Scots violinist Nicola Benedetti has won the Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite.
She collected the award at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles yesterday, Sunday 26 January.
Benedetti, from Ayrshire, is the first classical solo violinist to perform at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony in 10 years. She played Bye Bye Breakdown by Wynton Marsalis from his Fiddle Dance Suite and it was streamed live internationally via Grammy.com.
A delighted Nicola said: ‘I am so honoured to have won a Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo and to have performed at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony.
‘This recording project has been a deeply edifying experience for me and one I will always reflect on with immense gratitude. It has been a privilege to learn and perform these two inspired and unequivocal masterpieces, and to deepen my understanding of Wynton’s compositional language, cultural richness and philosophical insights.
‘Long-form musical pieces are often described as a journey and this sure has been a rich and fascinating one.’
Preceding the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards telecast, the Premiere Ceremony was hosted by two-time Grammy winner and nominee Imogen Heap. Presenting the first Grammy Awards of the day were nominees Luis Fonsi, Nathalie Joachim, PJ Morton and former Recording Academy® Chair Jimmy Jam. Cheche Alara was musical director. Other performances included jazz legend Chick Corea, folk music supergroup I’m With Her and Best New Artist nominee Yola.
The Decca Classics album features premiere recordings of two works written especially for Benedetti by Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin. Benedetti performs Violin Concerto in D with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Cristian Măcelaru who also triumphs for his role as conductor of the recording. Wynton Marsalis was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his Violin Concerto.
The concerto was co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), Ravinia, LA Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Benedetti performed the world premiere with the LSO under conductor James Gaffigan in London in November 2015.
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