»This is the kind of moment that can change your day...
as pretty and heaven-sent as a soft spring shower...
you’ll find it hard not to be enchanted by Sariel’s profound artistry...
This is Bach-playing for the ages.«
Lindsey Kemp, Gramophone Magazine
Biography
Alon Sariel is an Israeli-born, Vienna-based mandolinist, lutenist and conductor whose artistry defies categorization. The Vancouver Sun praised his “dazzling virtuosity,” while Gramophone described his acclaimed Plucked Bach series on PENTATONE as “highly poetic,” and Diapason highlighted his refined continuo playing at the Opéra Royal de Versailles.
Equally at home on modern and historical instruments, Sariel appears at leading venues such as Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City and Sala São Paulo, and at major festivals including Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Utrecht Early Music, the Handel Festivals in Göttingen and Halle, and the Schubertiade Tamba.
With well over a thousand performances in more than 35 countries, Sariel has established an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor and artistic director. Collaborations include the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, the Thüringen Philharmonie, the Västerås Sinfonietta and the English Chamber Orchestra.
His debut recording Telemandolin received the OPUS Klassik Award for Best 18th-Century Concerto Recording. His album Vienna Mandolin Stories, recorded with the Kölner Akademie under Michael Alexander Willens, features rediscovered works by Ernest Krähmer alongside music by Mozart, Haydn and Sariel himself. The recently published final instalment of his acclaimed Plucked Bach trilogy was selected as an Editor’s Choice by Gramophone and received numerous international distinctions.
Sariel’s repertoire spans from early to contemporary music, often illuminating lesser-known voices between his artistic lodestars Bach and Mozart. Alongside his solo and chamber activities, he increasingly conducts both from the instrument and with the baton.
He serves as Early Music Curator for Styriarte Graz and as Artistic Director of the concert series at ’t Huis te Poort (Netherlands), is a committee member of the International Handel Festival Göttingen, and acts as a goodwill ambassador for the animal-welfare organization Pro Animale.
Discography
Alon Sariel has released an extensive discography - from solo albums to various chamber music formations and orchestral productions.
You can find a full discography on the artis's website:
>> discography
Current Recordings
Plucked Bach
Continuing his acclaimed Plucked Bach series, Alon Sariel’s third album featuring music of J. S. Bach on various plucked instruments has just been released on PENTATONE.
International critical response has been enthusiastic, most recently with Gramophone selecting Sariel’s performance of the C major Prelude from Book I of The Well-Tempered Clavier as its "Video of the Day".
Vienna Mandolin Stories
In 2025, Alon Sariel’s first concerto album Vienna Mandolin Stories was released on PENTATONE, featuring the Kölner Akademie under the direction of Michael Alexander Willens. The recording brings to light the works for mandolin and orchestra by the Viennese composer Ernest Krähmer – rediscovered after more than 200 years in the Bavarian State Library. These newly unearthed treasures are paired with Haydn’s "Mandolin Concerto" – Sariel’s own creation, based on various orchestral works by Joseph Haydn.
English Chamber Orchestra Recently, Alon Sariel recorded the mandolin concerto written for him by Nimrod Borenstein together with the English Chamber Orchestra. The release is expected soon.
Videos
Photo Download
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