Benedetti Foundation’s Global Violin Sessions

The Benedetti Foundation, run by violinist Nicola Benedetti, presents the film premiere of Global Violin Sessions: A Cultural Exchange Part One on Sunday 13 December at 5pm (GMT) on Facebook & YouTube.

Following the enormous success of the inaugural Virtual Sessions in May this year, Global Violin Sessions: A Cultural Exchange Part One, will run from 16 November to 13 December, and take participants on a global journey through the eyes of the violin, in a tale of discovery, globalism and cultural exchange.

Trumpeter, composer and educator Wynton Marsalis has written a theme which will be played by Nicola Benedetti and then passed round four countries over three weeks – America, Hungary, Finland and Serbia – from one ‘Virtuoso Violinist’ to another. Each violinist will make it their own. Change rhythms, twist notes, rewrite corners, add instrumentation and colours and effects – and along the way, they will teach the participants how they do it. Participants will gain insight into the musical worlds of each tradition, told by the violin and led by a stellar line up of great musicians.

The schedule:
America – Week One
Tessa Lark – bluegrass tradition/  Mark and Maggie O’Connor – American folk fiddle tradition
Hungary – Week Two
Roby Lakatos – classical, jazz and folk idioms of Hungary/  Geza Hosszu-Legocky – Hungarian gypsy-Roma traditions and he will be joined by his award-winning group the Five-DeViLs
Finland & Serbia – Week Three
Pekka Kuusisto – inspired by the traditional music of Finland/  Nemanja Radulovic – inspired by the Eastern European folk tradition.

Tutors will teach through both live and pre-recorded lessons, the nuances and techniques of their tradition. Participants will learn about how to play in their style, why they sound the way they do and make the choices they make. Participants of all ages and stages, and from all over the world are welcome, ensuring the fullest community reach. The ‘live’ weekends will be enhanced with pre-recorded tutorials made available throughout the week. Participants will be supported by short practice schedules which coincide with the release of the tutorials. During Explore & Discover on Saturdays, participants can meet the artists, take part in Q&A’s, learn about the violin traditions and performance sessions which are all open to anyone to sign up to. Prepare & Perform on Sunday’s is focused on violinists from beginners to advanced players and everything in between.

Woven together by the masterful hand of Wynton Marsalis, and supported by the Ayoub Sisters, the Benedetti Foundation will produce a series of small compositions based on folk traditions of America, Hungary, Finland and Serbia. The final film will bring these tunes together in an audio-visual journey around these cultures through the eyes of the violin. On the weekend of the 12 – 13 December, the Foundation will then deliver a final weekend of activities, culminating in the premiere of this short film.
How to get involved
o Sign up here to join in
o The Sessions will be free but with a recommended donation of £20 – 30 per person. Please give what you can, and no one will be prevented from attending due to financial circumstances.
o All of the Foundation’s online work is made as accessible as possible, with many of its resources available to all free of charge.
o The Benedetti Foundation relies solely on donations to carry out its work and we are very grateful to anyone who is in a position to make an additional donation towards the cost of the workshops.
o Join in on social media using the hashtags #benedettisessions #globalviolin
o The Global Violin Sessions will all be delivered in English.
o The live Zoom sessions have a maximum capacity of 1000 participants in the session. We are able to accommodate 2000 young people per session within Zoom. These will be allocated to young people in order of sign up. Should there be more than 2000 participants, you will all be able to view via the private live stream.
o Adult participants will be able to view all the live sessions via a private live stream

WEEKEND SCHEDULE (GMT)
SATURDAY – EXPLORE & DISCOVER: OPEN TO ALL PARTICIPANTS
o 1500-1600: Meet the Artists / Style Technique Hub / Q&A
o 1630-1730: The Story of…
o 1800-1900: Performance Session
SUNDAY – PREPARE & PERFORM: VIOLINISTS
o 1500-1545: Beginners Violinists
o 1615-1730: Intermediate Violinists
o 1800-1930: Advanced Violinists