BAR AVNI
CONDUCTOR
LA MAESTRA COMPETITION 2024
1st Prize
Echo Prize
Arte Prize
The Paris Mozart Orchestra Prize
The French concert-halls and orchestras Prize
© Julien Mignot
NEW ALBUM - OUT 27TH FEBRUARY 2026 - RELEASED BY ALPHA CLASSICS
ABOUT BAR
THE BREAKTHROUGH. In 2024, Avni won the La Maestra competition in Paris, receiving four additional prizes. Her fruitful artistic collaboration with the Paris Mozart Orchestra led to her appointment as Associated Artist.
THE FIRST ALBUM. “Symphonies in 3 Movements” was released by Alpha Classics in 2026 with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, bringing together works by Charlotte Sohy, Darius Milhaud, C. P. E. Bach, and Igor Stravinsky. The album was praised by Gramophone for showcasing “a musician with fresh things to say about both programming and interpretation,” and described as “a unique collection, well worth exploring.”
THE HIGHLIGHTS. During the 2025/26 season, Bar conducted the world premiere of The White Book by Laura Bowler, featuring a text by Nobel Prize laureate Han Kang and written for and performed by Barbara Hannigan. The work was co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, and Copenhagen Philharmonic. The premiere received outstanding reviews: “As conductor Bar Avni drew the music to a close in a shimmer of strings, you could have heard a pin drop.” — The Guardian
THE 26/27 SEASON. Bar opens the season of the Rotterdam Philharmonic with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and makes her debuts with the Dresden Philharmonic with Vadim Gluzman, the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse with Bertrand Chamayou, the Vienna Radio Symphony with Rafał Blechacz, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic with Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, the Toronto Symphony with Ryan Wang, and more. She also conducts the New Year’s concerts with the Düsseldorf Symphony and returns to the Orchestre de Paris with Midori. Her ongoing collaboration with the Basel Chamber Orchestra continues with concerts featuring Fazil Say in Switzerland and Italy.
THE OUTREACH. Beyond the concert hall, Bar is deeply committed to outreach and education. She leads workshops in schools, hospitals, and corporate settings, exploring conducting as a powerful tool for communication and as a means of developing body awareness, nonverbal expression, and self-confidence.
THE JOURNEY. Born in Israel and originally trained as a percussionist, Bar studied conducting with Yoav Talmi, Martin Sieghart, and Ulrich Windfuhr. She thrives thanks to mentors such as Barbara Hannigan and Ayelet Geva. From 2021 to 2024, she served as Chief Conductor of the Bayer Philharmoniker as part of her residency with Bayer Kultur. In 2026, she continues her artistic development as a Villa Albertine Artist in Residence.
