BIOGRAPHY

An artist with explosive personality, Avi Avital’s mandolin is magic !

Born in Be’er Sheva, in southern Israel, Avi Avital began playing mandolin at the age of eight. He studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and the Cesare Pollini Conservatory in Padua. The first mandolinist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, he is often compared to Andres Segovia for his mastery of the instrument and to Jascha Heifetz for his incredible virtuosity. He has notably expanded the mandolin repertoire, performing over 100 transcriptions or newly commissioned works, including concertos by Jennifer Higdon, Anna Clyne and Giovanni Sollima. His versatility has earned him the title of “Portrait Artist” at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, BOZAR Brussels and the Konzerthaus Dortmund.

Highlights of the 2024/25 season include performances with Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, Freiburg Barockorchester, Philharmonia Baroque, Venice Baroque and il pomo d’oro. Avi Avital gives recital and chamber performances with Maurice Steger & Sebastian Wienand, Ksenija Sidorova, Omer Klein and Brooklyn Rider. He returns to Cadogan & Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Aula Magna Sapienza Rome, Amici della Musica Florence, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, City Hall Hong Kong, Orchestra Hall Minnesota & Herbst Hall San Francisco. He is a guest at prestigious festivals including Aspen, Salzburg, Hollywood Bowl, Tanglewood, MISA Shanghai, Cheltenham, Verbier, Lucerne, Bad Kissingen, Rheingau Musik Festival and Gstaad. In chamber music, he shares the stage with Alice Sara Ott, Andreas Scholl, Kristian Bezuidenhout, the Dover Quartet, the Danish String Quartet and the Brooklyn Rider…

Most recently, he was soloist on tour with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields and the Giardino Armonico (Giovanni Antonini). He has also performed in recital with Ksenija Sidorova, the world’s leading accordionist, or with Olga Pashchenko (harpsichord) and Omer Klein (piano).

An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, his 6th album “The Art of the Mandolin” has been magnificently received by The Times, The Independent, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine and the international press. His previous recordings “Bach” (2019), “Avital meets Avital” (2017), “Vivaldi” (2015), an album of Avital’s transcriptions of Bach concertos (2012) and “Between Worlds” (2014) have also received numerous awards.

During the 2024/25 season, he performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire, Freiburg Barockorchester, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Venice Baroque Orchestra and Il Pomo d’Oro Orchestra. He shares the stage with Maurice Steger and Sebastian Wienand, Ksenija Sidorova, Omer Klein and Brooklyn Rider. His album “The Art of the Mandolin” (2020) has been received with high praise and top reviews in The Times, Independent, Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine as well as the international press. Previous recordings “Bach” (2019), “Avital meets Avital” (2017), “Vivaldi” (2015), an album of Avital’s own transcriptions of Bach concertos (2012) and “Between Worlds” (2014) also received numerous awards.

Born in Be’er Sheva in southern Israel, Avital began learning the mandolin at the age of eight and soon joined the flourishing mandolin youth orchestra founded and directed by his charismatic teacher, Russian-born violinist Simcha Nathanson. He studied at the Jerusalem Music Academy and the Conservatorio Cesare Pollini in Padua with Ugo Orlandi. He plays on a mandolin made by Israeli luthier Arik Kerman.

PRESS QUOTES

« Here is a musician who recognises no boundaries except those of good taste, and who has the artistry to persuade listeners to follow him anywhere ». Gramophone