English Heritage Picnic Concerts, as part of the Summer Proms, is one of the largest and most respected music events of the summer. This past Saturday saw thousands of people descend upon Kenwood House and the beautiful surroundings of Hampstead Heath to witness the young award-winning violinist Diana Yukawa grace the stage.Reunited with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, (with whom she recorded her second album), conducted by John Rigby, Diana looked stunning as she gave an incredible world-class performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Wearing Elizabeth Emanuel, who has dressed celebrities including HRH The Princess of Wales, the beautiful London based virtuoso also wowed crowds with an original piece from her latest album “The Butterfly Effect.” The stunning composition of Summer Elegy (written by David Whitaker) was expertly executed by young Diana.
Diana also led Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess: Summertime as well as a heart rendering version of Williams’ Schindler’s List: Main Theme.
A show brimming with such emotion and soaring strings could only have been met with rapturous applause, as the classical masterpieces performed alongside Diana’s own modern musical journey prove that she will always be a fantastic traditional player and an exciting original talent.
Having already supported Katherine Jenkins earlier this summer, this show is one of the many fantastic venues that the talented Diana has played throughout her career: having dazzled a 60,000 strong audience at the Khalifa Stadium in Qatar, played a sold-out Hollywood Bowl and made an appearance at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
Signed to Sony Music Japan as an International artist, Diana has had several successful albums and has recently released her new album The Butterfly Effect. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios with Producer Andy Wright, the album’s innovative compositions hint at Yukawa’s new modern musical direction, revealing the violin as a truly diverse instrument.
At only 24, Diana has led an extraordinary life: Born in Tokyo to an English ballet dancer and a Japanese banker just 3 weeks after the 1985 Japan Airlines disaster that took her father’s life, Diana has crossed cultural boundaries in her personal life and experiments with those boundaries in her musical output.
The Kenwood Picnic concert season is one of London’s most popular alfresco music events, with artists such as Florence and The Machine, Rufus Wainwright, Diana Krall, Will Young and Jamie Cullum delighting audiences in addition to Diana Yukawa. And after her triumphant concert, Diana will be retuning to the studio to work on new material to be released in 2011 in the UK as she looks forward to returning to the festival season - for which her team are now taking bookings.
Violinist Diana Yukawa Website
Diana Headlines Picnic Concerts
Diana Supports Katherine Jenkins
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