Segovia for his championship of his
instrument and to Jascha Heifetz for his
incredible virtuosity. Called “explosively
charismatic” by The New York Times in
live performance, he is a driving force
behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin
repertoire. More than 100 contemporary
compositions have been written for him.
In 2019–20, Avital returns to Carnegie
Hall and makes his debut at Walt Disney
Hall as part of a North American tour with
Les Violons du Roy. Recent appearances
in the U.S. include his debut in Carnegie
Hall’s Stern Auditorium and performances
with the Chicago, Montreal, Detroit and
St. Louis symphony orchestras; the San
Diego and Seattle symphonies; and the Los
Angeles Philharmonic.
An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon
artist, his recordings include original
concerti and transcriptions by Vivaldi; his
own Bach concerto transcriptions; and
Between Worlds, a cross-generic chamber
collection exploring the nexus between
classical and traditional music.
Avital’s music-making has electrified
audiences in performances around the
world. He has worked with conductors
such as Zubin Mehta, Kent Nagano,
Osmo Vänskä, Ton Koopman and
Giovanni Antonini and performed in
halls such as the Berlin Philharmonie,
Zurich’s Tonhalle, Paris Philharmonie,
Vienna Konzerthaus and the Royal
Albert Hall.
Born in Israel, Avital began learning the
mandolin at the age of eight. He graduated
from the Jerusalem Music Academy and
the Conservatorio Cesare Pollini in Padua,
Italy. He plays on a mandolin made by
Israeli luthier Arik Kerman.
Avi Avital makes his BSO debut.
About the Concert
CO-PRESENTED BY
in cooperation with the
League of American Orchestras
March 23–29, 2020
D.C.’s future-facing festival of
symphonic innovation returns!
$25 tickets to all Kennedy Center
Concert Hall performances
Jacksonville
Symphony Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra
Knoxville Symphony
Orchestra Orpheus Chamber
Orchestra
Plus thrilling free concerts, educational events, and
community activities all around the city
Tickets and info at (202) 467-4600 or SHIFTfestival.org
For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries,
call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.
SYMPHONY NO. 80 IN D MINOR Generous support of the SHIFT Festival is provided through a matching grant from
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; by Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather;
and by The Centene Charitable Foundation.
Franz Joseph Haydn SHIFT is supported in part by Betsy and Robert Feinberg, the National Endowment for the Arts,
Galena-Yorktown Foundation, and Tom Gallagher.
Born in Rohrau, Austria, March 31, 1732;
died in Vienna, Austria, May 31, 1809
During the nearly 30 years that
Joseph Haydn served as the leader of
music at the Esterházy court on the
The performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is made possible in part by Susan S. Angell.
His Excellency Santiago Cabanas, Ambassador of Spain, is the honorary patron of this engagement.
The performance by the Knoxville Symphony is made possible by Jeanne Weaver Ruesch and
The Honorable Mary V. Mochary and Dr. Philip E. Wine.
M A R – A P R 2020 / OV E R T U R E
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