Welcome to The Connie Converse Universe

Before Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell hit the folk scene in the 1960s, Connie Converse performed self-written songs for friends in the early 1950s. She disappeared in August of 1974 never to be seen or heard from again. Decades later, the world heard her songs when a CD of her original demo recordings from 1954 was released in 2009 and went viral on Spotify; a biographical examination of Connie Converse's life by Howard Fishman has been published (May 2023) from Dutton Books. Singer-songwriter Hope Levy performs Connie's songs in her live acoustic 60-minute cabaret show sharing the stories and mystery of Ms. Converse's life intertwined with some of her own!

BIOgraphy

Folk-pop singer-songwriter Hope Levy is no stranger to folk music, having sung as a child on children’s records with the legendary Malvina Reynolds (Little Boxes, Magic Penny) and on her own 45-record titled “Hope and Her Friends”(with songs written by Marla Hunt “TheAce of Cups” and folk-celestial singer Laura Allan). Hope has a background in musical theatre, having performed lead roles in Los Angeles productions of “Les Miserables” at the Shubert Theatre, “The Rocky Horror Show” at the Tiffany Theatres, the lead role of “Mary Bland” in “Eating Raoul, The Musical” directed by Scott Wittman at The Odyssey Theatres, Justin Tanner’s “Heartbreak Help” at The Cast Theatre, and “Showboat” & “The Music Man” at The Hollywood Bowl.

She is also a working voice-over actress on numerous animated shows; she plays the “Mom” of Boss Baby in “Boss Baby: Back in Business” on Netflix, as well as voicing beloved characters in games, commercials, and live-action. She can be heard singing “Welcome to Duloc” in DreamWorks “Shrek.” Hope currently lends her voice to the Los Angeles band “Circlons.” Hope has had the pleasure of performing her original folk-pop songs at The Hotel Café, The Federal Bar (in part with Hollowbody LA), The Trip, Redwood Bar, and Cinema Bar. Hope’s music styles are in the vein of Jill Sobule meets Susan Werner and her CDs can be found streaming on Spotify (“Menagerie” and “Far Sawrey”). She also performs another version of her show, CCU at assisted living facilities all over Southern California and then some!

UPCOMING SHOWS! See the calendar & home pages please :)

PAST PERFORMANCES HAVE INCLUDED: 100th birthday Connie Converse Universe shows at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz and The Ojai Underground Exchange, Ojai, CA., The San Diego International Fringe Festival winner of “Outstanding Musical” 2024, Hollywood Fringe Festival 2024 winners of (Best Solo Show (Female) TVO Award, & Best of Asylum) El Portal Theatre’s Monroe Forum (North Hollywood, CA), The Back Room (Berkeley, CA), Santa Monica Binge Fringe Festival, as well as private events and numerous assisted living facilities and rehab centers in and around Southern Ca.

CREATIVE STATEMENT

I first heard a Connie Converse song in August 2022. I was hypnotized by the track entitled “We Lived Alone.” I then read the August 2022 article in the New York Times Magazine which chronicled the mystery of Connie’s half-century-old legacy.

Connie’s story haunted me, and I felt compelled to learn her songs and put together a show so I could dig deeper into her world while adding my own spin to Connie’s truly unique and quirky worldview. Her vocal qualities and incredible musicianship, as well as the subject matter of her compositions, made her ahead of her time and paved the way for future modern folk singer-songwriters who came along almost a decade later in the 1960s. The Connie Converse Universe offers a glimpse into Connie’s life as I sing through her songs, her story and her mystery intertwined with stories of my own as well as the strange connection that binds us forever as revealed in the show.

Connie Converse recorded her songs in the mid-1950s.  55 years later, they went viral on Spotify when a CD of her original demos was released in 2009. A biography came out from Dutton Books in May 2022 written by Howard Fishman which digs deeper into the life of this mysterious, genius, complex, singer-songwriter.

Connie has not been seen or heard from since that August day in 1974 when she packed up her belongings in her VW Bug and drove away; her whereabouts and fate remain a mystery. I had the pleasure to celebrate her 100th birthday with two shows August 2 & 3, 2024 as it was a pleasure and a great honor.

I am grateful to be Connie Converse’s musical messenger and look forward to bringing “The Connie Converse Universe to a venue near you!

Love,

Hope ☺

BOOKINGS

Please complete the form below to request booking an event or a Living Room Show with Hope, or email directly at hopeissinging@gmail.com

In one minute Hope tells you WHAT IS THE CONNIE CONVERSE UNIVERSE about?