Nicola Benedetti joins Royal Albert Hall for string of music workshops
12 August, 2013
Classical Brit award-winner Nicola Benedetti is teaming up with the Royal Albert Hall to host three days of music workshops for over 150 talented students. The workshops, which will be from 19th to the 21st September, come ahead of the violinist’s concert on the main stage of the Hall on September 25 and are part of the venue’s wider education remit to promote the appreciation and the understanding of the arts.
The workshops follow similar successful events held over the past year with big-name artists such as Emeli Sandé, Foals and Soweto Kinch at the venue. They will be split into three targeted sessions for music students across London.
Firstly, Nicola will be working with 40 advanced 2nd year Conservatoire undergraduate string players, from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, learning Bartok’s ‘Divertimento’ over the three days. The rehearsals will culminate in a performance in the main auditorium of the world famous venue on Saturday 21st September where the students will have a unique opportunity to perform with the award-winning violinist. Nicola will also be supported by professional musicians from the Hall’s resident education and outreach ensemble Albert’s Band.
Nicola will also host bespoke masterclasses for three hand-picked grade 8 violinists from secondary schools within the Tri-Borough Music Hub of Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, of which the Royal Albert Hall is a strategic partner
Finally, Nicola will also be performing with 150 grade 4-6 young violinists in the Hall’s main auditorium. The students will be provided with the music, Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, which has been specially arranged for them, prior to the performance and then will meet for the first time with Nicola to play the piece to a live audience. Following their session with Nicola, these young students will get a chance to watch the Conservatoire students’ performance of Bartok’s ‘Divertimento’
All three workshops will be supplemented with a Q&A with the violinist, where the students will gain an unparalled opportunity to learn from one of the country’s leading violin artists and ask questions of their renowned teacher.
Nicola Benedetti commented: “I greatly look forward to my first ever non-orchestral performance at the Royal Albert Hall and, most specifically, a chance to engage with the venue's fantastic education department to develop some initiatives that will allow me to share my experiences in teaching and in music education”
Jasper Hope, Chief Operating Officer at the Royal Albert Hall, added: “Nicola Benedetti is one of the world’s great violinists and she shares our passion for music education and providing opportunities to nature young, musical talent. This is an amazing opportunity for almost 200 local students to learn from someone at the top of their game and perhaps take a step to following in her footsteps.”
The workshops are just one part of the Royal Albert Hall’s education programme which currently reaches 100,000 young people a year. Not just providing a venue for some of the world’s most popular artists, the Hall offers an education programme which aims to support the cultural life of the country and future generations.
Nicola will host the music workshops ahead of her main concert at the Hall on September 25th. For further information on the Royal Albert Hall’s education programme or for tickets for the concert, please visit www.royalalberthall.com.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
For more information on the education programmes of the Royal Albert Hall, please contact:
Hannah Hayes 020 7861 3176 / hhayes@goodrelations.co.uk
Nicola Hamilton 020 7861 3189 / nhamilton@goodrelations.co.uk
For the Royal Albert Hall, please contact:
Sean Carrigan 020 7959 0531/ seanc@royalalberthall.com
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Its breathtaking auditorium hosts over 370 shows a year by the world’s greatest artists. The magical atmosphere combined with inspired artists creates legendary events.
Opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert’s vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Hall is a registered charity which operates without public funding, remaining true to his founding ambitions within a modern context. Extending the brand with 200 events outside the auditorium, the Hall has broadened its appeal to younger, diverse audiences whilst still engaging its existing customers.
The Hall also offers the Elgar Room, a state-of-the-art small-scale performance space which hosts performances of classical music, jazz and world music, comedy, dance and hush, a series of gigs for just signed bands throughout the year. In the main auditorium, it offers the Albert Sessions, an initiative that encourages up and coming acts to play at the Hall by offering reduced rental fees to promoters and lower ticket prices to encourage younger audiences to visit the Hall. It also works extensively with schools, young people, disadvantaged groups and partners such as Music For Youth through its Education programme, reaching over 100,000 participants each year as part of its extensive public benefit remit. It has also been appointed by the Arts Council as one of the country’s regional music education hubs.
For more information, please visit www.royalalberthall.com
Registered charity number: 254543