Tasmin Little facts for kids
Tasmin Elizabeth Little CBE (born 13 May 1965) is a famous English classical violinist. She is known for playing as a concerto soloist with orchestras. She also performs recitals and chamber music with small groups. Tasmin Little has released many albums. In 2011, she won the Critics Award at the Classic Brit Awards for her recording of Elgar's Violin Concerto.
Early Life and Learning Music
Tasmin Little was born in London on May 13, 1965. Her father, George Little, was an actor. He was well-known for his part in the TV show Emmerdale Farm. Tasmin started learning music when she was six years old. She learned to read music while playing a recorder her mother gave her.
She grew up in northwest London. From age 8 to 18, she attended the Yehudi Menuhin School. This was a special school for young musicians. She went there on a scholarship. Another famous violinist, Nigel Kennedy, was one of her classmates.
In 1982, Tasmin was a finalist in the string section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. After leaving school, she went to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There, she earned a Performance Diploma. In 1986, she won the Gold Medal in the school's yearly music competition.
She has also been part of the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. She competed in its early years. Later, she became a judge for the competition. She won third prize in 1983 and second prize in 1985.
Her Music Career
Tasmin Little's first professional performance as a soloist was in 1988. She played with The Hallé orchestra. She first performed at the BBC Proms in 1990. Since then, she has played there many times. Throughout her career, Little has performed with major orchestras. These include the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. She has released over 20 albums.
Little has always been a big supporter of the composer Frederick Delius. In July 2006, she was the artistic director for "Delius Inspired." This was an eight-day festival in Bradford celebrating his music. It was even broadcast on BBC Radio 3. She also made a documentary about Delius for BBC Two.
In 2008, Little released a recording called The Naked Violin. It had three songs and was available for free download from her website. She did this to make classical music easier for everyone to access. The recording featured music by Bach, Eugène Ysaÿe, and Paul Patterson. All the pieces were played without any other instruments. This project won an award in 2008. It was also shown on The South Bank Show.
Tasmin Little received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford in 1996. The University's music school, the Tasmin Little Music Centre, is named after her. In 2009, she received a Gold Badge Award. In 2011, her album Elgar: Violin Concerto won the Critics Award at the Classic Brit Awards. She was given the title Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2012 for her services to music.
On January 24, 2020, Little announced she would retire from concert performing. This was planned for the summer of 2020. However, it was moved to the end of 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2023 for her services to music.
