“A first-class virtuoso had the instrument in his hands at the symphony concert: Jacob Reuven mastered even the most extreme technical demands with effortless brilliance and unshakeable authority.”
— Rheinische Post
Jacob Reuven is one of today’s leading classical mandolin virtuosos and a foremost specialist in the interpretation of violin repertoire on the mandolin. Celebrated for his distinctive artistic voice, technical command, and imaginative musicianship, his performances combine expressive depth with uncompromising musical precision.
As a soloist, Reuven has appeared with many of the world’s most distinguished orchestras, including the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Hamburg State Opera, BBC Philharmonic, Orchestra della Comunitat Valenciana, Münchener Kammerorchester, Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Palermo, and La Piazza Venezia. He has collaborated with eminent conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Mstislav Rostropovich, Antonio Pappano, Mendi Rodan and Omer Meir Wellber.
Reuven’s discography includes recordings for major labels such as Hyperion, Naxos, and Farao-classics, featuring acclaimed interpretations of Bach’s Violin Partitas, Ysaÿe’s Sonatas, and Paganini’s Caprices. Most recently, he recorded Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, ingeniously adapted for mandolin, in a novel chamber-orchestral realization with the Great Necks Guitar Trio, in which the orchestral score was reimagined for three classical guitars. In a separate project, Reuven collaborated with conductor Omer Meir Wellber and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig on The Mandolin Seasons (Hyperion). Gramophone magazine praised the recording, writing:
“Reuven’s mandolin take on The Four Seasons presents a panoply of colours, thanks to a holy trinity of a modern instrument, his own mandolin technique, and shedloads of imagination.”
A deeply committed chamber musician, Reuven has formed a long-standing artistic partnership with classical guitarist Adam Levin as Duo Mantar. Performing together since 2017, the duo has built an international career centered on commissioning and performing new works by leading contemporary Israeli composers. Their projects include ‘Rachel’s Mandolin’, inspired by heroic female figures such as Rachela Olewski; ‘New Seasons’, a reimagining of Vivaldi’s and Piazzolla’s seasonal cycles through a contemporary lens; and an upcoming monographic recording project dedicated to the complete mandolin-and-guitar works of Israeli-American composer Avner Dorman — spanning concerti and chamber music for mandolin, guitar, and orchestra, as well as works with string quartet and for mandolin-guitar duo. Duo Mantar’s debut album, ‘Music from the Promised Land’ (Naxos), reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Traditional Classical Music Chart, where it remained at the top for three consecutive weeks.
Alongside his work in expanding the repertoire for the mandolin through commissions, premieres, and recordings, Reuven is an internationally active pedagogue who gives masterclasses worldwide and represents the Israeli mandolin school’s classical tradition and violin-repertoire focus. He currently performs on an instrument by revolutionary Israeli builders Arik and Yami Kerman. Reuven is a graduate of the Be’er Sheva Music Conservatory, a graduate with distinction of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and a prizewinner of numerous international competitions. Since 2016, he has served as Instructor of Mandolin at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where his students have won international competitions.
