Renowned fiddler onstage Friday

Dan Levenson is a man who knows how to banjo.

Levenson is so proficient, in fact, that he actually writes educational manuals and music books on the subject for students. He is also a contributor for a publication called Banjo Newsletter.

He has toured England, Scotland, Brazil and just about every state in the union. He has recorded eight albums, and has won many awards, including Grand Champion Fiddle in Ajo, AZ 2010 and State Champion Clawhammer Banjo in Ohio in 2005.

In 2006, he won first place Adult Fiddle, first place Trick and Fancy and first place Husband/Wife in Yuma.

Music lovers in Yuma will soon get the chance to hear Levenson in person. He is slated to perform Friday at the Historic Yuma Theatre, 254 S. Main St. The music will begin at 7 p.m.

Presale tickets are available now for $10. They will also be sold at the event for $15. For more information, call 373-5202.

The event is being sponsored by the Cultural Council of Yuma.

The stage show - An Evening with Dan Levenson - will combine old-time fiddle, Appalachian banjo, stories and song in a storytelling format about life in rural Appalachia. That's not far from where Levenson, who now lives in Yuma, was born and raised.

"That was the southwest corner of Pennsylvania and the northwest corner of the southern Appalachian Mountains," Levenson said. "It's right there on the cusp."

Growing up in close proximity to the Appalachians influenced Levenson's style of music.

"Assuming that I grew up," he said, joking. "I lived there until I was about 30. I think that had a lot to do with the music I listened to and loved. My dad called square dances and my parents met at a square dance.  My mom played guitar and piano, and they listened to everything - classical, jazz, bagpipes, bluegrass and old-time music."

Levenson said his parents would often host folk-singing circles at his home. "There was no escape."

Levenson is now proficient in banjo, mandolin, bass and guitar, but started off on the piano at age 7.

"I played a little less than a year because they gave piano lessons at school, but our piano broke so somebody gave my folks a violin for me. I took violin lessons from mid-third grade through high school. I started off with classical music, at least on the violin. But once I had a violin, the deal was if I played it for a year, I could get a guitar."

By the end of fourth grade, Levenson had his guitar.

"The guitar probably carried me until I was close to 30. Somewhere around 1985, I was up at state college and somebody said what I liked wasn’t bluegrass. It was old-time and I didn't know the distinction. They started feeding me tapes and recordings and I got hooked."

Levenson explained the difference between the two styles.

"The bluegrass style was created for the purpose of taking old-time music back to the people and making it more civilized and presentable. It was performance music. It was intended to be commercially viable, and prior to that it was all old-time music."

Old-time music is more rhythmic and social than bluegrass, Levenson said.

"It is more ensemble and dance music. Old-time was whatever dad listened to before 1940. Everybody sits together and plays and that is what I play now. Personally I feel more of a connection with it. I couldn't begin to tell you why. When I heard the old-time, that was it. I spent probably five years listening to nothing but old-time."

Levenson said his show will be a personal experience for the audience.

"It is an evening of music that belongs to them. Old-time music is about community. Everybody is involved and everybody is welcome. I will have my wife, the lovely Miss Jennifer, come up and do a few tunes with me."

Levenson said the show won't be a stiff event.

"I will talk to the audience. I like the interaction, and we may have a sing-along or two. It's fun and should be enjoyable for everybody. It's the people who come to the show, listen to it and take it up for themselves that are the people who keep the music alive."