The Benedetti Foundation's Virtual Sessions to Return

The Benedetti Foundation, run by Scottish-Italian violinist Nicola Benedetti, has announced that its popular Virtual Sessions will return in February 2022. The Foundation is primarily a music education trust which runs a range of orchestral and musicianship workshops, and its Virtual Sessions began in 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

Guest artists and tutors include violinists Alina Ibragimova and Elena Urioste, violists Richard O'Neill and Juan-Miguel Hernandez, and cellists Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Leonard Elschenbroich, and Laura van der Heijden.

The sessions are open to any musicians, of any age and ability, from anywhere in the world. They include live string tutorials and a panel discussion with Benedetti herself. The sessions will also feature a Wellbeing Focus day in which violinist and yogi Melissa White will offer three sessions exploring wellbeing for musicians of all ages.

Each day, the Foundation will also release a Daily Challenge video from one of the guest artists which focuses on developing the fundamentals of technique. Participants can practice the exercises in each challenge as much or as little as they like.

"We strongly believe in addressing our foundations, within which we advocate for individuality and creativity," Benedetti said. "There is no one way to play, one way to make music, one interpretation, or one methodology or pedagogy. We hope these sessions will deepen this dialogue, and we will all learn something from the experience. We can’t wait for you to join us!"

You can learn more about the Virtual Sessions, here.