It’s not often that a superstar violinist comes to your school, and so the visit of Nicola Benedetti was really exciting. The first half of the masterclass was Nicola coaching four of our LEH Grade 8/Diploma string players We also invited our local schools to join us in a vast string orchestra and put together two pieces on the day, which Nicola coached with charm and encouragement. It was an extraordinary experience putting together such a huge orchestra on 55 minutes of rehearsal – but the string players pulled it out of the bag with style! The grim determination, expressions of concentration and absolute focus were humbling to observe.  And looking around the orchestra, there was not a single child who was taking it easy or giving up because it was too difficult! (And indeed, we set our expectations high with technically challenging repertoire.)

Nicola then gave an impromptu performance of Bach’s Chaconne for us, in the round, turning so all the players could see, performing with such panache and musicianship, which was a profoundly moving experience for everyone there – and the pin-drop silence from both players and audience said it all.

By Mrs Ashe - Director of Music

Photography by Big Image