Performer Biographies

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences and her wide appeal as an advocate for classical music has made her one of the most influential artists of today.

Nicola began her 2022–23 season with a performance of the Marsalis Violin Concerto with the RSNO at the BBC Proms and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO. Further engagements include the world premiere of James MacMillan’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a tour to Japan with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hallé, DSO Berlin, St. Louis Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony and Orchestre de Paris amongst others.

Winner of the Grammy® Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo in 2020, as well as Best Female Artist at both 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards, Nicola records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her latest recordings of Vivaldi Concerti and Elgar’s Violin Concerto entered at number one in the UK’s Official Classical Album Chart. Other recent recordings include her Grammy® award-winning album written especially for her by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin. In 2021, BBC Music Magazine named her “Personality of the Year” for her online support of many young musicians during the pandemic.

Nicola was appointed a CBE in 2019, awarded the Queen’s Medal for Music (2017), and an MBE in 2013. In addition, Nicola holds the positions of Vice President (National Children’s Orchestras), Big Sister (Sistema Scotland), Patron (National Youth Orchestras of Scotland’s Junior Orchestra, Music in Secondary Schools Trust, and Junior Conservatoire at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland). In 2019, Nicola formalised her commitment to music in education when she established The Benedetti Foundation. Since its launch, the Foundation has worked with over 29,000 participants, age 2–92, from 103 countries through its transformative in-person workshops and online sessions for young people, students, teachers, and adults.

In March 2022, Nicola became the Director Designate of the Edinburgh International Festival, becoming Festival Director on 1 October 2022. In taking the role she is both the first Scottish and the first female Festival Director since the Festival began in 1947.

Leonard Elschenbroich has established himself as one of the most charismatic cellists of his generation renowned for his passionate and compelling performances and winner of multiple awards including the Leonard Bernstein Award, Förderpreis Deutschlandfunk, Eugene Istomin Prize, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. He was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist (2012–14), Artist-in-Residence at Deutschlandfunk (2014–15) and Artist-in-Residence at the Philharmonic Society Bremen (2013–16).

He made his European debut on tour with the Staatskapelle Dresden, his US debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, his Asian debut at Suntory Hall in Tokyo and has appeared five times in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. He has also performed with orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, Bergen Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Swedish Radio Symphony, Netherlands Philharmonic and the Residentie Orchestra. He gave the world premiere of Mark Simpson’s Cello Concerto (2018), which was written specially for him on a commission from the BBC.

As a chamber musician, Leonard performs regularly in duo recitals with Alexei Grynyuk and as a member of the Benedetti-Elschenbroich-Grynyuk Trio which has toured through Europe, the US, South America and Australia. He has appeared at the Wigmore Hall, Auditorium du Louvre, Concertgebouw, Frick Collection, Ravinia Festival and the Lucerne, Gstaad, Rheingau, Mecklenburg Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein Music festivals.

Leonard Elschenbroich records for Onyx and his latest release—an outstanding cycle of Beethoven Cello Sonatas—received wide acclaim was selected as Editor’s Choice in Gramophone and Chamber Choice in BBC Music Magazine. His discography includes Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with the Netherlands Philharmonic/Litton, concertos by Dutilleux and Saint-Saëns, and sonata discs with works by Rachmaninov, Shostakovich (Editor’s Choice, Gramophone), and Schnittke. His recording of the Brahms Cello Sonatas in 2021 was released in February 2023.

He plays a cello made by Matteo Goffriller “Leonard Rose” (Venice, 1693), on private loan.

British-Ukrainian pianist Alexei Grynyuk performs throughout the world appearing in the most prestigious concert halls and music festivals. He has performed recitals at the Verbier Music Festival in Switzerland, Newport Music Festival in USA, “Musical Kremlin” Festival in Moscow, Duszniki Chopin Festival in Poland, and International Keyboard Festival in New York among many others. The venues include Wigmore Hall and the South Bank Centre in London, Salle Cortot and Salle Gaveau in Paris, Great Hall of Moscow Conservatoire, and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Alexei has displayed tremendous interest in music from early childhood and started performing at the age of six. At 13 he attracted wide attention by winning First prize at the Dyagilev All-Soviet-Union piano competition. He went on to win many prizes, notably first prizes at the Horowitz International Piano Competition in Kiev, Shanghai International Piano Competition in China.

His musical development was shaped by his studies at the Kiev Conservatoire under Natalia Gridneva and Valery Kozlov. He refined his studies with Hamish Milne at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Later he was awarded Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) and served as a jury member at the Benjamin Britten International Violin Competition London and the prestigious “Vendome Prize” International Piano Competition.

Being a passionate chamber musician, Alexei Grynyuk is part of a piano trio with his regular partners violinist Nicola Benedetti and cellist Leonard Elschenbroich. Described by The Telegraph as “A trio of True Stars” together they have toured the world extensively in the past decade performing at the Royal Albert Hall London, Birmingham Symphony Hall, LSO St. Luke’s, Frankfurt Alte Oper, 92Y New York, Gardner Museum Boston as well as festival appearances at BBC Proms, Ravinia, Gergiev, Istanbul, Cheltenham. and Edinburgh International.