The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Avi Avital's remarkable virtuosity from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary compositions has reignited fascination with the mandolin as an instrument worthy of center stage. Avi discusses the intuitive nature of a plucked instrument and how it still excites him to this day, why he finds boredom a blessing, and how his poor pick grip is recognizable by a select group of mandolinists. Reflecting on his childhood performances with his local youth orchestra, Avi shares how the social aspect kept him playing despite his hatred for the tedious and solitary nature of practice, something he still feels to this day despite his talent and success. Avi considers two turning points in his musical development, the first while in high school when he fell in love with the rock music of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and learned how to play drums, keyboard, and guitar, and the second while attending a performance of Il Giardino Armonico at a Jerusalem theater while studying at The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. To close it out David admits that if he hears the mandolin in Mozart's Don Giovanni, he's in trouble!

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Photograph of Avi Avital by Christoph Köstlin.

The Speaking Soundly theme song is composed by Joseph Saba/Stewart Winter and used by permission of Videohelper.

Speaking Soundly was co-created by David Krauss and Jessica Handelman. 

This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format.

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