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
Experience brilliance and breathtaking performances in this program featuring Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, presented by soloist Nobuyuki Tsujii.
Blending lush Romantic melodies with 20th-century harmonic elements, see Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances at the Conservatorium Theatre.
Experience a delightful evening of classical music with world-renowned countertenor Andreas Scholl and chamber group Ensemble Q.
This concert promises to captivate with the masterworks by Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Faure, and Ravel.
Experience a sound-world shimmering with brilliance in this concert featuring Haydn's String Quartet in D Major, Op.76 No.5, showcasing the composer's mastery of the genre.
Experience the skill and artistry of Queensland Symphony Orchestra's musical colleagues featuring works by Beethoven, Liszt and Ravel, performed by pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii.
The QYO Finale concert showcases the incredible talent of all eight Queensland Youth Orchestras ensembles.
Immerse yourself in a night of song and socialising in Sing Sing Sing at the Opera Queensland Studio.