Nicola Benedetti

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Biography

Nicola Benedetti (born 1 July 1987) is a Scottish violinist.

Early life and the Yehudi Menuhin School

Benedetti was born in West Kilbride , North Ayrshire to an Italian father and a Scottish mother. She started to learn the violin at the age of four. By the age of nine, she had already passed the eight grades of musical examinations while attending the independent Wellington School, Ayr 'Violinist Nicola Benedetti Named BBC Young Musician of the Year' on http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_news.php? id=35 accessed 21 Feb 2012, 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.
- ''She set her hands on a violin for the first time as a four-year-old Suzuki class member, an experience that reduced the Scottish infant to tears. Nicola's distress proved short-lived, however. Tears of uncertainty swiftly gave way to a passion for playing that propelled her through the eight furlong markers of graded musical examinations by her ninth birthday and onwards in September 1997 to a place at the Menuhin School, an idyllic haven for gifted young musicians set in rural Surrey.

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 Double Violin Concerto (Bach)|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

In 1999, Benedetti performed for the anniversary celebrations at Holyrood Palace with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland in the presence of HRH Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex|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.
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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 .

"Playing With Passion"

In spring 2003, Benedetti, invited as a soloist by London Symphony Orchestra and produced by Mattel Inc. , 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 national television in the U.K. in March 2004.

On 14 December 2009 she paid a visit to St Mary's Music School and gave a mini violin masterclass.

BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2004

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, which was not an obvious choice, in the final at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh , with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra .
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Because of this brilliant victory, she won the music section of the Top Scot award in December 2005.
( The Scotsman , 1 December 2005) - But the young stars of Scotland were snapping at their heels, with the teenagers Nicola Benedetti and Andrew Murray (tennis player)|Andrew Murray being awarded prizes for their contributions to music and sport, respectively.

At the end of 2004, she agreed to a £1m six-album recordings contract with Deutsche Grammophon / Universal Music Group Classics and Jazz.

Throughout the 2004-2005 season, Benedetti took part in many prestigious engagements, including her solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall , royal events in Holyrood Palace and Windsor Castle for Her Majesty the Queen, and the Opening Ceremony of the new Scottish Parliament Scottish Parliament building|building in Edinburgh.

Further performances included various joint ones with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Royal Scottish National Orchestra , City of London Sinfonia , London Mozart Players , Academy of St. Martin in the Fields , and so on.

Practice-a-thon

In 2005 Benedetti undertook a tour of UK schools in conjunction with the CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children Practice-a-thon, which aimed to encourage people of all ages to find pleasure in music and pick up their instruments.

In September 2011, she performed with Andrea Bocelli in the Great Lawn of Central Park , for an audience of 70,000.

Discography and charts

Albums

2005: Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Nicola Benedetti album)|Szymanowski: Violin Concerto No. 1 ( Deutsche Grammophon )

2006: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (Nicola Benedetti album)|Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto (Deutsche Grammophon)

2007: Vaughan Williams and Tavener (Nicola Benedetti album)|Vaughan Williams and Tavener ( Universal Classics and Jazz )

2009: Fantasie (Nicola Benedetti album)|Fantasie ( Decca Records )

2010: Tchaikovsky and Bruch: Violin Concertos (Nicola Benedetti album)|Tchaikovsky and Bruch: Violin Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon)

UK classical chart performance

Album	Chart Peak Position
Karol Szymanowski	1 (2005) - ''Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti, who recently turned 18, has already performed for the Queen of Englandsic, launched a fancy Web site (www.nicolabenedetti.com) and recorded a CD with the London Symphony that's No. 1 on the BBC Classical Music Charts.
Felix Mendelssohn	2 (2006) - Full List of Nominations ... Instrumentalist of the Year; Alison Balsom — Johann Sebastian Bach
Fantasie (Nicola Benedetti album)	1 (2009)http:/ / www.ayrshirepost.net/ entertainment-ayrshire/ gigs-music-ayrshire/ 2009/ 10/ 02/ nicola-hits-the-top-spot-with-new-album-102545-24812981/

