Katja Deiß

"I didn't look for the mandolin: it found me." By chance, as a child, Avi Avital discovered a passion for this modest stringed instrument, traditionally associated with popular music and amateur performances. His first teacher, a violinist by profession, inspired him to defy the limits of genre and learn to play classical music. The Israeli musician has now become the mandolin's greatest ambassador, performing sensitive arrangements of baroque pieces the world over.

"I didn't look for the mandolin: it found me." By chance, as a child, Avi Avital discovered a passion for this modest stringed instrument, traditionally associated with popular music and amateur performances. His first teacher, a violinist by profession, inspired him to defy the limits of genre and learn to play classical music. The Israeli musician has now become the mandolin's greatest ambassador, performing sensitive arrangements of baroque pieces the world over.