Sheku Kanneh-Mason

The First Cellist in History to Top the UK Music Charts

Sheku Kanneh-Mason trying out a prized Rostropovich cello at Sotheby’s in 2018. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is a British cellist who earned a measure of notoriety after winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year—a prestigious televised competition—in 2016. He was the first black musician to win the coveted award since it launched in 1978. Then in 2018, Sheku’s fame skyrocketed when he played for 600 guests at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding. He performed three pieces for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, including Schubert's “Ave Maria.” Prince Harry had seen Sheku perform for a London ceremony held by the Halo Foundation, an Antiguan charity. Prince Harry was so impressed, Sheku thereafter received a formal invitation, to which he replied via Twitter:

“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!”

Sheku Kanneh-Mason playing the cello. Illustrated by Daniel J. Middleton.

Since the wedding, Sheku went on to record albums for the British record label Decca Classics, all of which garnered acclaim. Sheku made history again in 2020 when his album Elgar landed in the Top 10 of the UK Official Album Chart, making him the first cellist to do so. Sheku has since toured the world and been on the cover of GQ. But during the heady moment of fame, he never lost focus on his studies as a full-time ABRSM Scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music located in the heart of London.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason was born in a suburb of Nottingham, England on April 4, 1999. He is the third of seven children, all of whom are talented musicians. His parents are Stuart Mason, a senior vice president for the luxury hotel chain Belmond, and Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, a former lecturer at Birmingham University. Sheku’s eldest sister Isata was the first to express an interest in and aptitude for classical music. She played the piano well enough to be accepted into the Junior Department of the Royal Academy of Music at age eight. Following in Isata’s footsteps, Sheku began his cello training at age six, under the guidance of Sarah Huson-Whyte. By age nine, he attended the Royal Academy on a junior scholarship as well and studied under Ben Davies in the Junior Department. He later studied with Hannah Roberts, the principal cellist of a chamber orchestra.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason playing three classical music pieces during the signing of the registry at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Photo courtesy of Kensington Royal via Twitter.

Sheku, along with his sister Isata and brother Braimah, joined the Chineke! Orchestra. Founded by double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku, the orchestra caters to black and minority ethnic classical musicians, being the first of its kind in Europe. Sheku and his two siblings formed the Kanneh-Mason Trio and landed an appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. The experience was a warm-up for Sheku’s historic performance and win on BBC Young Musician. That win led to greater success, including his televised performance for the Royal Wedding—allegedly seen by billions—and his record deal with Decca Classics. His classical arrangement of Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry” enjoyed 1 million streams on Spotify during its first month of release. His debut album Inspiration also became the first album of any winner of the Young Musician competition to chart in the UK. It entered the pop rankings at number 18, then re-entered at number 11 following the wedding performance.

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This article appears in 21st Century Black Changemakers.

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