About Us 

Biographies   |  Recordings   |  Performance Rosters   |  Recent Performances

Husband and wife duo Judy Handler and Mark Levesque blend Brazilian, Latin American, swing, gypsy, classical and folk music influences to create their sophisticated and expressive arrangements. Audiences respond with great enthusiasm to their extraordinary sound and the uplifting spirit of their music. They have performed over 1,000 concerts together throughout the Northeast and Midwest.

Judy Handler, guitar - Judy has given concerts & workshops throughout the United States. Her solo playing spans diverse genres of music including classical, Latin American, Brazilian, and jazz arrangements. She has performed with many prominent guitarists including Charlie Byrd and Oscar Ghiglia. Judy has received numerous awards including an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

Judy's studies began in her hometown, Chicago and she went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in guitar from the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, a Master of Music from the Hartt School of Music, and certificates from summer studies at schools in Aspen, Spain and Italy. She teaches guitar at the University of Connecticut and at a private studio in Vernon, Connecticut. Judy is co-founder of the Connecticut Classical Guitar Society, one of the largest organizations of its kind in the country.

Mark Levesque, guitar & mandolin - Mark started playing guitar at age 11 and soon began working with rock and blues bands. He also became interested in other styles of guitar music including jazz, classical and international. Mark has composed songs and instrumental music, worked with synthesizer orchestration, and learned the art of studio recording.

Mark plays an array of guitars including a classical, a jazz archtop, a 12 string, an electric and a gypsy guitar. He also has several mandolins, a Brazilian bandolim and a Puerto Rican cuatro. His versatility has given him the opportunity to play in groups ranging from duos to big bands. Mark's passion for guitar and mandolin music has led him to research music from throughout the world and his creative ideas have been the stimulus for most of the arrangements performed by the group.
Mark gives guitar and mandolin lessons in Vernon, Connecticut.

 

Recent Performances

  • The Hartford Symphony Orchestra "Musical Dialogues", Hartford CT
  • The Connecticut Forum, Hartford CT
  • Rainbow's End Concert Series, Skokie IL
  • The Bean Blossom Music Series, Bean Blossom IN
  • Troy Music Hall, Troy NY
  • The Jewish Museum, Manhattan NY
  • International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven CT
  • Chateaugay Lakes Arts Association, Chateaugay New York
  • Music Mountain, Falls Village CT
  • Quechee Club, Quechee VT
  • The Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn NY
  • The Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford CT
  • Mystic Arts Cafe, Mystic CT
  • Bushnell Performing Arts Center, Hartford CT
  • Roger Williams University: The American Mandolin & Guitar Summer Program, Bristol RI
  • Hartford International Jazz Festival Encore Stage, Hartford CT
  • First Night New Haven, New Haven CT
  • University of Connecticut, West Hartford CT
  • Fremont Public Library, Mundelein IL
  • University of Hartford, West Hartford CT
  • Studio 450, Manhattan NY
  • Northwest Park Coffeehouse, Windsor CT
  • Governor's Mansion, Hartford CT
  • New Britain Museum Of American Art, New Britain CT
  • Saint Joseph College, West Hartford CT
  • University of Connecticut, Storrs CT
  • Perishable Theatre, Providence RI
  • New Rochelle Library, New Rochelle, NY
  • All Souls Unitarian Church, Indianapolis IN
  • Byron Colby Barn, Grayslake IL

Performance Rosters

  • Cantaloupe Music Productions, NYC
  • New England Foundation for the Arts
  • Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism
  • The Connecticut Library Consortium
  • The Connecticut Guitar Society

Recordings
The Greater Hartford Arts Council chose "Acoustic Blend" as a premiere gift for donors to the United Arts Campaign of 2003. "Two Guitars Live" was used for the Arts Council's 2006 campaign and our 3rd CD, "Passion" was chosen for 2009.

  • Passion (2008)
  • Scantic Valley Association DVD soundtrack (2004)
  • Two Guitars Live! (2003)
  • Hartford's Hidden Treasures (2002) CDROM soundtrack
  • Acoustic Blend (2001)
  • Recordings featuring Judy and Mark:
  • A Sugar Tree Carol - Gayla D. Matos (2008)
    Prelude (2001)
    The Gift of the Guitar (2001)
    New England Landscapes II (2000)
    New England Landscapes (1999)
    Romantic Reverie (1998)
    A Winter Fantasy (1997)


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