Sheku Kanneh-Mason shot to global fame after his mesmerising performance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
The winner of the BBC Young Musician award in 2016, and the first cellist in history to reach the top 10 of the UK album charts, Sheku is also one of seven siblings, all extraordinary instrumentalists, who have been described by Simon Cowell as the world’s most talented family.
On this, the first Australian tour by Sheku and the Kanneh-Masons, he will be joined by his sister Isata, now one of Britain’s leading young pianists, in a performance of greatly loved sonatas for cello and piano, and, in the second half of the program, by the entire family. The program will feature works by Schubert, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Gershwin and other popular composers.
The Kanneh-Masons are Isata, 26 (piano), Braimah, 24 (violin), Sheku, 23 (cello), Konya, 22 (piano and violin), Jeneba, 19 (piano and cello), Aminita, 16 (violin and piano), and Mariatu, 13 (cello and piano).
In a coup for Australian audiences, this will be the largest tour the siblings have undertaken together outside of the UK.
Sheku plays a 1700 Matteo Gofriller cello, kindly on loan from an anonymous syndicate of private investors.
Frank Bridge
Sonata for Cello and Piano
I. Allegro ben moderato
II. Adagio ma non troppo – Molto allegro agitato
Sheku, cello, Isata, piano
George Gershwin
Prelude N.1 (from The Three Préludes)
Isata, piano
Felix Mendelssohn
Song without words for cello and piano d major opus 109
Sheku, cello, Isata, piano
Maria Theresia von Paradis
Sicilienne
Sheku, cello, Isata, piano
Dmitri Shostakovich
Sonata for Cello and Piano
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Allegro
III. Largo
IV. Allegro
Sheku, cello, Isata, piano
Intermission (20 minutes)
Eric Whitacre (arr. Parkin)
Seal Lullaby
Isata, piano, Jeneba, piano, Braimah, violin, Konya, violin, Aminata, violin, Mariatu, cello, Sheku, cello
Franz Schubert
Impromptu op 90 no 2
Konya, piano
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Violin Sonata in D Minor
I. Allegro ma non tanto
Braimah, violin, Jeneba, piano
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio n.1 in D Minor op. 49
II. Andante con moto tranquillo
Jeneba, piano, Aminata, violin, Mariatu, cello
Franz Liszt
Hungarian Rhapsody No.2
Jeneba, piano
Jerry Bock (arr. Kanneh-Masons)
Fiddler on the Roof
Isata, piano, Jeneba, piano, Braimah, violin, Konya, violin, Aminata, violin, Mariatu, cello, Sheku, cello
Bob Marley (arr. Kanneh-Masons)
Redemption Song
Isata, piano, Jeneba, piano, Braimah, violin, Konya, violin, Aminata, violin, Mariatu, cello, Sheku, cello
*Program subject to change
Qld Pops takes the stage for Brisbane’s jewel in the crown: a special 40th Anniversary New Year’s Eve Gala Concert, returning in 2024.
Celebrating timeless beauty and energy, this is a favourites concert not to be missed.
Second show just announced! Join Max Richter as he performs works from The Blue Notebooks and from his newly released album, In A Landscape.
Karin Schaupp premieres Gerard Brophy’s Guitar Concerto.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, joined by teenage violin sensation Chloe Chua, make their highly anticipated Australian debut in February 2025.
Brahms’s Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 form an epic opener to the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Season.
The Rite of Spring, Igor Stravinsky’s ballet marvel, sent shockwaves through the course of 20th century music.
What a swell party this is! Join the Southern Cross Soloists for a Viennese birthday celebration featuring singing, dancing and laughing.