Throughout his career, Avi Avital has been drawn to collaboration with musicians across a wide spectrum of genres. This is a natural and logical result of his advocacy of the mandolin — itself an instrument whose ambiguous and flexible identity is at home in contexts as varied as the Italian Baroque, klezmer, folk and jazz. The vision underlying the Between Worlds project originated in connection with Avital’s 2014 release, Between Worlds, which considered examples of the links between folk and classical traditions in Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas. 

Between Worlds embodied the initial phase of Avital’s ongoing quest to explore both the vitality of folk traditions and the ways in which these have shaped both cultural identity and the development of modern ideals of art music. “From the moment I conceived this project, I have felt it as a calling,” says the mandolinist. “I feel like my whole musical life has been leading up to this.” 

Celebrating the heritage of unique national musical styles associated with specific geographies is only one dimension of Avital’s ongoing project. A central impetus for his vision is to bring together unique configurations of contemporary performers who defy conventional borders and expectations by sharing their expertise in traditional, classical and popular styles. The vitality they generate from blending and conversing in multiple musical dialects opens ears and hearts to a more generous embrace of our shared humanity.   

Avital is in the process of curating six programs for his Between Worlds Ensemble (BWE) that home in on geographical regions, each of which is stamped with a distinctive cultural identity molded by multicultural exchange: the Iberian Peninsula, the Black Sea, and the Italian Peninsula are the topics for the three programmes they are presenting this season. The interplay of styles that will be explored will fascinate and thrill audiences of all ages.

A different assortment of vocalists and instrumentalists joins with the BWE players in each programme to illustrate the living legacy of folk traditions at play. They interact with the ensemble to generate new musical hybrids, mirroring the process of classical composers from the past. But where the art music nourished by these sources has often become too familiar to surprise us, these fresh encounters with authentic exponents of the folk traditions, who will perform specially crafted new arrangements, promise to restore something of its innovative edge.

The BWE comprises ten musicians whose backgrounds are especially suited to this radical versatility, including the collaborations with a group of guest artists unique to each of the project’s programmes. At the core of the BWE is the mandolin — “an incredibly versatile instrument that is at home in almost any kind of music you put it to,” as Avital puts it. The mandolin “leads you to the most exciting discoveries, yet always stays true to itself. The sense of being at home in places that seem foreign, and even of discovering aspects of yourself there, is an idea that I find very moving. And that philosophy is at the heart of this project.”