Israeli virtuoso mandolist Avi Avital performs with harpist Bridget Kibbey during a performance of “Suite Strings” as part of the “Russell Hill Rogers Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral” presented by Musical Bridges Around the World. The unique combination of mandolin and harp of these two virtuosos brings to life a program ranging from Bach to folk tunes from Spain to the Middle East to South America. A dessert reception with the artists follows the performance.
Avital is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of mandolin repertory. More than 90 contemporary compositions, 15 of them concertos, have been written for him, while his inspired re-imaginings of music for other instruments include arrangements heard on some of his recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. As well as appearing frequently in the major concert halls of Europe, including the Royal Albert Hall, Berlin Philharmonie and Vienna Konzerthaus, Avital has exploded onto the U.S. stage with debuts with the St. Louis Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
In demand as a soloist and chamber musician alongside today’s top artists, Kibbey is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist Award, among others. She is the only harpist to win a position with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II. “Bridget Kibbey makes it seem as though her instrument had been waiting all its life to explode with the gorgeous colors and energetic figures she was getting from it,” wrote The New York Times.