Martha Wainwright and Nicola Benedetti Join the Lineup for Royal Albert Home

Celebrated singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright and classical violinist Nicola Benedetti are the two latest names to be added to the Royal Albert Hall's series of exclusive streamed sessions.

Wainwright will perform as part of Royal Albert Home on Wednesday 24 June, with Benedetti appearing on Saturday 4 July.

The pair line up alongside Virginian singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus (Wed 17 Jun), Charlie Bates - who performs a special 'Jazz for Kids' set (Sat 20 Jun) - and a night of country music presented by Nashville Meets London and featuring The Cadillac Three, Michael Ray, Tenille Townes and Twinnie (Sat 18 Jul). All shows are free to stream at www.royalalberthall.com/RAHome

Lucy Noble, Artistic Director of the Royal Albert Hall, said: "With Royal Albert Home, we've looked to keep the spirit of the venue alive by presenting a programme of world class artists from a vast host of genres - and spotlighting up-and-coming talent alongside beloved household names. No other streamed programme has been quite as eclectic as this one, showcasing homegrown soul and Swiss electronica, R&B and folk, Bach cellos and Baxter Dury.

"We're delighted to announce these two new shows featuring two old friends of the Hall: the incomparable Martha Wainwright - one of the world's most distinctive and original singer-songwriters - and former Last Night of the Proms star, Nicola Benedetti, who is among the leading classical artists on the planet."

Martha Wainwright exploded onto the scene in 2005 with her powerful and uncompromising self-titled debut album, which included the instant anthems 'Factory' and 'Bloody Mother F***ing A**hole'. She has since made three acclaimed studio records - the most recent being 2016's Goodnight City - alongside a live LP paying tribute to Edith Piaf, and a folk album with half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche. On 8 May 2020, she released a stand-alone single with her brother Rufus, 'Wolves'. She is renowned for her intensely confessional songs, extraordinary vocal range and extravagant live performance.

Nicola Benedetti is among the most sought-after violinists of her generation. She won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo, and was named Best Female Artist at both the 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards, Her live performance at the 2020 Grammys marked the first classical solo violin appearance at the ceremony in over a decade. Nicola received the Queen's Medal for Music in 2017 and was appointed a CBE in 2019. She appeared at the Last Night of the Proms in 2012, and headlined the venue in 2013 and 2015, as well as working with the Royal Albert Hall's Education & Outreach department to host innovative workshops for young people.

Royal Albert Home launched on 9 April with an exclusive session from Rufus Wainwright. Since then, shows from headliners including Sinéad Harnett, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Richard Thompson, Kaiser Chiefs, Imogen Heap and This Is the Kit have been streamed more than 1.1m times, and raised £90,000 for the venue.

All shows are available to watch on demand at www.royalalberthall.com/RAHome

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