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Ben Levin

UNT Faculty Profile

Bio

Ben Levin was born in Joliet, Illinois. After attending the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, he served in the United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C.

He then entered Temple University to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) with an emphasis in documentary production, the start of a 17-year relationship with that institution, culminating in his directing the MFA program there for seven years. Beginning in 1987, he taught for three years at Emerson College in Boston, before moving to the University of North Texas in 1990, where he served in various capacities including Director of Graduate Studies, Director of the MFA Program in Documentary Production and Studies, and founding Director of the Department of Media Art's London program.

Levin is a past-president of the University Film and Video Association (UFVA) and has served on the National Film Preservation Board by appointment of the Librarian of Congress since 1989. He has been involved in numerous documentary productions as producer, director, and/or editor. Check out his

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Ben Levin is a pianist/vocalist based in Cincinnati, OH. Ben has released four albums on the Vizztone Label Group and has three Blues Music Award nominations including best piano player of the year (2023, 2024).

Ben's latest album, "Take Your Time", released in October 2022, features collaborations with blues legends Lil' Ed, Bob Stroger, and Lil' Jimmy Reed. The album received daily airplay for two months on Sirius XM radio and reached number seven on Living Blues radio charts.

Based on the success of their single, "I've Been Drinking Muddy Water", Ben and Lil' Jimmy joined forces again in the studio with Ben producing and co-writing songs with Jimmy. "Back To Baton Rouge" was released in May 2023 on NOLA Blue and reached number two on Living Blues radio charts.

In October 2023, Ben released an EP, "Waiting Just For You", on Vizztone with Bay area-based jazz vocalist Stella Heath. They hired legendary Cincinnati jazz musicians Art Gore on drums (who has worked with artists such as George Benson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Lonnie Liston Smith) and Jim Anderson on bass (who has

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Benjamin Levin

When Germany invaded Vilna in July 1941, the Lithuanian police systematically combed through Jewish neighborhoods, grabbing young men from their homes, executing them, and tossing their corpses into the massive graves of Ponary. The Levin family residence proved disappointing to the collaborators as Chaim Levin and his sons, Benjamin, a plucky fourteen-year-old with a "wild streak," and his older brother Shmuel, a serious young man with an intense personality, were not at home when the bombs fell.

Approximate area of partisan activity for Benjamin Levin

Benjamin Levin spent the pre-war days running around the streets with a youth gang. Because he knew the neighborhoods well, he managed to avoid the marauding invaders in the first weeks of the occupation. His older brother and father had already fled the city for the nearby village of Mihailishuk.

The well-connected family had been tipped off by friends, allowing the remaining members to flee the village before the Vilna Ghetto was erected. Their network of associates saved them more than once from subsequen