Basic Facts
Born: July 20, 1987, West Kilbride, Scotland
Type of Performer: Violinist
Genre: Classical
About Nicola Benedetti
Nicola Benedetti was born in 1987 in Scotland. She picked up the violin at age four and became recognized as a child prodigy. By age eight she was leading the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain and at age 10 she began attending the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, a specialist school for musically gifted students. In 2004, she launched her career when she won the BBC's Young Musician of the Year competition with a performance of Szymanowski's first violin concerto. Since then, she has become one of the world leading classical soloists, traveling internationally to give over 60 performances each year. She plays a 1717 Stradivarius violin worth over $2 million.
Benedetti received an honorary Doctorate of Letters degree from Glasgow Caledonia University in 2007 and an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh in 2011. She was awarded the Queen's Medal for Music in 2017, the youngest recipient ever of that award. In 2019, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to music. Wynton Marsalis's Violin Concerto and Fiddle Dance Suite were written for her, and her recording of the pieces won a GRAMMY in 2020. She has also shown a passion for activism, sitting on the boards for various music-based charitable organizations and starting her own Benedetti Foundation to support music education.
Listen
Fiddle Dance Suite, performed at the 2020 GRAMMY Award Ceremony
Performing at the NPR Tiny Desk Concert
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