Yoni Avi Battat is an American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer born in Woodbridge, Connecticut. He specializes in contemporary and traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Yoni is a classically trained viola player, with a Bachelor’s from Brandeis University, a Master’s from Boston University and traditional Middle-Eastern musical traditions in Jerusalem. After completing his degrees, he has performed with several orchestras and chamber ensembles, such as the New Haven Symphony, Boston Philharmonic, Juventas Ensemble, and ALEA III.
He maintains an active performance schedule across the United States, playing violin, viola, and oud (middle-eastern lute) in collaborative and interdisciplinary projects spanning a wide range of styles.
Yoni has performed across the United States, Canada, Israel, Portugal, and Italy with artists and ensembles such as Earth, Wind and Fire, Yair Dalal, Shai Tsabari, Nava Tehila, VSNY, and Di Gasn Trio. He also toured the United States as an actor and violinist with the Tony Award-winning musical, “The Band’s Visit”
In 2015, Yoni founded his own Yiddish-Jazz band called Two Shekel Swing that released a debut album titled “Pocket Change.”
Yoni works as a song leader, facilitating musical prayer in Jewish communities, and is a fellow with Hadar’s Rising Song Institute.
In 2022, Yoni released “Fragments“, his debut album where he delved into his Iraqi-Jewish roots. Fragments offers visibility and recognition for the many unseen Middle Eastern Jews in the United States, while making room for listeners of all backgrounds to take something from his message.
“For many years,” Battat said, “I have felt like I am rediscovering the music, language, and traditions of my family as an outsider. But through my creative process, I have learned to recognize that fragmentation is a valid and meaningful part of my experience in this world—both in its pain and in its beauty. As you reflect on your own fragmentation, perhaps you too might be able to tap into the healing power of this music, using your imagination to fill in the cracks between the missing pieces of your own stories.”
(headline image: Yoni Avi Battat – Photo by Edoardo Carpenedo)
Discography:
Fragments (2022)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.