27 JANUARY 2020 (TORONTO, ON) - Violinist Nicola Benedetti has won the GRAMMY® for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite and collected the award at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday 26 January. Benedetti is the first classical solo violinist to perform at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony® in 10 years. She played Bye Bye Breakdown by Wynton Marsalis from his Fiddle Dance Suite and it was streamed live internationally via GRAMMY.com.

Preceding the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards® telecast, the Premiere Ceremony was hosted by two-time GRAMMY® winner and nominee Imogen Heap. Presenting the first GRAMMY Awards of the day were nominees Luis Fonsi, Nathalie Joachim, PJ Morton and former Recording Academy® Chair Jimmy Jam. Cheche Alara was musical director. Other performances included jazz legend Chick Corea, folk music supergroup I'm With Her and Best New Artist nominee Yola.

The Decca Classics album features premiere recordings of two works written especially for Benedetti by Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin. Benedetti performs Violin Concerto in D with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Cristian Măcelaru who also triumphs for his role as conductor of the recording. Wynton Marsalis was nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his Violin Concerto. The concerto was co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), Ravinia, LA Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Benedetti performed the world premiere with the LSO under conductor James Gaffigan in London in November 2015.

Nicola Benedetti commented, ‘I am so honoured to have won a GRAMMY® for Best Classical Instrumental Solo and to have performed at the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony®. This recording project has been a deeply edifying experience for me and one I will always reflect on with immense gratitude. It has been a privilege to learn and perform these two inspired and unequivocal masterpieces, and to deepen my understanding of Wynton’s compositional language, cultural richness and philosophical insights. Long-form musical pieces are often described as a journey and this sure has been a rich and fascinating one.’

The live stream of the Premiere Ceremony will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 90 days following the event. The 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on the CBS Television Network from 8:00–11:30 p.m. ET/5:00–8:30 p.m. PT. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit the Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Notes to Editors

About Nicola Benedetti

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. With concerto performances at the heart of her career, Nicola is in much demand with major orchestras and conductors across the globe and frequently makes appearances in the world’s leading concert halls. Nicola records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her 2016 recording of Shostakovich & Glazunov Violin Concertos was met with critical acclaim and described as her best recording to date. Her past eight recordings on Universal/Deutsche Grammophon include a varied catalogue of works from Szymanowski Concerto (London Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Harding) to Homecoming; A Scottish Fantasy, which made Nicola the first solo British violinist since the 1990s to enter the Top 20 of the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Nicola Benedetti was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours List, for services to music and was the Winner of the Best Classical Award at The Global Awards 2019.

About the Recording Academy

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