
Nicola Benedetti set to host show on Classic FM giving a glimpse into concert life
She's a regular feature of the Classic FM airwaves, her talent delighting listeners for decades.
However, Scots violinist Nicola Benedetti is to go one step further after announcing she is due to present her own show on the famous station.
The six-part series - called The Truth About Classical Music - will be broadcast every Friday at 9pm, from June 27, with Ms Benedetti saying it will draw on her experience as a concert violinist.
Announcing her excitement at the new role, she wrote: 'I have some exciting news to share…
'This summer I will be presenting a series on Classic FM. The Truth About Classical Music is inspired by the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival theme, 'The Truth We Seek'.
'In this new series, I will take listeners behind the scenes of the classical music world – drawing on a life dedicated to performing, educating and connecting with audiences.'
She added: 'I'd love you to join me.'
Ms Benedetti, from West Kilbride, in Ayrshire, started violin lessons aged four and at eight became the youngest ever leader of the National Children's Orchestra before winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year at 16.
The star shared the news about her upcoming, six-part show on social media
During an impressive career, she has gone on tour with some of the world's greatest orchestras and conductors and won many awards, including a Grammy.
As well as touring the globe as a performer, she is also director of the Edinburgh International Festival and welcomed her first child - a baby girl - last year.
In March, she revealed she owes her stellar music career to the school run.
The classically trained star said that while none of her family could play a note, her mother Francesca would play classical CDs in the car on the 40-minute daily trip into Ayr.
The effect of this immersion in music, according to Ms Benedetti, is that she was left spellbound by recordings of Brahms' Violin Concerto.
On Speaking Soundly podcast, she said: 'We'd play them on the way to school and on the way back. We had a little bit of a drive.
'It was the long form and the patience and waiting for those moments of big climactic build, that moment of virtuosity, where I was just dumbfounded.'
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BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
Alex Horne hosts Taskmaster for schoolchildren in Warwick
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The Sun
10 hours ago
- The Sun
Love Islander sparks concern after ‘going missing' in Friday night's episode
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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Summer reading: the 50 hottest books to read now
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A joyously satisfying pony book, first in a new 8+ series (out 3 July). Shadow Thieves by Peter Burns In an alternative London, Tom picks pockets to stay out of the workhouse – until his friends are caught, and a stranger offers him the chance to free them by joining an elite school for thieves. Can Tom adapt to his new milieu, save his friends and ward off the dangers threatening the school? This high-octane, fast-paced debut will be impossible to put down, especially for 9+ Skandar fans. Grimstink by Daniel Peak When alien warrior Grimstink arrives to annihilate life on Earth, 13-year-old Layla Tenby gets displaced to the planet he's just left. She's trying to dodge deathbots while Grimstink battles traffic wardens, the Subway ordering system and being hero-worshipped by Layla's younger brother. Is this the end of everything or the start of a beautiful friendship? An outrageously funny 9+ sci-fi caper by a Bafta-winning author (out 10 July). Kill Creatures by Rory Power Last summer, Nan's three best friends were lost, presumed drowned. Their fading tourist town has been in mourning ever since. Now, a year on, one of the girls has returned – to the joy of everyone but Nan, who killed them in the first place … A tense, enthralling psychological thriller for 14+, by the author of Wilder Girls. Lady's Knight by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner Blacksmith's daughter Gwen knows how to forge a sword – and also how to swing one. When she catches the eye of Lady Isobelle, promised in marriage to the winner of the upcoming tournament, Gwen quickly becomes Sir Gawain – but what will happen when their deception is unmasked? This riotously feminist YA romp is full of heart-fluttering queer romance, bitchy knights and angry dragons. Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara After escaping the palace, imperial ward Saphira lies low, letting her new master take credit for her skilled jewel-smithing. When the charismatic Serpent King comes searching for a bride, Saphira strikes a dangerous deal. Trapped in a marriage of convenience, can she ever win her liberty? A wild, intricate, romantic YA fantasy. Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick, Scholastic, £19.99 In 1986, 16-year-old Danny spends the summer in Rome, falling in love for the first time with a boy called Angelo and the many layered histories of the city. Selznick's soft, shaded images and lyrical storytelling combine to create a work of dreamy, poignant beauty. To explore all the books in the Guardian's summer reading list visit Delivery charges may apply.