Gayle Levant began her musical studies at the age of three on the piano. At the age of eleven, she was introduced to the harp.  Following orchestral training at USC and UCLA, she played with the Debut Orchestra under Michael Tilson Thomas.

Gayle’s career in the studios began in 1965–66 and has become known as the harpist who would improvise after the main music had been recorded by adding her own personal touch to every project. She has worked with Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters, Joanie Mitchell, Barry Manilow, Céline Dion, Josh Groban, Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and the list goes on and on.

In 1969, she began a wonderful, musical relationship with Barbra Streisand and continues to be a part of every recording project with Barbra in Los Angeles, whether it be for film or records.

In 1977, Gayle was the first harpist to be awarded the Most Valuable Player’s Award by The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, aka NARAS, for her contribution on the harp to the record industry. She continued to receive this award for three more years before being given an Emeritus award.

In television in the 70’s and the 80’s, Gayle worked on Happy Days, Love American Style, Laverne and Shirley, Fantasy Island, Dallas, Falcon Crest, Hotel, Knot’s Landing, The Scarecrow and Mrs. King, etc. For the six years that the T.V. series “Lost” was on the air, she produced a unique, but eerie sound, that composer Michael Giacchino used every week. She was the harpist for “The Simpsons” from the beginning of its long run for 27 years for composer Alf Clausen when the show was using a full orchestra.

In motion pictures, she was the first harpist to introduce the use of Celtic and Paraguayan harps to the industry. Dan Fogelberg presented her with a platinum album for her celtic harp work on his album “The Innocent Age.”

In 1979, Gayle, along with partners Charles Fox and Artie Butler, built the world-class studio Evergreen Recording Studios in Burbank, CA.

She has been playing for the Academy Awards for the past thirty years, and loves being part of such a long standing tradition.

Gayle is very proud to be the first woman President of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers, aka ASMAC, a position she has held since 2018.

Apart from the music industry, she treasures spending quality time with her loving husband John Richards, who was one of the finest film-scoring engineers in the world before retiring in 2009.  She also loves cooking, watercolor painting, interior design, and being a good friend to all.