Levi Celerio is a Filipino composer and lyricist, born on April 30, 1910 in Tondo, Manila, Philippines. He received a free education to the Academy of Music in Manila and became the youngest affiliate of the Manila Symphony Orchestra. He was a creative songwriter, with more than 4,000 songs to his acclaim including Filipino folk, Christmas, and love songs that are popular pieces, which many consider to be immortal.
Famous for being a lyricist, his songs treasure life; express nationalistic sentiments and complete grand philosophies. At one instance or another, no Filipino can miss the song or lyrics of Levi’s Christmas songs namely Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, and Misa de Gallo.
He is probably best recognized for being a leaf-player, an achievement where he was place into the Guinness Book of World Records.
He wrote a huge number of songs for local movies, which gained him the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Film Academy of the Philippines.
He was awarded as National Artist of the Philippines for Music in 1997. He died on April 2, 2002.