Nicola Benedetti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicola Benedetti CBE
Benedetti in 2024
Background information
Born	(1987-07-20) 20 July 1987 (age 37) Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotland
Died	Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	Violinist
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Deutsche Grammophon Universal Classics and Jazz Decca Records

Nicola Benedetti (born July 20, 1987) is a famous Italian-Scottish classical violinist. She is known for playing the violin beautifully and has performed all over the world.

Her amazing talent was noticed when she was a child. At 16, she won the BBC Young Musician of the Year award. She plays with many orchestras in Europe and America. She also performs regularly with her pianist, Alexei Grynyuk. Since 2012, Nicola has played a very special violin called the Gariel Stradivarius.

In 2019, she started a music education charity called The Benedetti Foundation. This foundation helps young people learn about music. On October 1, 2022, she became the first woman to lead the Edinburgh International Festival. This is a very important arts festival.

Early Life and Learning Music

Nicola Benedetti was born in West Kilbride, Scotland. Her father is Italian, and her mother is Italian-Scottish. She has an older sister, Stephanie, who also plays the violin. Stephanie is part of the pop group Clean Bandit.

Starting the Violin Early

Nicola began playing the violin at age four. Her first teacher was Brenda Smith. When she was eight, she became the main violinist, or leader, of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain.

By age nine, she had already passed all eight grades of music exams. She attended Wellington School, Ayr. In September 1997, she started studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School. This is a special school for young musicians in England. She learned from famous musicians like Lord Menuhin and Natasha Boyarskaya.

First Big Performances

At the end of her first year at the Menuhin School in 1998, she played a solo at a concert. She also performed in London and Paris. She played a solo part in Bach's Double Violin Concerto with Alina Ibragimova.

Nicola also played in a special concert at Westminster Abbey. This concert celebrated the life of her teacher, Yehudi Menuhin. In 2000, she took part in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists.

Her Amazing Career

In 1999, Nicola performed at Holyrood Palace for a special celebration. She played with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

Playing with Top Orchestras

After that, she performed with many other famous orchestras. These included the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Opera. She also played with the City of London Sinfonia and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In August 2002, she won the UK's Brilliant Prodigy Competition. This competition was shown on TV. Soon after, at age 15, she left the Menuhin School. She began studying privately with Maciej Rakowski.

Recording and TV Appearances

In spring 2003, Nicola was invited to play as a soloist. She recorded music for the DVD Barbie of Swan Lake at Abbey Road Studios. As an extra feature on this DVD, a film called "Playing With Passion" was made about her. BBC Scotland used this DVD to create a documentary about Nicola. It was shown on TV in the UK in March 2004.

Winning BBC Young Musician of the Year

In May 2004, when she was 16, Nicola won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. She played Karol Szymanowski's First Violin Concerto in the final. She performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Edinburgh.

Because of this win, she was named the top musician in Scotland in December 2005.

Later Performances and Special Violins

In September 2012, she performed at the Last Night of the Proms. This is a very famous concert in London. She played Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch.

In the same year, she was lent a very old and valuable violin. It was a 1717 "Gariel" Stradivarius violin. These violins are known for their amazing sound.

Besides her solo shows, Nicola also performs in a trio. She plays with German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and British-Ukrainian pianist Alexei Grynyuk.

In 2021, Nicola was the subject for the winner of the Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year. This portrait now hangs in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

Awards and Special Recognitions

Benedetti in August 2022 while being received by the First Minister of Scotland

Official Honours

Nicola has received several important awards from the British government.

• In 2013, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This was for her services to music and charity.
• In May 2017, she received the Queen's Medal for Music. She was the youngest person to get this award since it started in 2005.
• In 2019, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was also for her services to music.

Honorary Degrees

Universities have also given Nicola special honorary degrees. These are like special awards for her achievements.

• She received honorary doctorates from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2007 and Heriot-Watt University in 2010.
• She also received honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh in 2011 and the University of Leicester in 2013.
• In 2020, she received an honorary degree from the University of York.

Other Awards

• In 2015, she was named one of BBC's 100 Women. This list highlights inspiring women from around the world.
• In 2017, she became an honorary fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• In 2019, she received the Royal Medal award from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This was for helping children in Scotland through music programs.
• In 2020, she won a Grammy award. This was for her album Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite.
• In 2021, she received the ISM Distinguished Musician Award.
• In 2022, she became the honorary president of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS).
• In 2023, she received the Edinburgh Award. This award is given to people who have made a big difference to the city of Edinburgh. She received it for her work as director of the Edinburgh Festival.

Personal Life

Nicola Benedetti used to be in a relationship with German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich. They met at the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music. Even though they are no longer a couple, they are still good friends and perform together.

In March 2024, Nicola shared that she was expecting her first child.

Music Albums

Here are some of the albums Nicola Benedetti has released:

See also

In Spanish: Nicola Benedetti para niños