After Dinner Speakers: Nigel Kennedy, The Pretenders, Brian Mulroney

Kennedy (he currently prefers to be referred to only by his surname) is one of the most popular classical musicians in Britain. He attended the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music in Surrey and in 1972, the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York City. He made his debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1977 and has since toured around the world with the BBC Symphony, the Manchester, England-based Hallé Orchestra, and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Kennedy's performances of Elgar and Mendelssohn are admired and his jazz concerts with French violinist Stéphane Grappelli in Edinburgh (1974) and the Carnegie Hall (1976) won early critical acclaim. His most well-known recording is his interpretation of the 'Four Seasons' by Vivaldi, which has sold a reputed two million copies, though his recording of the Elgar Concerto, made when he was just 16, created something of a sensation when it was released. Kennedy has also been vice-president of Aston Villa football club, of which he is a vigorous supporter, and his autobiography 'Always Playing' was published in 1991. After a four-year break from recording and major performances, he returned to the music scene in 1997 with a CD of his own music ('Kafka'). He surprised critics by re-recording the Elgar Concerto, but the new version was widely acclaimed. Kennedy, who plays both conventional and electric violins, enjoys performing a wide range of music and is not confined to 'classical' boundaries: his recent releases have included music by Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington and the Doors, as well as very well-reviewed discs of Bach concertos with the Berlin Phil, and cello-violin duos with Lynn Harrell.