Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicality and spirited presence, coupled with her broad appeal as a prominent advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. Born in Irvine, Scotland, Benedetti, of Italian heritage, began violin lessons at age four with Brenda Smith. In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. After graduating, she continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski and later with Pavel Vernikov. In 2004, she won the "BBC Young Musician" award, launching her career as an international concert violinist. With concert performances at the heart of her career, Nicola is in high demand with major orchestras worldwide. Conductors Nicola has collaborated with include Marin Alsop, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jiří Bělohlávek, Karina Canellakis, Christoph Eschenbach, Iván Fischer, James Gaffigan, Jakub Hrůša, Kirill Karabits, Kristjan Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski, Cristian Măcelaru, Zubin Mehta, Andrea Marcon, Gianandrea Noseda, Michael Tilson Thomas, Robin Ticciati, Vasily Petrenko, Donald Runnicles, Thomas Søndergård, Pinchas Zukerman, and Jaap van Zweden. Nicola enjoys working with top-tier orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC. In December 2020, Nicola founded the "Benedetti Baroque Orchestra," which brings together freelance musicians on period instruments, collectively creating the highest level of collaborative and energetic music-making. Baroque was released in July 2021 on Decca Classics, with Nicola leading this newly formed ensemble. The album reached number one on the Official UK Classical Album Chart and received a 5-star review in The Times. Nicola is committed to commissioning new works, including Mark Simpson's critically acclaimed Violin Concerto, written for Nicola with the London Symphony Orchestra, and Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto, which won a GRAMMY Award for "Best Classical Instrumental Solo" in 2020. An avid chamber musician, Nicola collaborates with cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk, performing as a trio since 2008. Past performances include appearances at Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Edinburgh International Festival, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Ravinia Festival, 92nd Street Y in New York, and City Hall in Hong Kong. In June 2021, the trio embarked on a UK tour with seven performances across the country, and in spring 2022, the trio will undertake a thirteen-day European tour featuring works by Schumann, Rihm, and Brahms. In 2021–2022, Nicola opens the Barbican Centre season and performs with the London Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, among others. Other season highlights include engagements with the LA Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and tours to Spain with the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as "Artist in Residence" at this year's Aldeburgh Festival. Nicola has continued her role as a dedicated, passionate ambassador and leader in music education. Her commitment to supporting UK music creators was underscored in July 2018 when Nicola assumed the presidency of the European String Teachers' Association. Nicola continues to hold key positions in a number of the country's most established and high-quality youth music organizations, including the National Children’s Orchestras (Vice President), Sistema Scotland (Big Sister), National Youth Orchestras of Scotland’s Junior Orchestra (Patron), Music in Secondary Schools' Trust (Patron), Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Patron), and many more. In 2019, Nicola formalized her commitment to music in education with the establishment of the Benedetti Foundation. Since its inception, the Foundation has worked with over 29,000 participants aged 2–92 from 103 countries, offering transformative in-person workshops and online sessions for young people, students, teachers, and adults. The Foundation unites those who believe that music is an essential part of a good education and demonstrates groundbreaking teaching through the production and provision of innovative and creative musical experiences accessible to all. Nicola, who won the GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2020, as well as Best Female Artist at the Classical BRIT Awards in 2012 and 2013, records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her recent recording of Elgar's Violin Concerto debuted at number one on the Official UK Classical Album Chart and received critical acclaim, including a 5-star review in The Times: "Beyond sheer agility, Benedetti offers listeners something even more valuable: a dynamic, personal interpretation, refreshing and compelling." Other recent recordings include her GRAMMY-winning album, specially written for her by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis: "Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin." Nicola's recording catalog also includes works by Shostakovich and Glazunov Violin Concertos, Szymanowski Concertos (London Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding) to Homecoming; A Scottish Fantasy, with which Nicola became the first British solo violinist since the 1990s to enter the Top 20 of the Official UK Album Chart. In 2021, she was named "Personality of the Year" by BBC Music Magazine for her support of many young musicians online during the pandemic. In March 2022, Nicola was appointed Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival and will become Festival Director on October 1, 2022. This will make her both the first Scottish and the first female Festival Director since the festival's inception in 1947. Nicola was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours list, received the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017 as the youngest recipient, and was appointed Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2013 in recognition of her international music career and her work with musical charities across the United Kingdom. In addition, Nicola has received nine honorary degrees to date. Nicola plays the Gariel Stradivarius (1717), courtesy of Jonathan Moulds.