Nicola Benedetti will perform a “moving and very personal” tribute to one of the world’s greatest violinists, the late Yehudi Menuhin, on Monday in one of the highlights of the Edinburgh International Festival.
The 38-year-old virtuoso violinist and Edinburgh International Festival director studied at the famous Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey from the age of ten.
She was 11 when the New York-born violinist and conductor died in 1999, and has spoken of his inspiration and influence on her as a musician.
Benedetti and another former student at the specialist music school, fellow British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky, will celebrate Menuhin in a unique concert at the Usher Hall.
“Benedetti & Sitkovetsky’s Tribute to Menuhin”, will be the first time the Scots Grammy and Brit Award winner has curated and performed such a tribute.
She said: “He’s a figure of unbelievable inspiration for me and so many other musicians. He’s one of a kind in what he achieved in his lifetime.
“I think it will be a really poignant moment and we’ll be performing a repertoire that both myself and Alexander Sitkovetsky learned at Yehudi Menuhin School.”
Part of the Festival’s “focus on Poland”, the concert will feature the resident orchestra of the National Forum of Music, Wroclaw and also early-career musicians from the Festival’s Rising Stars mentorship scheme.
Benedetti will join the orchestra for performances of Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra and Bartok’s Divertimento for String Orchestra, while she and Alexander Sitkovetsky will come together as soloists in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins.
She said: “The Bach double I learned for the first time with Yehudi Menuhin conducting, so that speaks for itself. I would have been ten years old.”
Running until 24 August, the Edinburgh International Festival features 133 performances by more than 1,700 artists from 42 nations, including 600 from Scotland.
Benedetti’s third Festival as director promises “24 days of world-class opera, music, theatre and dance”, including seven world, two European and eight UK and Scottish premieres.
The Edinburgh Reporter met with Director of Edinburgh International Festival to find out about the “unconventional”performances in this year’s programme. The need for more creativity came after delays to funding from Creative Scotland It was a welcome relief when the multi year funding was awarded
— The Edinburgh Reporter (@edinreporter.bsky.social) 2025-03-13T12:02:31.721Z
Nicola Benedetti CBE Festival Director EIF
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