| Nicola Benedetti MBE |
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Nicola Benedetti at Royal Albert Hall
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| Background information | |
| Born | 20 July 1987 West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, Scotland |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Violinist |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Deutsche Grammophon Universal Classics and Jazz Decca Records |
| Website | www |
Nicola Benedetti MBE (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical violinist.
Contents
Early life and education[edit]
Benedetti was born in West Kilbride, North Ayrshire, to an Italian father and a Scottish mother.[1] She started learning to play the violin at the age of four. At age eight, she became the leader of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain.[2] By the age of nine, she had already passed the eight grades of musical examinations while attending the independent Wellington School, Ayr,[3] and in September 1997 began to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School for young musicians under Lord Menuhin and Natasha Boyarskaya in rural Surrey, England.[4]
At the end of her first year (1998), she played solo in the school's annual concert at Wigmore Hall, and performed in London and Paris as a soloist in Bach's Double Violin Concerto (together with Alina Ibragimova). She played in a memorial concert at Westminster Abbey celebrating the life and work of Yehudi Menuhin.
Career[edit]
In 1999, Benedetti performed for the anniversary celebrations at Holyrood Palace with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in the presence of HRH The Prince Edward.
In 2000, Benedetti performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Opera.
She played to the Prince again in 2001 when she performed a concerto with the London Mozart Players at St. James's Palace. Subsequent performances followed with the City of London Sinfonia, as well as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, etc.[5]
In August 2002, she won the United Kingdom's Brilliant Prodigy Competition, broadcast by Carlton Television. She left the Menuhin School shortly after, and at the age of 15 began studying privately with Maciej Rakowski, former leader of the English Chamber Orchestra.[6]
In September 2012, she played at the Last Night of the Proms.
In the New Year Honours 2013 Benedetti was as a appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to music and charity.[7]
"Playing with Passion"[edit]
In spring 2003, Benedetti, invited as a soloist by the London Symphony Orchestra, participated in the recording of the DVD titled "Barbie of Swan Lake" at Abbey Road Studios. In October 2003, as the extra feature on this DVD, "Playing With Passion" was filmed and released by Mattel. BBC Scotland, using this DVD, created a documentary on Benedetti, which was broadcast on television in the U.K. in March 2004.
BBC Young Musician of the Year[edit]
At the age of 16, she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition in May 2004, performing Karol Szymanowski's First Violin Concerto in the final at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.[8][9] Because of this victory, she won the music section of the Top Scot award in December 2005.[10]
At the end of 2004, she agreed to a £1m six album recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Group Classics and Jazz.[11]
Trio[edit]
Aside from solo performances, Benedetti performs in a trio with her boyfriend the German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, and Russian pianist Alexei Grynyuk.[12]
Discography[edit]
Albums[edit]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Classical | ||
| Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1 |
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— | 1[13] |
| Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto |
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— | 2[14] |
| Vaughan Williams and Tavener |
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— | — |
| Fantasie |
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— | 1[15] |
| Tchaikovsky and Bruch: Violin Concertos |
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— | — |
| Italia |
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— | — |
| The Silver Violin |
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32 | — |
| My First Decade |
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— | — |
| Homecoming - A Scottish Fantasy |
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19 | 1 |
Honorary degree[edit]
On 27 November 2007, Benedetti was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by Glasgow Caledonian University. She is one of the youngest recipients of such an award. On 23 November 2011, Benedetti received an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ "Nicola Benedetti". Scotland is the Place. Retrieved 2010-09-29.
- ^ Nicola Benedetti, interviewed during BBC Radio 3 broadcast of 2012 BBC Proms (aired Sunday 5 August 2012)
- ^ "Violinist Nicola Benedetti Named BBC Young Musician of the Year". Classicalsource.com. 5 May 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ [2][dead link]
- ^ Jessica Werb. "Benedetti makes music, not stardom, priority". The Georgia Straight - Vancouver News and Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60367. p. 15. 29 December 2012.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "BBC NEWS - Entertainment - Violinist, 16, wins musical title". News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "Rankin the toast of Scotland as fans sing his praises". Living.scotsman.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ [4][dead link]
- ^ "BBC Radio Three Lunchtime Concert". London Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ "Violinist Benedetti, 18, to perform in La Jolla - The San Diego Union-Tribune". Signonsandiego.com. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ [5][dead link]
- ^ "Nicola Hits The Top Spot With New Album". Dailyrecord. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "Violinist Nicola Benedetti debuts in Rome". italianjournal.it. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
External links[edit]
- New Classical Tracks: Nicola Benedetti by Julie Amacher, Minnesota Public Radio 9 May 2006
- On-line video interview for Czech TV (5. 12. 2010)
- Nicola Benedetti biography and albums at cosmopolis.ch
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