NICOLA BENEDETTI - Violin |
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BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004, violinist Nicola Benedetti has captivated audiences and critics with her performances and poise, leading the London Times to call her a shining beacon for the beleaguered cause of classical music.
An exclusive Universal/Deutsche Grammophon artist, Nicola recorded her debut album with Daniel Harding and the London Symphony Orchestra. It features Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 1, the same work which catapulted her to nationwide fame after she performed it to win Britain's prestigious title of BBC Young Musician of the Year. It also includes shorter pieces by Brahms, Chausson, Massenet, Saint-Saens and a commissioned work by John Tavener. Released in Europe in May 2005, the disc received critical acclaim and was No.1 on the BBC Music charts, and was released in the United States in March 2006. In the 2005-2006 season, Nicola performs a list of high profile engagements including her BBC Prom debut in London and concerts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Her U.S. debut tour began with a performance for the exclusive Academy of Achievement Summit at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center and continued in recital at New York's Merkin Hall and with the La Jolla Music Society, along with orchestral performances including the Greenville Symphony. She returned to the United States in Spring 2006 for a recital on Ravinia's Rising Stars series and a performance at the Kravis Center in Florida, among others. Throughout the 2004-2005 season, Nicola took part in many prestigious engagements, including her solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall and events in Windsor Castle and for Her Majesty the Queen and at the Opening Ceremony of the Scottish Parliament. Further performances included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, with whom she recently recorded her second DG disc featuring Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto No. 1 and a commissioned work by James MacMillan. In early 2006, she performed for Colin Powell at the Jewish National Fund meetings in Glasgow, and in the Spring, she was featured in a BBC documentary broadcast throughout the United Kingdom. Her upcoming and recent engagements include performances with the English Chamber Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, the Deutsches Sinfonie Orchester, the Mostly Mozart Festival with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to her performance and recording activities, Nicola has devoted herself to humanitarian and educational causes. In 2005, she undertook a tour of schools throughout the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Sargent Cancer Care for Children Practice, in which she encouraged pupils of all ages to pick up instruments and enjoy classical music. Nicola is also a UNICEF Supporter. Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five. In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Nicola left the Yehudi Menuhin School at the end of 2002 and has since been studying privately with Maciej Rakowski, whilst living in London and enjoying her busy schedule. Nicola plays the Earl Spencer Stradivarius violin. |