Avi Avital is a groundbreaking mandolin virtuoso renowned for his dynamic performances and significant contributions to classical music. As the first mandolin soloist nominated for a classical Grammy Award, he has redefined the role of the mandolin in contemporary orchestral settings. Avital's electrifying stage presence has captivated audiences worldwide, earning him accolades from prestigious publications such as The New York Times, which praised his "explosively charismatic" performances. His recent collaborations include a memorable engagement with the Brooklyn Rider, where he showcased his exceptional talent in a program featuring Colin Jacobsen's Time and Again. Avital's commitment to expanding the mandolin repertoire is exemplified by his performances of new works, including Jennifer Higdon's Mandolin Concerto, specifically composed for him. Looking ahead, he will be featured in the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's upcoming production of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, alongside multi-Grammy Award-winning soprano Estelí Gomez. This concert promises to be a delightful exploration of baroque music, further solidifying Avital's status as a leading figure in the classical music landscape. With each performance, Avi Avital continues to inspire and engage audiences, ensuring the mandolin's place in the spotlight.

Mandolinist

Avi Avital – Sollima: Prelude for Mandolin Solo

Mandolinist Avi Avital & Harpist Bridget Kibbey Re-Imagine Bach

### Event Description: Bach Reimagined - Minnesota Orchestra

**Event Title:** Bach Reimagined

**Dates:** Thursday, December 5, 2024, and Friday, December 6, 2024

**Venue:** Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55403

**Duration:** 2 hours, including intermission

**Event Overview:**
Join the Minnesota Orchestra for an extraordinary evening as they present "Bach Reimagined," featuring the virtuoso mandolinist Avi Avital. This concert explores the timeless and universal appeal of Bach's music, reinterpreted for the modern symphony orchestra. Avital, known for his passionate and charismatic performances, will showcase his exceptional talent by performing concertos originally written for harpsichord and violin, now transcribed for the mandolin.

**Program:**
- **MAHLER:** Bach Suite
- **PÄRT:** If Bach Had Been a Beekeeper
- **BACH:** Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056 (trans. for mandolin)
- **BACH:** Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (trans. for mandolin)
- **JOLAS:** Letters from Bachville
- **BACH/Elgar:** Fantasia and Fugue in C minor
- **BACH/Stokowski:** Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme
- **BACH/Stokowski:** Ein feste Burg
- **BACH/Skrowaczewski:** Toccata and Fugue in D minor
- **HINDEMITH:** Ragtime on a Theme of J.S. Bach

**Artists:**
- **Minnesota Orchestra**
- **Jordan de Souza, Conductor:** Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza, known for his dynamic and engaging conducting style, will lead the orchestra.
- **Avi Avital, Mandolin:** The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avital is celebrated for his virtuosity and his role in reinvigorating the mandolin repertoire.

**Additional Information:**
- **Tickets:** Available now when you purchase a package. Save up to 15% and receive subscriber perks when you buy 3 or more concerts. Individual tickets go on sale July 29.
- **Pre-concert Activities:** Enhance your experience with pre-concert activities, valet parking, and pre-order beverages.
- **Accessibility Services:** Orchestra Hall offers a range of accessibility services, including armless and bariatric chairs, assistive listening devices, large-print programs, noise-canceling headphones, service animal accommodations, and wheelchair-accessible seating.

**Presented by:** The 2024-2025 Classical Season is presented by Ameriprise Financial.

**Plan Your Visit:**
- **Directions & Parking:** Convenient parking is available just steps away from Orchestra Hall in the city-owned and skyway-connected 11th and Marquette Ramp.
- **Minnesota Orchestra Mobile App:** Download the app to pre-order intermission drinks, scan your ticket for entry, and access exclusive deals.

Prepare for an evening of musical brilliance as Avi Avital and the Minnesota Orchestra bring Bach's masterpieces to life in a reimagined form that promises to captivate and inspire.

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Bach Reimagined

Minnesota Orchestra

Jews & Music returns this season with a musical conversation between world-renowned Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital and Philharmonia Scholar in Residence Francesco Spagnolo. Expect a riveting performance of solo and chamber music, punctuated by a conversation on the many musical worlds that intersect one another in Avital’s innovative approach to Baroque music.

