COVER STORY
and says she can’t understand those who complain about having to work hard.
She is performing three times during this season’s BBC Proms, including the Last Night in London, and says that although her life is hectic she finds solace in music. “That, for me, is a time of peace.”
Nicola is keen to bridge the divide between popular and classical music. Her new album, The Silver Violin, was released this week and she has just made her first appearance at the Edinburgh International Festival.
Her schedule is so packed, she is doing this interview at an airport, waiting for her next flight.
But all the travelling has not dimmed her bright nature, and she has a strong passion for bringing classical music to people who might not normally be willing to give it a chance.
“A lot of people mature into it, so I don’t worry about whether enough young people listen to it, because pop music is pop music for a reason and young people will do that for a reason,” she says.
“I don’t come up against adversity at all with young people, whether they are five, 10 or 25.
“They have always enjoyed what I have played and a lot of that is down to how you present it to them.
“If your attitude isn’t that ‘You’re privileged to hear this’ but one of ‘I want to share this with you because I love it and want you to love it too’, then their ears are more receptive.
“I want more people to feel more from classical music because I feel it’s a truly enriching experience.”
That is partly why Nicola has now released an album looking at the magic of the silver screen, particularly the work of composer Erich Korngold, who won an Oscar for his score of the classic Errol Flynn swashbuckler The Adventures Of Robin Hood in 1938.
The Silver Violin takes inspiration from 1930s Hollywood through to the present day, from films such as Schindler’s List, Ladies In Lavender and Shutter Island, among others.