For most people, waking up in the morning is full of mundane tasks. Not for Analise Levesque. She gently places an airpod into each ear and her music begins to play. While listening to Sullivan Fortner, she slips on her shoes and begins to run on Skyline Drive.
Some call her a Renaissance woman because she excels in so many different fields. She’s the first to admit it, “I have always just done a lot of things.” She runs short and long distance races on the track and long cross country races on uneven terrain. She composes music and performs classical, blues and jazz. “It’s kind of odd because my hobbies are all very different from one-another,” she says
West Coast to the Midwest
Levesque was born in San Clemente, California. Growing up, her parents were both musicians and composers which is a large part of the reason why she started playing piano and composing her own music at a young age. At 9-years-old she was a winner of the Yamaha National Junior Original Competition for young composers.
When she was 10-years-old, her parents decided to move to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to live closer to family. Although she was excited to meet new people and move somewhere new, it was a change. She says, “I remember my family telling me at dinner and I was crying all night.” As she reflects on the move to South Dakota, she realized the opportunities in music and athletics she was given shaped her into the person she is today.
Throughout middle school and high school, she was a cross country athlete, musician, writer, and composer. She excelled in athletics. She won the state cross country title, a gold medal with her relay team, and the cross country runner of the year in 2019 award in South Dakota. She also excelled in music. She participated in the All State band and All State jazz band all four years of high school and was a national finalist in the MTNA Composition Competition in her sophomore year of high school.
The Place To Be: UMD
Levesque was interested in studying music but wasn't sure what college to choose. When her uncle from Duluth suggested UMD’s fine arts, she was intrigued. She says, “The thing that really sold me on UMD was the music composition and jazz programs.” There are very few schools in the midwest that have both programs.
After visiting the campus a number of times, Levesque decided UMD was her college of choice. She says, “I realized that UMD was a place where I could be an athlete, study both music degrees, it was affordable and located in a place that I love.” She contacted the UMD cross country coaches and they wanted her to join the team. She says, “UMD was just a perfect fit for me.”
UMD noticed Levesque as well. They awarded her the Kathryn A. Martin Scholarship for all four years of college.
Looking Forward
Levesque admits, “It’s a double edged sword doing multiple things at once.” She explains that she knows she has a lot going on. “It can also become overwhelming, spreading myself thin in other activities in my life,” she says.
While Levesque is entering senior year, she’s also looking to the future. She has a plethora of top tier colleges to apply to for a masters degree in music. While attending graduate school, she also hopes to continue running with a university program.
In the meantime, people in Duluth can often see Levesque perform in the evening at venues around the city. And, if they are up early in the morning, they might even see her out for her morning run.
___
About Jazz Studies at UMD
Maija Johnson graduated from UMD with a journalism degree in May 2022. In Summer 2022 she took a short-term position in the University Marketing and Public Relations office at UMD.