Named BBC’s Young Musician of the Year in 2004, violinist Nicola Benedetti has captivated audiences and critics with her performances and poise, leading the London Times to call her “a shining beacon for the beleaguered cause of classical music . . .”

An exclusive Universal/Deutsche Grammophon artist, Nicola recently released her second album, featuring Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and a piece written for her by James MacMillan called From Ayrshire. The album has received a unanimously positive response, reaching No. 1 on the BBC Music charts and named “Disc of the Month” by Classic FM. Her debut album, recorded with Daniel Harding and the London Symphony Orchestra, features a commissioned piece by John Tavener and Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1, the same work which catapulted her to nationwide fame after she performed it to win Britain’s coveted title of BBC Young Musician of the Year.

During the 2006-2007 season, Nicola’s highlights in North America include performances with the Vancouver Symphony and recitals in Boston, Milwaukee and Kansas City (at William Jewell College). She will also continue her many performances in the U.K. and throughout the world, headlining BBC Proms in the Park in a televised concert in Ulster, performing with Paavo Jarvi and the Philharmonia Orchestra, playing her debut with the Deutsche Symphony Orchestra in Berlin, on a tour of China with the City of London Sinfonia, and many others.

In the 2005-2006 season, Nicola performed a list of high profile engagements including her BBC Prom and Verbier Festival debuts and concerts with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. Her U.S. debut tour began with a performance for the exclusive Academy of Achievement Summit at New York’s Jazz at Lincoln Center and continued in recital at New York’s Merkin Hall and with the La Jolla Music Society. She returned to the United States in Spring 2006 for a recital on Ravinia’s Rising Stars series and a performance at the Kravis Center in Florida.

Throughout the 2004-2005 season, Nicola took part in many prestigious engagements, including her solo recital debut at Wigmore Hall and events in Windsor Castle and for Her Majesty the Queen and at the Opening Ceremony of the Scottish Parliament. Further performances included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, London Mozart Players and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

In addition to her performance and recording activities, Nicola has devoted herself to humanitarian and educational causes. Since 2005, she has visited schools throughout the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Sargent Cancer Care for Children Practice-a-thon, in which she encourages pupils of all ages to pick up their instruments and enjoy classical music. In early 2006, she performed for Colin Powell at the Jewish National Fund meetings in Glasgow. Nicola is also a UNICEF Supporter. She has won several awards including the Young Scot Award for 2006 in the Entertainment category, and was nominated for two Classical Brit awards.

Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five. In 1997, she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Nicola left the Yehudi Menuhin School at the end of 2002 and has since been studying privately with Maciej Rakowski, whilst living in London and enjoying her busy schedule.

Nicola plays a Petrus Guarnerius of Venice made in 1751.