Five Haiku are concise and direct compositions, often juxtaposing seemingly unrelated elements, and suggesting the timelessness of a single moment. Frequently the point of departure and inspiration for LeVines’ creative explorations is the aesthetics of one of Japan’s great poets, Matsuo Bashō. In Five Haiku LeVines’ hommage to Bashō is two-fold, as both music and texts are written by the composer.

LeVines’ Five Haiku Songs for Soprano and Piano were shapely, self-contained, and surprisingly rich in expressive content . . .
— The Times-Picayune, Frank Gagnard