Allegra Levy ’11 Wins John Lennon Award for “Wash My Hands”
The jazz voice alumna won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest's weekly "Stuck At Home" series for songwriters, bands, artists and producers.
Jazz alum Allegra Levy ’11 has won the "Stuck At Home" division of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (JLSC) for the week of Monday, August 4th for her song for children "Wash My Hands." Her music video features children demonstrating handwashing and other public health measures, as well as a singalong chorus.
The Boston Globe reports:
After graduating from the New England Conservatory in 2011, Allegra Levy quickly established herself as one of the more sophisticated voices in the world of cabaret jazz. She just released her fourth album, “Lose My Number," a collection of her mature lyrics set to tunes by trumpeter John McNeil, who has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, and many others.
While her forte is music for grown-ups, the song for which Levy just won a John Lennon Songwriting Award was made for an audience of one — a 2-year-old.
“Wash My Hands" was written for Levy's niece, Diana, while the singer was staying with her brother's family in Connecticut, where Levy grew up. Levy and her husband both contracted COVID-19 early on, before the lockdowns began. When the virus caught up with her extended family, she figured she should go help them out.
Levy has also recently released an album of music by NEC faculty John McNeil, titled "Lose My Number."