Musical performances

Debut US tour, 2005

On 2 June 2005 Benedetti started her debut US tour with a performance for the exclusive Academy of Achievement Summit at New York's Jazz at Lincoln Center , where she played the "Meditation" from Thaïs (opera)| Thaïs . She resumed her debut US tour on 1 October 2005, opening the 70th anniversary season of the Midland (Michigan) Symphony Orchestra playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E Minor, op. 64,

followed by recitals at La Jolla 's Neurosciences Institute , San Diego , California with the La Jolla Music Society on 5 October 2005, at New York 's Merkin Concert Hall of Kaufman Center on 1 November 2005, at the Peace Center Concert Hall, Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville , South Carolina , with the Greenville Symphony Orchestra on 5 November 2005, and others.

BBC Prom in the Park debut, 2005

On Saturday, 10 September 2005, Benedetti made her "BBC Prom in the Park" debut with the BBC Concert Orchestra in Hyde Park, London .

Performances

Benedetti has played in concerts and recitals at major venues all over the world since her debut. Performances include:

11 October 2006, Caird Hall , Dundee . Performed Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn 's Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto , replacing previously announced Alexander Glazunov|Glazunov 's violin Concerto (Glazunov)|violin concerto , accompanied by Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conducted by Stéphane Denève .

13 October 2006, Usher Hall , Edinburgh. Same as 11 October performance in Dundee.

14 October 2006, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall . Same as 11 October performance in Dundee.

28–30 October 2006, Orpheum (Vancouver)|Orpheum Theatre , Vancouver . Performed Alexander Glazunov|Glazunov 's violin Concerto (Glazunov)|violin concerto , accompanied by Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Bramwell Tovey .

8 December 2006, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Performed with "the Glasgow Hospitals’and Friends choir" for the carol concert organised by children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent, led by conductor Ian McCrorie and supported by the Glasgow Chamber Orchestra .

23–24 March 2007, Mead Theater of Schuster Center , Dayton, Ohio|Dayton , Ohio. Performed Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn 's Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto and James MacMillan (composer)|MacMillan 's From Ayrshire with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra , conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto .

31 March and 1 April 2007, Civic Center of Greater Des Moines , Iowa. Performed Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn 's Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto and James MacMillan (composer)|MacMillan 's From Ayrshire with the Des Moines Symphony , conducted by Joseph Giunta .

5 April 2007, Folly Theater , Kansas City, Missouri . Performed Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach 's Solo violin partita No. 2 (Bach)|Partita No. 2 in D minor , Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven 's Violin Sonata No. 3 (Beethoven)|Sonata No. 3 in E-flat major , Claude Debussy|Debussy 's Violin Sonata (Debussy)|Sonata L. 140 , Maurice Ravel|Ravel 's Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2|Sonata in G major .

24 April 2007, Berliner Philharmonie , Berlin , Germany . Made her German debut, performing Max Bruch|Bruch 's Violin Concerto (Bruch)|Violin Concerto with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin , conducted by Jakub Hrusa .

5 January 2008, National Concert Hall, Dublin , Ireland . Performed Jean Sibelius|Sibelius ' Violin Concerto (Sibelius)|Concerto for Violin and Orchestra D minor op. 47 with the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ireland , conducted by Matthias Bamert .

2 February 2008, Musikverein , Vienna , Austria . Made her Austrian debut, performing Jean Sibelius|Sibelius ' Violin Concerto (Sibelius)|Concerto for Violin and Orchestra D minor op. 47 with Tonkünstler Orchestra , conducted by Kristjan Järvi .

12 September 2009 Scottish Symphony Orchestra at BBC Proms in the Park: Last Night of the Proms, Glasgow Green

Thursday 22 April 2010 Nicola Benedetti launches Proms with performance of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending

11 September 2010 Closes Proms at Caird Hall Dundee

2 December 2010 75th Anniversary Celebration BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra Beethoven’s Violin Concerto

Honorary degree

On 27 November 2007, Benedetti was awarded an honorary degree|honorary Doctor of Letters by Glasgow Caledonian University . She is one of the youngest recipients of such an award.
On 23 November 2011, Benedetti received an honorary degree| honorary by University of Edinburgh .

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