Avi Kaplan

Avriel Benjamin "Avi" Kaplan (born April 17, 1989) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for his deep bass voice, and for his tenure as the vocal bass of the a cappella group Pentatonix from 2011 to 2017. As a part of the group, he has released five studio albums, won three Grammy Awards, and sold over six million albums.
In June 2017, Kaplan released his solo debut EP "Sage and Stone", released under the name Avriel & the Sequoias and more oriented towards folk, in which he also plays guitar. In March 2019, he premiered a new song, "Change on the Rise," now resuming using the name Avi Kaplan. His second EP, "I'll Get By", was released in February 2020.
Early life and education.
Avriel Benjamin Kaplan was born on April 17, 1989, in Visalia, California, where he was also raised. He has a brother, Joshua Kaplan, and a sister, Esther Koop, who is Pentatonix's tour manager as of April 2018. He is Jewish, which was the cause of repeated bullying as a child. 
Kaplan loved folk music, and frequently went to the nearby Sequoia National Park, which became an inspiration for his music. He considers his earliest musical inspirations to be Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Bill Withers. Later inspirations include Iron & Wine, Bon Iver, Ben Harper, and José González.
After graduating high school, Kaplan attended Mt. San Antonio College, where he studied opera and choral studies. The college is known for its strong choral and a cappella programs.
Career.
Early career (2009-2011).
Before joining Pentatonix, Kaplan was already an accomplished a cappella artist, performing in the styles of jazz and opera among others. During his time in college, he joined the all-male a cappella group Fermata Nowhere. In 2009, the group became the first community college act to win the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs). During the finals, he won the award for "Best Rhythm Section", making him the first vocal bass to receive the award. Before his victory, the award was called "Best Vocal Percussionist". In his junior year of college, he joined the vocal jazz ensemble Singcopation"." In his first year as a member, the ensemble won the Monterrey Jazz Festival Competition.
Pentatonix (2011-2017).
Kaplan joined Pentatonix in 2011, when original members Kirstin Maldonado, Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying were searching for a bass singer and a beatboxer. The group met the day before the auditions for the third season of "The Sing-Off" began. The group successfully auditioned for the show and eventually went on to win the title for 2011 (season three). Kaplan acted as the group's vocal bass, but frequently sang lead parts as well.
As a member of Pentatonix, Kaplan won three Grammy awards. On February 8, 2015, Pentatonix won their first Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for their Daft Punk medley. On February 15, 2016, Pentatonix won their second Grammy in the same category for their rendition of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, which was featured on their holiday album, "That's Christmas to Me". On February 12, 2017, Pentatonix won their third Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their cover of "Jolene," which featured Dolly Parton.
Post-Pentatonix solo projects (2017-present).
On April 29, 2017, Kaplan released his first solo song, "Fields and Pier," under the name Avriel & the Sequoias. His debut EP, "Sage and Stone", was released on June 9, 2017.
On May 12, 2017, Kaplan announced that he would be leaving Pentatonix following their scheduled tour. In a video announcing his departure, he stated that although he loved being in the group, it was difficult for him to keep up with the group's demanding schedule, which required him to spend less time with his family. His final show with Pentatonix was held at the Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Junction, Vermont on September 3, 2017.
In October 2019, Kaplan announced a European tour, his first since leaving Pentatonix. On November 5, 2019, he announced an upcoming EP, "I'll Get By", set to be released January 24, 2020, along with an accompanying tour. On January 21, 2020, the release was postponed to February 28 as a result of being signed to Fantasy Records.
Personal life.
Kaplan is the co-founder of A Cappella Academy, a summer camp established in 2014 for 12-18 year-old kids to learn about a cappella music and performance.
Tours.
Kaplan embarked on his first solo live shows with 'Nashville Residency' at The Basement in Nashville, TN. It was a series of five shows over the course of three weeks in April 2019. All five shows were sold out. He was accompanied by Daniel Ellsworth (piano/vocals), Jeremy Lister (guitar/vocals), Jonathan Lister (drums/vocals) and Kaleb Thomas Jones (bass guitar/vocals). The Lister brothers and Jones are also members of Street Corner Symphony.
In July 2019, Kaplan began the Otherside Tour which took him to California, Washington State, Oregon. The tour continued in August 2019 going to New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. 
Daniel Ellsworth played an opening set at the Troubadour, LA on July 10, 2019 and at the Aladdin Theater, OR on July 15, 2019.
In October 2019, tickets went on sale for Kaplan's I’ll Get By Tour in Europe and in November 2019, the tickets for North America went on sale. Tour dates have been announced for the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the UK, the USA and Canada. In January 2020, it was publicized that the Indie-Folk duo Paper Wings would be joining Kaplan for the U.S. dates of the tour. During the I'll Get By Tour in Europe & North America Kaplan was accompanied on stage by Kaleb Thomas Jones (bass guitar/vocals) and Noah Denney (drums/vocals).