Nicola: I’ve quit the violin (...for now!)
SHE is one of the world’s leading classical musicians, but Nicola Benedetti has stopped playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 32-year-old, from West Kilbride, Ayrshire, has given up practising while in lockdown – her first break since she was a teenager.
The star, who plays a priceless Stradivarius violin and has topped the classical charts on numerous occasions, has averaged three hours of play a day since childhood.
But she now feels that taking a break will help her to handle the many cancelled performances that are making life so difficult for other musicians.
She said: ‘This is the first time I’ve not had to practise, so I decided to stop playing. Most of my life feels like it’s just before or just after a concert. Take it away and my whole sense of self is affected by that. It’s a shocking feeling. There’s an energy that comes with panic, with fear and change. I have definitely felt every emotion during this time.’
She added: ‘It is a difficult time for everyone. This pandemic has affected every corner of our lives. But musicians cannot do their job without large numbers of people gathering. From a more emotional and psychological perspective, we rely on playing music with people. We live on that communication. How hard the music industry has been hit is phenomenal.’
Having lived on her own since splitting in 2017 from her long-term boyfriend, cellist Leonard Elschenbroich, her family helps her avoid loneliness.
She said: ‘Personally, I am fine. I’m used to being alone, so it’s not hardship at all for me. I’m not with my family but I thank goodness for FaceTime and all the ways we can communicate so easily.’
Ms Benedetti is holding a series of online workshops, talks and seminars through her Benedetti Foundation.
The events are aimed at parents and teachers and children who are keen to develop skills as musicians. Tonight, she will hold a ‘Dinner With Nicky’ event on the video conferencing app Zoom.
She said: ‘We will have a different guest each week and will chat on Zoom over food and discuss life, music, lockdown and everything in between.’