Jews & Music Bach, Bloch, and Beyond

Congregation Beth Sholom

America’s leading Baroque ensemble unites with mandolin superstar Avi Avital and multi-GRAMMY© Award-winning soprano Estelí Gomez for a journey to Venice with the most popular pieces of Baroque music   — Vivaldi’s groundbreaking violin concertos, interwoven with traditional Venetian gondolier songs from the 1740s.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts

San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, considered the most versatile ensemble of its kind performing on period instruments, returns to Santa Barbara led by superstar mandolin virtuoso and longtime CAMA favorite Avi Avital for a very special program: Venetian Splendor: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons & Gondola Songs—a lively musical celebration of the magical Italian city nicknamed La Serenissima (“The Most Serenely Beautiful One”) on the occasion of the 300th Anniversary of Vivaldi’s enduringly popular Baroque masterpiece. The program also features an array of historic gondolier songs dedicated to Venice’s hallmark form of transport, with acclaimed soprano Estelí Gomez (a two-time Grammy® winner) as soloist with the PBO. Join CAMA for a lively and spirited musical tour to the City of Canals!

Granada Theatre

Nothing beats Southern California weather, but if you want to experience all Four Seasons, there’s no better way than with Vivaldi’s most popular work. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, mandolin superstar Avi Avital, and multi-Grammy Award-winning soprano Estelí Gomez unite for an evening of delightful baroque and barcarolle music. 

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Vivaldi's Four Seasons

Soka Performing Arts Center

“America’s leading historically informed ensemble” - The New York Times

Avi Avital and Hamilton de Holanda, two of the most world-renowned mandolinists, play together for the first time in a charity concert to benefit children and adolescents with cancer.

Joined by the Brazilian string ensemble São Paulo Chamber Soloists and percussionist Amoy Ribas, they present a programme with Baroque mandolin concertos by Bach and Vivaldi alongside special new arrangements of Brazilian works by composers such as Radamés Gnatalli and Ary Barroso

Avi Avital & Hamilton de Holanda

Cadogan Hall 

The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy®, Israeli prodigy Avi Avital is a Vancouver fan favourite. He returns with a rare Canadian performance of Pulitzer prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon’s new Mandolin Concerto, written expressly for Avital. Plus, the VSO performs Beethoven’s dramatic Coriolan Overture, and Dvořák’s rhapsodic Symphony No. 7, under the baton of internationally-acclaimed dynamo Tianyi Lu.

Dvořák 7 & Avi Avital

Centennial Theatre

Sullivan Heights Secondary School

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

Join us for an enchanting evening of music as Grammy-nominated classical mandolinist Avi Avital and champion concert accordionist Hanzhi Wang grace the stage at Sixth & I on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 7:30 PM. This unique collaboration between Avital, celebrated for his innovative interpretations of Baroque and folk music, and Wang, known for her extraordinary virtuosity and captivating stage presence, promises to deliver a performance filled with delightful surprises and impressive musicality.

The program for the evening includes a varied selection of pieces that showcase the duo's dynamic range and musical prowess. Audiences can look forward to Bartók’s playful Romanian Folk Dances, Stravinsky’s graceful Suite Italienne from Pulcinella, Saint-Saens’s passionate Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Sarasate’s Spanish Dances, Op. 22, and more. Each piece has been carefully chosen to highlight the unique combination of mandolin and accordion, offering a fresh perspective on these classical compositions.

This performance is part of Washington Performing Arts’s The World in Our City initiative, which aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and cultural diplomacy through the presentation of international visiting artists and globally inspired local programming. It is made possible through the generous support of several sponsors, including the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts, Gordon and Lisa Rush, Betsy and Robert Feinberg, and the Galena-Yorktown Foundation. His Excellency Michael Herzog, Ambassador of The State of Israel to The United States of America, serves as the honorary patron of this engagement.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the vivacious musicality of Avi Avital and Hanzhi Wang in a performance that promises to be as delightful as it is surprising. Reserve your tickets now for an unforgettable evening of music at Sixth & I on October 21st.

Avi Avital, mandolin Hanzhi Wang, accordion

Sixth & I

CAMA’s Masterseries season opens with a very special evening with Avi Avital and Hanzhi Wang, two virtuoso musicians performing together on instruments not normally expected to be part of a classical music recital. Mandolinist Avi Avital has been compared to Andrés Segovia for his championship of his instrument and to Jascha Heifetz for his incredible virtuosity. A passionate and explosively charismatic performer, his two exhilarating past performances for CAMA with the LA Chamber Orchestra (2018) and Les Violons du Roy (2021) confirmed that he is “a musician who recognizes no boundaries except those of good taste, and who has the artistry to persuade listeners to follow him anywhere.” (New York Times).

