The judges were genuinely unsure about how to evaluate Lettice Rowbotham when she bounded onto the Britain’s Got Talent stage in 2014. The vivacious 24-year-old Surrey native joked about her name, her upbringing, and her passion for the violin as she presented herself in the most elegant accent they had ever heard. Before she had ever played a note, Simon Cowell referred to her as “possibly the poshest contestant we’ve ever had.”
But all changed when she put her electronic violin under her chin. Lettice’s performance was a chaotic, high-energy mix of modern beats and classical technique, rather than a formal classical presentation. She played with speed, confidence, and extreme precision, but her attitude was one of sheer joy as she danced across the stage with her hair flying and smiled as if she were at the most amazing party ever. Her audition is described as “electrifying” and “joyous” in both the official BGT uploads and show clips, and it’s easy to understand why.
The combination of extreme pandemonium and significant talent was adored by the judges. Alesha Dixon praised her personality as much as her playing, Amanda Holden described her performance as new and exciting, and Simon acknowledged that she had given them “something new” that the show hadn’t really seen before: a violinist who could charm like a comedian and shred like a rock star all at once.
The audience responded very well to Lettice’s audition, and she continued on to the series 8 final, where she performed a dramatic rock-style violin rendition of Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life.” Lettice Rowbotham demonstrated that classical music can be loud, contemporary, and incredibly entertaining, and that occasionally the “poshest act ever” may also be the craziest, whether she was making jokes with the judges or tearing through crazy runs on her instrument.
