Contributed
Nadjé Leslie with the awards she won at the 2006 World Championships of the Performing Arts.

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Nadjé Leslie's passion for the violin has made her a Grand Champion Instrumentalist of the World, a title she won at the recent 2006 World Championships of the Performing Arts, in Hollywood, California, at only 13 years old.

By age seven, Nadjé had started playing the violin at Mona Preparatory School, encouraged by her father, Michael Leslie, who is a member of the Birthright Band. "I am good at playing by ear. I can hear a song and just work it out and play it. I enjoy playing the violin because of the experience. I get to go to various places and meet lots of people," she said.

gold medals and plaques

Nadjé has performed on numerous events locally and overseas. She first entered the World Championships of the Performing Arts, in 2004, and won four gold medals and a plaque, as well as emerged champion instrumentalist in her age group.

Nadjé's musical interest spans classical, reggae, folk, gospel and pop. her combination of the genres, as well as her warmth in performance, captivates her audience.

Very passionate

"She has a warm smile that draws the audience in. Her movements - she's a dancer and a very passionate one - so she combines that with the violin. Her reception was overwhelming. You had judges there who wanted to buy CDs. The judges were in awe of the reggae music and how she, carried it on the violin," Nadjé's mother, Grace Leslie said.

Nadjé also plays piano, sings and dances. According to her mother she plans to pursue a career in music.

A past National Instrumentalist Champion in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Festival Competition, she was also awarded three gold medals for her violin solos and two golds for dancing with the ESOR Dance Company at the World Championships of the Performing Arts. Nadjé also took home three plaques as instrumental champion in the classical, folk and contemporary categories.