Acclaimed for her staggering virtuosity, Chinese-born Hanzhi Wang is the only accordionist ever to win a place on the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 60-year history and be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month.” A groundbreaking artist, she is an ambassador for her instrument and has been praised for her captivating stage presence and her masterful performances that display both passion and finesse.

Avi Avital, mandolin & Hanzhi Wang, accordion

Lobero Theatre

CAMA’s Masterseries season opens with a very special evening with Avi Avital and Hanzhi Wang, two virtuoso musicians performing together on instruments not normally expected to be part of a classical music recital. Mandolinist Avi Avital has been compared to Andrés Segovia for his championship of his instrument and to Jascha Heifetz for his incredible virtuosity. A passionate and explosively charismatic performer, his two exhilarating past performances for CAMA with the LA Chamber Orchestra (2018) and Les Violons du Roy (2021) confirmed that he is “a musician who recognizes no boundaries except those of good taste, and who has the artistry to persuade listeners to follow him anywhere.” (New York Times)

Acclaimed for her staggering virtuosity, Chinese-born Hanzhi Wang is the only accordionist ever to win a place on the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 60-year history and be named Musical America’s “New Artist of the Month.” A groundbreaking artist, she is an ambassador for her instrument and has been praised for her captivating stage presence and her masterful performances that display both passion and finesse.

Two trailblazing instrumental pioneers come together for a very special recital! Israeli-born mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital, well known to Cal Performances audiences, has charted new territory on his instrument with innovative programming and inspired collaborations. He performs with the young concert accordionist Hanzhi Wang in her Berkeley debut, exploring canonic repertoire by composers including Bach, Saint-Saëns, de Falla, Stravinsky, and Bartók, arranged for the duo’s unique instrumentation. “Every plucked sound from Avital’s fingers…radiates warmth and dazzling light” (The Times, London).

University of California, Berkeley

Opus 3 Artist The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, renowned for its fresh, brilliant interpretations of great orchestral music. SFCM chamber music majors and string students will perform side-by-side with The Academy in an intimate concert setting. As part of its residency with SFCM, The Academy will also engage SFCM students in masterclasses and seminars.

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Avi Avital, mandolin

Bowes Center

Avi Avital is the first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy. Passionate and “explosively charismatic” (New York Times) in live performance, Avi has been compared to Segovia for his championship of his instrument and to Heifitz for his incredible virtuosity. He is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertory.

Avi Avital - USA

Mountain Artists Guild

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage

College of the Desert

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

The New York Times reported that, “the words ‘superstar’ and ‘mandolinist’ still look odd next to each other. Yet in the classical music world they are starting to be joined with some frequency. Avi Avital was nothing short of electric.” The first mandolist nominated for a classical Grammy Award joins the adventurous Brooklyn Rider for an evening of virtuoso music for mandolin and strings.

Brooklyn Rider

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Brooklyn Rider and Avi Avital Mandolin

In this tale of two Avitals, the trio creates beautiful fusion. Drawing on a diverse and exotic set of sounds from Morocco, Israel, and North Africa, mandolinist Avi and bass/oud player Omer Avital conjure jazzy moods via modal melodies and gripping rhythms that explore new cosmopolitan dimensions.

Avital Meets Avital

The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

The Orchestra’s signature baroque series explores the genesis of orchestral repertoire from early Baroque through the pre-classical period.

Avi Avital & The Four Seasons

Colburn School

Get to know Avi Avital, the GRAMMY-award nominated Israeli mandolin virtuoso.  He’s known for both Baroque and jazz compositions, and will be alongside LACO musicians in this very special performance at a beautiful private residence.

Avi Avital

Mandolinist

Events

Past events

5 - 6 Dec, 2024

Bach Reimagined · Minnesota Orchestra

Nov 17, 2024

Jews & Music Bach, Bloch, and Beyond · Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale

Future and recently performed repertoire

Mandolin in Time and Again by Jacobsen

San Francisco Performances

Mandolin in Mandolin Concerto by Higdon

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Mandolin in The Four Seasons by Vivaldi

Philharmonic Society of Orange County

Mandolin in Mandolin Concerto by Dorman

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

About

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