The Israeli mandolin player Avi Avital (born 1978) graduated from the Jerusalem Music Academy and specialized at the Padua Conservatory.
He has played with major orchestras, such as the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rostov State Theatre Soloists, I Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, the Ingolstadt Kammerorchester and the New York Metropolis Ensemble, and under the baton of such illustrious conductors as Mastislav Rostropovitch, Asher Fisch and Philippe Entremont.
In 2007, Avi Avital won the first prize at Israel's prestigious competition for soloists, the "Aviv competition - Doris and Mori Arkin Award", thus becoming the first mandolin player in the history of the competition to achieve this recognition. He has received in the following year a special award from the Israeli Minister of Culture and an ECHO Prize for his recording with David Orlowsky Trio for Sony BMG.
His intense artistic activity includes numerous international appearances, with performances in concerts throughout Europe, the USA and South-East Asia.
He has been invited to give lectures and Master Classes at the Conservatorio Verdi di Milano, Stanford University (California), the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel and at New York's Julliard School of Music.
His innate curiosity of all aspects of music - from experimental to ancient music, passing through world music - has made him one of the most multi-faceted mandolin-players of our time.