began in earnest the summer of 1980, and continued until List’s untimely death in 1985. Mr. LeVan then continued his studies in NY with several of the world’s most renown pianists, including Jerome Lowenthal, and then subsequently with legendary pianists Garrick Ohlsson, and the late Santos Ojeda.
Mr. LeVan was a member of the music faculty at the Toedtman School of Music, where he met pianist & teacher Ann Rayburn (now: LeVan). Together, they formed LeVan/Rayburn Studios in January of 1986; in September of 1987, the two “tied the knot”. From 1986 through 1994, he was organist & accompanist at Loveland United Methodist Church; subsequently through the present, he has served as guest and interim organist at several churches in the Greater Cincinnati area. In the summer of 2022, Tim was asked to become the organist at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Mason, OH.
Many have asked how it was that a classically trained pianist ended up sitting in the front left seat of a commercial airliner. The answer is simple: Mrs. LeVan permitted him to learn to fly. Flying “for fun” began in March of 1988, with certificates, ratings, endorsements, and 3,400 hours in the air added over the next six years. In November of 1994, Mr. LeVan was hired by a wholly owned division of USAirways as a first officer (co-pilot). 1998 saw his upgrade to Captain, a position that he has continued to serve for over 26 years. 2014 began the merger of USAirways and AMERICAN AIRLINES; Capt. LeVan currently pilots the Canadair Regional Jet -700 and -900 series of airliners, with nearly 29,000 hours logged in the air. Additionally, Capt. LeVan has served as an instructor pilot in full motion level-D CRJ series aircraft flight simulators, and serves his colleagues via the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) in mulitple capacities.
God has an uncanny way of setting the stage for the “job” that He wishes to have done. The practical application of Matt. 28: 16-20, “the Great Commission”, really means that we are all involved in mission work: Sharing the gospel. It also means that our involvement could simply be supporting those that are in-the-field. Undoubtedly, God gently used two exceptional individuals as catalysts that we might enjoy concert caliber piano repertoire for one purpose: for His Glory (Alone): Soli Deo Gloria. In 2007, it was John Toedtman who challenged Tim to re-engage the idea of performing at the piano. “God using each of us, and our gifts, in a new way … for His Glory”, was the focal point of a sermon given in 2009 by Rev. Dr. Jerry Kirk. God’s perfect recipe: our only response, “Here am I, Lord”.
Concerts for Missions began in late 2010, and have continued since. Concerto Repertoire includes the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 in C minor, Op. 18, the Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #3 in C minor, Op. 37, and Mozart’s Piano Concerto #21 in C major. Symphonic Repertoire includes Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, and Nutcracker Suite, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Performances include repeat engagements on behalf of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship collegiate mission ministry of Rev. Dr. Michael G. Moriarty, the mental health ministry of The Presbyterian Counseling Center of Daytona Beach, FL - hosting performances at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach, the medical missions ministry of Caring Partners International (Cincinnati, OH), and the ministry of the Interfaith Homeless Outreach Council of (southern) New Jersey. Initially, pianist John K. Toedtman graciously partnered with Tim on the concert stage. In recent years, Tim’s wife, pianist Ann Rayburn LeVan, happily agreed to perform with him in concert … and the two formed the duo-piano team of LeVan & LeVan.
Growing: it appears that each concert success for LeVan & LeVan leads to yet another concert engagement. To satisfy the demand for appropriate music, Capt. LeVan has completed and continues to arrange fantastic works of music for the duo-piano ensemble genre. To that end, he has completed and holds copyright on the following works.
Duo-Piano Arrangements
5th Organ Symphony, Op. 42, No.5 .... C.M.Widor
"Toccata"
Fugue for Organ, BWV 577 …. J.S. Bach
Fugue for Organ, BWV 578 …. J.S. Bach
Carillon de Westminster …. Louis Vierne
The Four Seasons …. Antonio Vivaldi
7 of 12 movements
Toccata & Fugue for Organ, BWV 565 …. J.S. Bach
Duet Arrangement (s)
The Overture to the Barber of Seville .... Gioachino Rossini
Prelude #22 in B-flat minor / BWV867 …. J.S. Bach
Solo - Original Compositions
Cadenza: Mvt 1 •Mozart Concerto #21 K467…. W.A. Mozart
Cadenza: Mvt 3 •Mozart Concerto #21 K467…. W.A. Mozart