Mandolin maestro Avi Avital finally gets to play in Hong Kong
There is something exciting about walking onto a stage, feeling the energy and knowing that people are hearing the mandolin being played live for the first time, Israeli musician says
Performing in Hong Kong has been on Avi Avital's wish list for a long time - and now it's coming true. The Israeli-born mandolin player who's been wowing audiences worldwide with his energetic playing style plays City Hall in November, accompanied by the Cologne Academy.
And it’s about time Avital played in the city – he’s already performed in China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
“One of the privileges of being a musician is you get to tour the world. It’s exciting,” says Avital, who in 2010 was the first mandolin player to receive a Grammy nomination.
He says his love for the mandolin started as a child. “A special youth mandolin orchestra, about 40 kids, visited my hometown … I was eight years old and was captivated from the moment I heard them.”