String Masterclass with Nicola Benedetti

It’s not often that a superstar globally renowned violinist comes to your school, and so the visit of Nicola Benedetti was really exciting.

We invited our local schools to join us in a vast string orchestra and put together two pieces on the day, which Nicola coached with charm and encouragement. It was an extraordinary experience putting together such a huge orchestra on 55 minutes of rehearsal – but the string players pulled it out of the bag with style! The grim determination, expressions of concentration and absolute focus were humbling to observe. And looking around the orchestra, there was not a single child who was taking it easy or giving up because it was too difficult! (And indeed, we set our expectations high with technically challenging repertoire.)

Nicola then gave an impromptu performance of Bach’s Chaconne for them, in the round, turning so all the players could see, performing with such panache and musicianship, which was a profoundly moving experience for everyone there – and the pin-drop silence from both players and audience said it all. There were 9 local schools involved, including Hampton Hill Junior School, Turing House School, Waldegrave School, Hampton High, Orleans Park and Hampton School.