Page 45 - Virtual Benedetti Sessions Coverage Book
P. 45
“We’ve brought the album release forward, because we thought to give something like this in
the current time would be a nice thing to do.
“People still want to listen to music and they can, so we should make available whatever’s
possible in terms of what people can still access.
“I think this is something people will appreciate right now.
“I’m hoping they take the time during this period to sit and listen to it from beginning to end,
to take this moment to appreciate something in a different way and be patient with it.”
Nicola, though, is likely to keep going at 100mph, no matter how long the lockdown lasts.
Relief as workshops beat the lockdown
Nicola says she is grateful to have delivered three music workshops before the lockdown
commenced.
She was in Dundee from March 6-8 for the Benedetti Sessions, delivering tutorials to young
people and teachers.
It followed on from similar events in Glasgow and London in January and February, although
three more planned for Antrim, Manchester and Saffron Waldon have had to be cancelled.
“How phenomenal is it that we got three full sessions, working with thousands of children
and hundreds of teachers before all of this happened?” she smiled.
“I feel the timing was so fortunate that we got it all in before everything closed down.
“We’d been working towards this format and schedule for more than a year, so for us, I don’t
know what we would’ve done. It would have been the most deflating period, which I’m sure
lots of other people have felt, so we’re grateful we got it in before it all happened.”
Across the three weekends, the Benedetti Foundation reached almost 3,000 young people and
200 teachers, ranging from non-musicians to beginner string players and the most promising
young musicians.
Participants attended from across the UK, from Shetland to the Isle of Wight.
In Scotland, there were young musicians from 30 of the 32 local authorities with 81% state
educated in Glasgow and 70% state educated in Dundee.
44
