Harrogate to be included in first UK tour for 10 years by classical music sensation
Famous musician Nicola Benedetti CBE has announced her first solo tour of the UK for more than ten years and it will include a Harrogate date.
The Grammy-award winning Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director is to perform at 14 venues across the UK this autumn.
One of the most sought-after violinists of her generation, Benedetti was made an MBE in 2013, received the Queen’s Medal for Music in 2017, and was appointed a CBE two years later.
Combining solo performances with storytelling, Nicola will share a selection of shorter works - romantic, virtuosic, Celtic and folk-inspired.
The approach to these concerts will be intimate and personal, with Nicola joined onstage by colleagues including Brazilian guitarist Plínio Fernandes and accordionist Samuele Telari.
Billed as “personal and fun", the tour will swing Harrogate’s way on Thursday, December 4 when Bendetti will appear at the Royal Hall courtesy of Harrogate International Festivals.
The repertoire will include Paganini’s Caprice Nos 1 and 24; Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasie and Navarra, and Wieniawki’s Polonaise arranged by Steve Goss; Ponce’s Estrellita and Maxwell-Davis’ Farewell to Stromness arranged by Paul Campbell; Debussy’s Beau Soir arranged by Simon Parkin and a lot more.
The full programme will feature on Nicola Benedetti’s next album on Decca Classics at the time of the tour.
As well as her musical fame, Benedetti became the festival director of the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022, becoming the first Scottish and first female festival director since the event was founded in 1947.