{"id":43592,"date":"2024-05-29T13:22:08","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T11:22:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/206ff9ae-0306-4cf2-bc9e-11eebbe6cbc5"},"modified":"2024-05-29T13:36:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T11:36:08","slug":"the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family\/","title":{"rendered":"The Kanneh-Masons: meet Britain’s most talented musical family"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 29 May 2024 at 11:22 AM<\/p>

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Read on for our introduction to that remarkably talented and musical family, the Kanneh-Masons, including among others the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason<\/a><\/strong>, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason<\/a><\/strong> and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, all of whom are performing at the 2024 BBC Proms<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>

Who is Sheku Kanneh-Mason?<\/h2>
Sheku rose to fame in 2016 when he won BBC Young Musician, the first black artist to do so in the history of the competition. He later achieved global recognition when he performed at the 2018 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex<\/strong><\/a>. He is signed to Decca, a label on which he has released two albums: Inspiration <\/em>in 2018 and a recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in 2020.<\/p>
In 2018, he won Male Artist of the Year and the Critics’ Choice Award at the Classic BRIT Awards<\/strong><\/a>. <\/p>
Sheku Kanneh-Mason on the music that shaped him<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>
<\/div><\/figure><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Elgar-Sheku-Kanneh-Mason\/dp\/B07Z74DJ6H\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Buy Elgar album from Amazon<\/strong><\/a><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Inspiration\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/5n2aAsMFp4NhWn64pCGCtK?si=oQZmjz8nRvyDjtutdck-qg&utm_source=oembed\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Inspiration-Sheku-Kanneh-Mason\/dp\/B076Q92MDQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy Inspiration album from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prestomusic.com\/classical\/products\/8389411--sheku-kanneh-mason-inspiration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Buy Inspiration album from Presto Classical<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-many-siblings-does-sheku-kanneh-mason-have\">How many siblings does Sheku Kanneh-Mason have?<\/h2><p>Sheku Kanneh-Mason has six siblings, all of whom are musicians.<\/p><p>His mother Kadiatu has released a book, <em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.waterstones.com\/book\/house-of-music\/kadiatu-kanneh-mason\/9781786078445\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons<\/a><\/strong>, <\/em>about her experience raising the family in Nottingham. It won the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/english-national-operas-trailblazing-covid-19-projects-lead-the-2021-rps-awards-shortlists\/\"><strong>2021 RPS Award for Storytelling<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"House of Music Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason","excludeKeywords":"","price":"8.00","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-isata-kanneh-mason-piano\">Isata Kanneh-Mason, Piano<\/h3><p>Isata Kanneh-Mason is a pianist, and the eldest of the Kanneh-Mason siblings. Like Sheku, she is signed to Decca Classics. <\/p><p>In 2019, Isata released her debut recording on the label: a collection of piano works by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/clara-schumann-6\">Clara Schumann<\/a><\/strong>. She and Sheku performed together as a duo at the 2020 BBC Proms, and she has a postgraduate degree from the Royal Academy of Music.<\/p><p>You can listen to our interview with Isata Kanneh-Mason on the Music to my Ears podcast <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/podcast\/music-to-my-ears-pianist-isata-kanneh-mason\/\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>. In it, she talks about the music and artists who have made her who she is today, from Beyonc\u00e9 to Yuja Wang.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/listen\/podcast\/music-to-my-ears-pianist-isata-kanneh-mason\/\"><strong>Music to my Ears Podcast: Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Romance \u2013 The Piano Music of Clara Schumann\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"352\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"\" allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/album\/7Jt7TzZQgrMsJgI7CPyApE?si=7hfSgmHIRg6W14iqYK6yhw&utm_source=oembed\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Romance-Piano-Music-Clara-Schumann\/dp\/B07RBJY827\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy from Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.prestomusic.com\/classical\/products\/8617200--isata kanneh-mason-clara schumann\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Buy from Presto Classical<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-braimah-kanneh-mason-violin\">Braimah Kanneh-Mason, Violin<\/h3><p>Braimah is often seen performing onstage in a trio with Isata and Sheku, and is also part of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/chineke-orchestra-what-the-bme-ensemble-is-doing-to-shine-a-light-on-the-lack-of-diversity-in-classical-music\">Chineke!<\/a><\/strong> Orchestra, the leading UK ensemble made up of BME musicians. He learns with violinist Jack Liebeck. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-konya-kanneh-mason-violin\">Konya Kanneh-Mason, Violin<\/h3><p>Konya is currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music, where all her elder siblings have also studied. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-jeneba-kanneh-mason-piano-and-cello\">Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Piano and Cello<\/h3><p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/jeneba-kanneh-mason-signs-for-sony-classical\">Jeneba Kanneh-Mason<\/a><\/strong> is studying at the Royal College of Music, where she is focusing on the piano. In 2018, she was a Keyboard Finalist in BBC Young Musician. She plays in the Chineke! Junior Orchestra, and is set to be making her debut with Chineke! in the near future. She has also recently signed to Sony Classical.<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-aminata-kanneh-mason-violin\">Aminata Kanneh-Mason, Violin<\/h3><p>Aminata has achieved Grade 8 Distinction on both the violin and piano, and often performs in concert with her siblings. <\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mariatu-kanneh-mason-cello\">Mariatu Kanneh-Mason, Cello<\/h3><p>Mariatu is the youngest Kanneh-Mason sibling, so was too young to join them in 2015 when the family appeared on <em>Britain’s Got Talent. <\/em>She is learning the piano and cello, the latter of which she has achieved her Grade 8 Distinction in. <\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-do-the-kanneh-masons-live\">Where do the Kanneh-Masons live?<\/h2><p>The Kanneh-Mason family are based in Nottingham, UK, where they performed together as children. They travelled into London on Saturdays to attend the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music. The older siblings have gone on to study at the Academy at undergraduate level.<\/p><p>Sheku Kanneh-Mason is dressed by fellow Nottingham legend Paul Smith.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul Smith | A Suit To Travel In | Sheku Kanneh-Mason\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mTDgUkKS1CA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Paul Smith | Paul in Conversation with Sheku Kanneh-Mason | A Suit To Travel In\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j2neWaSJccs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-sheku-kanneh-mason-at-the-2024-bbc-proms\">Sheku Kanneh-Mason at the 2024 BBC Proms<\/h2><p>Sheku appears twice at the 2024 BBC Proms, both times alongside his violinist brother Braimah. For Prom 20 on Sunday 4 August, the duo are joined by Pl\u00ednio Fernandes (guitar), the Fantasia Orchestra and conductor Tom Fetherstonhaugh for a programme including arrangements of songs by Burt Bacharach and Bob Marley, chamber music by\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/bela-bartok\">Bart\u00f3k<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/johannes-brahms\">Brahms<\/a><\/strong>, and an arrangement of the much-loved folk song ‘<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/scarborough-fair-lyrics\">Scarborough Fair<\/a><\/strong>‘.<\/p><p>Then, for Prom 22 (a Relaxed Prom), on the morning of Monday 5 August, Sheku and Braimah join up with the same forces for a concert presented by saxophonist\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/who-is-jess-gillam\">Jess Gillam<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-isata-kanneh-mason-at-the-2024-bbc-proms\">Isata Kanneh-Mason at the 2024 BBC Proms<\/h2><p>Sheku’s sister Isata has a big gig at the 2024 BBC Proms: she is performing at the First Night (Friday 19 July). She joins soprano Sophie Bevan, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/who-are-the-bbc-singers\">BBC Singers<\/a><\/strong>, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra and conductor Elim Chan in a lineup including <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/george-frideric-handel\">Handel<\/a>, arr.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/sir-charles-mackerras-1925-2010\">Mackerras<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<em>Music for the Royal Fireworks: Overture<\/em>,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/anton-bruckner\">Bruckner<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Psalm 150,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/clara-schumann-6\">Clara Schumann<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Piano Concerto,\u00a0<strong>Ben Nobuto<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Hallelujah Sim.<\/em><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>(BBC commission: world premiere), and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/ludwig-van-beethoven\">Beethoven<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0Symphony No. 5 in C minor.<\/p><ul><li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/guide-beethovens-symphony-no-5\">A guide to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Published: Wednesday, 29 May 2024 at 11:22 AM Read on for our introduction to that remarkably talented and musical family, the Kanneh-Masons, including among others the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, all of whom are performing at the 2024 BBC Proms. Who is Sheku Kanneh-Mason? Sheku rose to fame […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":43593,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/05\/the-kanneh-masons-meet-britains-most-talented-musical-family-2048x1366.jpg",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Published: Wednesday, 29 May 2024 at 11:22 AM Read on for our introduction to that remarkably talented and musical family, the Kanneh-Masons, including among others the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason and violinist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, all of whom are performing at the 2024 BBC Proms. Who is Sheku Kanneh-Mason? Sheku rose to fame…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/43592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}