MANDOLINIST AVI AVITAL AND
PIANIST DAVID GREILSAMMER
Bring New Voice to Core Repertoire
In Chicago Debut February 20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 3, 2015
PHOTOS
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PRESS CONTACT
Amy Iwano
Executive Director
University of Chicago Presents
773.702.8068
CHICAGO – Mandolinist Avi Avital and pianist David Greilsammer make their Chicago collaborative debut on Friday, February 20th, 7:30 PM at the Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall in a program of Mozart, Berg, Bach, Pärt, and Bartók.
Building a fresh legacy for the mandolin through virtuosic performance and distinctive new repertoire, Avi Avital will reimagine works originally composed for violin and piano through performances on the mandolin. Of Bach’s music, Avital says, “It is the absolute nature of Bach’s music that has given me the freedom to offer these interpretations on the mandolin. This music goes far beyond any given instrument.”
Known for his fascinating and eclectic programs, conductor and pianist David Greilsammer is recognized as one of today’s most imaginative and audacious artists. Last December, the New York Times selected his album “Mozart In-Between” (Sony Classical) as one of the best recordings of the year. The newspaper had already awarded his previous album, “Baroque Conversations” among the best albums of 2012, and his New York recital was selected as one of the most interesting musical events of the year.
98.7 WFMT, Chicago’s classical and fine arts music station, will air an Impromptu program featuring Avital at 10:00 AM, earlier that day.
FRIDAY / FEBRUARY 20 / 7:30 PM / LOGAN CENTER FOR THE ARTS PERFORMANCE HALL
Avi Avital and David Greilsammer
Mozart: Sonata K. 301 in G Major
Berg: Piano Sonata, Op. 1
Bach: Sonata No. 6 in G Major, BWV. 1019
Bach: Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV. 1004
Mozart: Fantasia in C minor, K. 475
Pärt: Fratres
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Tickets: $25 / $5 all students (with I.D.)
Available at UChicago Arts Box Office, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th Street. Call 773.702.ARTS (2787) or visit ticketsweb.uchicago.edu
Visit chicagopresents.uchicago.edu for more information
ABOUT AVI AVITAL
GRAMMY®-nominated mandolinist Avi Avital is one of the world’s most exciting and enterprising musicians, deeply committed to building a fresh legacy for the mandolin through virtuosic performance and distinctive new repertoire while celebrating the instrument’s classical roots. Equally proficient in numerous musical genres, he continually challenges perceptions and expectations of his instrument and has established a reputation on the international classical music scene as a riveting performer, an inspiring musical collaborator and a respected recording artist.
Avital was born in Beer Sheva, Israel, in 1978. He began learning the mandolin at the age of eight and soon joined the city’s flourishing mandolin youth orchestra founded and directed by his teacher, Russian-born violinist Simcha Nathanson. His initial studies were focused on learning to play the violin repertoire on the mandolin. He later graduated from the Jerusalem Music Academy and the Conservatorio Cesare Pollini in Padova, Italy, where he studied the original mandolin repertoire with Ugo Orlandi. In 2013 he was the recipient of a generous grant from Salon De Virtuosi. Mr. Avital lives in Berlin.
ABOUT DAVID GREILSAMMER
David Greilsammer studied at The Juilliard School with Yoheved Kaplinsky, in addition to working with pianist Richard Goode. Since 2013, David Greilsammer is Music and Artistic Director of the GenevaCamerata (GECA) and is “Artist in Residence” both at the Saint-Etienne Opera in France and the Meitar Ensemble in Tel Aviv.
Since 2013, David Greilsammer is Music and Artistic Director of the GenevaCamerata (GECA). With this innovative orchestra, he gives more than thirty concerts this season, including performances in Berlin, Paris and London, and Gstaad. David Greilsammer also presents with GECA singular collaborations with dancers, painters, video artists, actors, and jazz musicians. David Greilsammer has recently conducted the ensemble in programs featuring soloists such as Steven Isserlis, Emmanuel Pahud, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Andreas Scholl, and Daniel Hope.
Since 2013, David Greilsammer is “Artist in Residence” both at the Saint-Etienne Opera in France and the Meitar Ensemble in Tel Aviv.
ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESENTS
Now celebrating its 71st year of bringing the world's best artists to Chicago, The University of Chicago Presents offers 29 unique performances in seven distinct series in the 2014/15 season, from early music to classical, contemporary, and jazz. This season celebrates the richness that music has to offer with unrivaled musical experiences that bring passion and virtuosity to the stage.