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with the Covid-19 medical emergency. As of last week, the expert teachers that Ms
               Benedetti has recruited to her cause for the live workshops have been sharing those
               skills via the internet with daily lessons.


               As well as Ms Benedetti’s own thrice-weekly “Live at Five” lessons and discussions on

               Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays via the YouTube, Facebook and Instagram
               platforms, sessions have included rhythm games with percussionist Elsa Bradley on

               Monday, double bassist Stewart Wilson’s practice tips on Tuesday, Fife Youth Jazz
               Orchestra founder Richard Michael explaining improvisation on Wednesday, violin
               for beginners with Rachel Cooper on Thursday and Lucinda Geoghegan, whose
               Kodaly-method training is the basis of the success of the National Youth Choir of

               Scotland, leading a singing session on Friday. Cellist David Lunn, of the Red Note
               Ensemble, violinist Elena Urioste and Welsh National Opera’s principal timpanist

               Patrick King are three more Benedetti regulars adding dynamic activity sessions for
               young people to the packed schedule.


               Over the past year, Ms Benedetti, whose most recent recording, of a concerto
               written for her by jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, won a Grammy award two

               months ago, has worked with 4000 students and 700 teachers through her
               foundation. Now she is bringing her professional performing career and those
               masterclasses together in a project around her forthcoming album.



               Like the recent classical-chart hit by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, her new Decca
               release has a focus on the compositions of British composer Edward Elgar, and is
               built around a performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor
               Vladimir Jurowski of his Violin Concerto in B Minor from 1910, a work forever

               associated with Yehudi Menuhin, whose school for musicians Nicola Benedetti
               herself attended from the age of 10. Alongside the technically-demanding hour-long

               virtuoso piece, the album also includes three short Elgar works for violin and piano
               with pianist Petr Limonov, one of which, Salut d’Amour, is a familiar party piece for
               young violinists, and Elgar’s first published work.


               With the album scheduled for release on May 15, this week Ms Benedetti is hosting a

               new online series, Learn Salut d’Amour with Nicky, with daily YouTube tutorials at
               10am each day running until Thursday. Young players are then invited to send in or
               upload their performance of the piece to the Benedetti Foundation website and a

               winner will be selected to be premiered on YouTube at 5pm next Sunday, April 19.







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