Welcome to the 2007 Jewish Music Festival
Avi Avital
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Avi Avital is an Israeli mandolin master who recently won first prize of the international competition for plucked strings “Città di Voghera” (Italy); and has played solo with the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Milano and others.
He has also garnered first prize in the “Giovani Talenti” (Italy), the Tzvi Rotenberg National String Instruments competition (Israel), the Paul Ben-Haim National competition (Israel), the Sharon Tavor – Pintz competition for Soloists (Israel) and the Edna Sarny competitions (Israel). He has been awarded scholarships from the America – Israel Cultural Foundation and from the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is a graduate of the Jerusalem Music Academy and Conservatorio Cesare Pollini of Padove.
Avital performs widely in Israel, Europe and the Far East. His Festival appearances include the First International Rondella Festival 2004 (The Philippines), Les Muséiques 2005, directed by Gideon Kremer, (Switzerland), Ravenna Festival 2004, directed by Riccardo Muti (Italy), and the Fourth International EGM Plucked Strings Festival (Germany).
He dedicates a large portion of his musical activity to performing and creating New Music and is often involved with Contemporary Dance, Theatre, Video Art and Electronic Music. He has played over 25 premieres of mandolin pieces by contemporary composers such as Ramon Santus, Leon Schidlowsky, Claudio Lugo, Yehezkel Braun, Abel Ehrlich, Zvi Avni and others.
Avital is a member of traditional and contemporary chamber ensembles with whom he has recorded many albums. Those include the Kerman Mandolin Quartet, Three Plucked Strings (mandolin, guitar and harpsichord), Kaprizma Ensemble (Israel), Dissonanzen Ensemble (Italy) and David Orlowsky’s Klezmorim Quartet (Germany). Since 2004 he has performed regularly with the renowned clarinetist Giora Feidman, as a member of his Sextet.
- Aires de Sefarad
- Avi Avital
- Community Music Day
- Diaspora Blues
- Ensemble Lucidarium
- Klezmer Buenos Aires - Lerner Moguilevsky Duo
- Noa
- Opening Night: Musical Fortunes
- Pharaoh’s Daughter
- Poetry Slam on the theme of Diaspora
archives- Major Sponsors
- Alliance for California Traditional Arts
- Anisman/Sherman Family and Julie Sherman
- Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment Fund
- Creative Work Fund
- East Bay Community Foundation-Fund for Artists
- Gaia Fund
- Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund
- Gottesman-Biddle Family Philanthropic Fund (JCEF)
- Guzik Foundation
- Walter and Elise Haas Fund
- The Jewish Community Foundation and the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
- Taube Foundation for Jewish Life and Culture (JCEF)
- Lufthansa German Airlines (Official Airline Sponsor)
- Koret Foundation
- Kurz Family Foundation
- San Francisco Foundation
- The Milton and Sophie Meyer Fund