Violinist Nigel Kennedy Joins the Sheldon Artists’ Roster

Kennedy will be now be represented in North America by Sheldon Artists

Sheldon Artists, founded by Doug Sheldon and Karen Kloster, today announced the addition of violinist Nigel Kennedy to its roster, for exclusive representation in North America.

Kennedy joins violinists Gidon Kremer, Mihaela Martin, and Vadim Repin, among others, on the Sheldon Artists roster.

Kennedy was a graduate of The Yehudi Menuhin School and a student of Yehudi Menuhin, who financed Kennedy’s education himself. At the age of 16, he started studying at The Juilliard School to study with Dorothy DeLay. Also at 16, he was invited by Stéphane Grappelli to perform with him at the Carnegie Hall.

As a violinist, he has undertaken countless international tours, and The London Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Berlin Philharmoniker, The New York Philharmonic, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, are amongst the orchestras he’s worked with.

He has collaborated with artists such as André Previn, Klaus Tennstedt, Lynn Harrel, Leonard Slatkin, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Mazur, Yehudi Menuhin, Ron Carter, Jack de Johnette, Jean Luc Ponty, Jon Lord, Kate Bush, Robert Plant, Jeff Beck, Boy George, Donovan, and The Who.

During his career, he has recorded albums for EMI, Sony, Universal, and Blue Note. His recording of the Elgar Violin concerto, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was voted the 1985 Record Of The Year by Gramophone Magazine and was awarded Best Classical Album Of The Year at the BPI Awards. His first recording of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the bestselling classical recording of all time. Over 2 million copies were sold and the album remained top of the UK pop and classical charts for more than a year. His second Vivaldi volume, with the Berliner Philharmonic, won the prestigious German Echo Award for Best Performance of 18th Century Music and the Austrian classical award, The Amadeus Prize. He is also the only artist to have recorded both the violin and viola concertos by Sir William Walton.

He has been presented with many awards amongst others including Outstanding Contribution to British Music and Male Artist of The Year at the Brit Awards, two Grammy nominations, France's Vivement Gold Award, Switzerland's Golden Rose of Montreaux, and Austria's Amadeus Prize.

In 2002 Kennedy was appointed Artistic Director of The Polish Chamber Orchestra, with whom the late Lord Menuhin also collaborated, and in 2009 Kennedy founded his own orchestra, The Orchestra Of Life, made up of young musicians, chosen and invited to play in orchestra by Kennedy himself.