Nicola Benedetti admits she cannot bear to look at her concert diary during 'scary and devastating' music industry lockdown

She was one of the last performers to take to the stage in Scotland before the curtain suddenly came down on the nation’s cultural venues.

Nicola Benedetti has been forced to cancel all performances until the end of April.

Nearly four weeks after people across the UK were first advised to stay at home to help curb the spread of Covid-19, Nicola Benedetti cannot bear to look at her concert diary.

The Ayrshire-born violinist, who says she has not left her home in London since the UK-wide lockdown was declared, admits her enforced hiatus has been “heartbreaking.”

She is still coming to terms with the “massive adjustment” to her life after seeing two months of concerts immediately wiped out and her disbelief that signature events like the Edinburgh International Festival have been wiped out.

She is fearful over how long it will take for the music industry to stage a recovery, describing the sudden impact of the virus on the music industry as “scary and devastating.”

Benedetti was touring with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra as the prospect of curbs on events and the closure of cultural venues drew ever closer.

She recalled: “The SCO was one of the last orchestras to perform in the country. There was very heightened emotion and it was quite an intense experience. Everybody was aware that this was something that was going to be taken away from us quite quickly and imminently.

“It was unbelievable. To have two months worth of concerts cancelled was the most incredible shock to the system, which you feel acutely personally, but it was made so much work by the fact the entire performing world, whether they are freelance musicians or companies, concert halls or orchestras, was suddenly without any possibility of any income or revenue.

“Our entire world relies upon community and vast numbers of people getting together in the one space at the one time. One of my concerns is lots of life will get back to normality but our industry will take longer. We can’t afford for that to happen. It’s pretty scary and very devastating for a lot of people at the moment.

“It’s just heartbreaking. I can’t even look at my concert diary properly as I just can’t believe the number of things I was looking forward to that are not going to happen now.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard the Edinburgh Festival was being cancelled, that was probably the biggest shock to me of all the announcements.”

The violinist says she has “not been taking any chances at all,” about venturing outside, but is convinced concert audiences will return in numbers once venues reopen.

Nicola Benedetti has been forced to move her popular workshops and classes online during the lockdown.

She said: “We’re at the mercy of national decisions. But I think we’ll all be much more appreciative of the environment that we’re in when things reopen. Anything that’s been taken away from you is so much sweeter when you’re able to experience it again.”

Benedetti says she found the number of musicians going online in recent weeks “overwhelming” and that there was a danger of over-saturation of content.

However she is determined to ensure she and the foundation she set up last year become a “trusted source,” with a series of initiatives, including morning classes focusing on the music of British composer Edwin Elgar, lunchtime lessons with guest tutors and a teatime talk show.

She said: “Thank god this is all happening at this time, when the possibility of sharing and communicating at least does now exist.

“I'm still communicating with a lot of people, so I don't feel completely isolated, but the space you occupy becomes much more narrow. I don't remember the last time I wasn't getting on a place in a few days or having just got off a plane. That in itself is a massive adjustment for me.

“I actually waited a bit to do anything online myself, because it felt like everything that was going online was a bit overwhelming. It was almost too much, too soon and not quite considered enough.

"I also had the opportunity for the first time since I don't remember when to just take a moment to breathe, so I took that opportunity.

"But now I feel the choice of what to share, how much to open up and how unregulated that is has opened up a whole new set of questions and possibilities. It's a very intriguing time.”