Meet the ‘Wonder’ Siblings of Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the 19 Year-old Cellist Who Performed at the Royal Wedding
At the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, a teenage Cellist gave a marveling performance of some classical numbers and made waves worldwide. 19 year old Sheku Kanneh -Mason performed alongside the Orchestra during the signing of the register by the couple.
A month before the wedding, Sheku gushed about how excited he was to perform at Harry and Markle’s wedding with this tweet, ‘I’m so excited and honoured to perform at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. I was bowled over when Ms Markle called me to ask if I would play during the ceremony, and of course I immediately said yes!!! What a privilege. I can’t wait!’
Last June, Prince Harry saw Sheku play at an event in London in support of the work of Antiguan charity the Halo Foundation.
Who is Sheku Kanneh-Mason?
Sheku resides in the United Kingdom and this year, his debut album, “Inspiration,” hit number 1 on the U.K. classical chart, according to his Twitter bio.He grew up one of seven children and is currently a full-time scholarship student at The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, according to his website. He began learning the cello when he was 6 years old. He was the first black winner of Britain’s Young Musician of the Year Award, which he won in 2016.
Interestingly, all six siblings of the prodigiously talented musician are of equal talent themselves. Their mother, Kadie said of them when Sheku won the Britain’s Young Musician of the Year Award, ‘I don’t want to take away from Sheku’s achievement because I know how hard he worked for it, but it could really have been any one of them.’
Narrating how it all began, Stuart, dad and Kadie, mum, stated that they didn’t expect the outcome they are witnessing today, “We thought it would be nice if Isata, our eldest, played the piano,” their mother explains. They didn’t, however, expect Isata to be quite as talented as she was. Nor did they predict the impact she would have on her younger siblings. “When Isata was about eight, she got into the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music; that was a pivotal moment,” their father recalls. Since then, Isata has continued to pave the way for her younger siblings.
Today, all seven Kanneh-Mason siblings are accomplished musicians in their own right.
Sheku’s mother, Kadie is of Sierra Leonean origin. His father, Stuart is from the Caribbean Island of Antigua.
All seven brothers and sisters play instruments – most to grade eight level:
The eldest, 21-year-old Isata, is a pianist and former Young Musician finalist herself. She plays violin and viola to Grade 8 standard. In two of her Grade 8 exams she achieved the highest marks in the country.
Braimah, 20, is a violinist who achieved his Grade 8 by the age of 12.
Then comes Sheku, 19, who first picked up a cello aged six and had his Grade 8 by the age of nine, again with the highest marks in the country.
Konya, 17, got: Grade 8 in piano at 11, violin at 12 and several regional trophies.
Jeneba, 15, got Grade 8 at nine, with the highest marks in the area.
Aminata, 12, already has her Grade 8 in both violin and piano.
Then comes 8 year-old Mariatu, who is already following in the footsteps of her siblings.
So, is this the most talented family in Britain? It was a question asked in 2015 by Simon Cowell when the six eldest siblings appeared on Britain’s Got Talent (actually, he said they might be the most talented family in the world).
‘We never set out to produce an orchestra,’ says Stuart. ‘It came as a bit of a shock to us, too.’
Inevitably, the children are often called ‘prodigies’. But their mother doesn’t agree completely with this. She insists that, while talented, their successes are down to ‘sheer hard work’. ‘Each practices for at least two hours a day, more if they are preparing for an exam or concert’. ‘This lot play like they breathe’ - she said.
The parents also deserve a trophy here. ‘There have been times, mostly when I’m up at 4.30am on a Saturday, when I do think “what on earth are we doing?”- Mum, Kadie admits.
From the beginning, they made a decision to be deeply involved with their children’s music, making sure at least one parent was in every audience.
‘Every penny of our money goes on music. We haven’t decorated for years, as you can see (the plaster is flaking off the walls); the tiles are coming off the roof. We never buy new clothes. I do the girls’ hair myself because it’s too expensive to take them to a salon. Our car is a wreck.’- says Kadie.
Sheku was only able to enter the Young Musician contest; it emerges, thanks to the kindness of a retired luthier (a maker of stringed instruments).
Frank White made an extraordinary loan — an entire package of instruments for the family, worth tens of thousands, including Sheku’s first full-sized cello.
‘This could not have happened without him,’ Kadie says. ‘What would we have done without him? What do other families do? I don’t know. One of Sheku’s strings can cost £80. A cello bow can be £2,000. Then there are the trains, the sheet music, the overnight stays.’
‘We could spend our money on a fancy car but we think this is more important. And even if none of them ends up becoming a professional musician, it will have been worth it.
‘Playing an instrument teaches them discipline, self-belief, the importance of hard work. It gives them confidence. As a parent, the joy is seeing them play together, or play on a stage. They blossom, and that confidence spills over into every part of their lives. I don’t think we will ever look back and say “that was money wasted”. - She concludes.