Grammy Award-Winning Violinist Nicola Benedetti Joins Forces With Services For Education This February

2020 Grammy award winner Nicola Benedetti – one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation – is to inspire more than 100 young musicians from Birmingham in a one-day workshop as part of a bid to nurture young musical talent in the city.

Nicola Benedetti is leading an intense one-day workshop delivered in partnership with Services For Education’s Music Service and Town Hall Birmingham on Sunday 9th February supporting 100 young intermediate string players, aged 9 – 15 years old, all from Birmingham.

The young musicians will experience warm up sessions, general musicianship and full string orchestra rehearsals covering technical and creative aspects of music-making, as well as collective listening and collaborative ensemble playing.

The workshop is part of an extended visit to Birmingham by the Scottish-born violinist who stunned the audience at the recent 62nd Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles with her solo performance before receiving a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Marsalis’ ‘Violin Concerto and Fiddle Dance Suite’.

Nicola Benedetti is one of the world’s leading advocates of quality music education, the role of arts and culture in the wider community and the transformational effect it has on all young people. She has been committed to education projects since the age of 15 and in the past 12 months, Nicola has worked with more than 4,000 students and 700 teachers.

The one-day workshop will be followed in 2021 by three-day ‘Benedetti Sessions’ in the West Midlands delivered by her through the Benedetti Foundation.

Mrs Charlotte Buxton, Deputy Head of Music Service and Head of Ensembles at Services For Education said the visit and workshop is a rare privilege and will undoubtedly enthuse the city’s young musicians.

“Nicola captivates audiences wherever she goes. She has a dynamic presence that inspires and is a great and distinguished advocate for classical music and enthusing the next generation of musical talent. We are delighted to be working in conjunction with Nicola and the Benedetti Foundation, and know that our young musicians will be inspired by working with one of the most influential classical artists of today. This is a great privilege and we are delighted she is supporting Birmingham in this way.”

Nicola Benedetti is also performing two concerts with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and undertaking a masterclass at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She returns to Birmingham in April with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra at Symphony Hall Birmingham where she is Artist in Residence in 2020.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Concert:

Thursday 6 February 2:15pm & Saturday 8 February 7pm, Birmingham Symphony Hall

The CBSO and conductor Klaus Mäkelä are joined by Nicola Benedetti for an energetic concert showcasing Tchaikovsky’s much-loved Violin Concerto alongside Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, a flamboyant, no-holds-barred adventure into the wildest extremes of the romantic imagination.

Benedetti commented, ‘Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto is the quintessential virtuosic and romantic display. It’s a feat of stamina, it’s open hearted melodically and harmonically, it has all the hallmarks of Tchaikovsky’s relentless repetitiveness and nothing else has been written that comes close. I can’t wait to perform this wild work with the CBSO and Klaus Mäkelä.’

There will be a special pre-concert showcase from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra on Thursday 6 February (1pm), in which wind, brass and percussion musicians will play Messiaen’s Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Michael Seal.

Nicola will also be interviewed by the CBSO’s Youth Ambassadors following the concert on Saturday 8 February. This innovative programme offers the opportunity for a group of young people aged between 16 and 21 to explore behind the scenes of the CBSO and share their perspectives on the future of classical music.

The CBSO will repeat the concert programme with Nicola in Cambridge for a gala concert celebrating 30 years of orchestral music at the Corn Exchange (Friday 7 January, 7:30pm).

Masterclass at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire: 6 February, 6:30pm

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire welcomes Nicola Benedetti to give a violin masterclass, sharing their trailblazing passion for music education, carrying the torch for classical music in the 21st century. The masterclass is open to the public; tickets are £5 and can be purchased online.

Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire commented, ‘All of us at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire are delighted to welcome Nicola Benedetti for her first visit to our state-of-the art conservatoire. I have long admired Nicky not only for her supreme talent but also for her massive commitment to the musicians of the future which completely tallies with RBC’s vision which we are delighted to share with our valued partners at the CBSO.’

About Nicola Benedetti

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today.

With concerto performances at the heart of her career, Nicola is in much demand with major orchestras and conductors across the globe and frequently makes appearances in the world’s leading concert halls. Nicola records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her most recent recording features premiere recordings of two works written especially for her by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin. The album is nominated for two GRAMMY awards.

Benedetti’s 2016 recording of Shostakovich & Glazunov Violin Concertos was met with critical acclaim and described as her best recording to date. Her past eight recordings on Universal/Deutsche Grammophon include a varied catalogue of works from Szymanowski Concerto (London Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Harding) to Homecoming; A Scottish Fantasy, which made Nicola the first solo British violinist since the 1990s to enter the Top 20 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Nicola Benedetti was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours List, for services to music and was the Winner of the Best Classical Award at The Global Awards 2019.

For more information

If you would like to know more about this event and our music ensembles in general, please contact Charlotte.Buxton@servicesforeducation.co.uk

Alternatively, feel free to browse our website:

Services For Education is a learning and music charity in Birmingham. We deliver educational programmes to support the wider community, building confidence in children and adults across the West Midlands. You can find out more about our projects and how to support us on our charity website: https://www.sfecharity.co.uk/about-us/

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