The cellist, made famous for performing at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding, has returned to a socially distanced stage. Sheku Kanneh-Mason has been spending lockdown live streaming concerts with his six siblings from their home in Nottingham. Now he's stepping onto a larger stage once more for the Philharmonia Orchestra summer session series.\ Mason recently released an original composition entitled, "Melody." Written for solo cello, on Decca Classics, and having just celebrated his 21st birthday, Sheku is happy to mark the occasion with his own work, Sheku says: "I wrote this tune a while back, inspired by folk music I love listening to. I never intended to release it but felt now would be a good time to share it. I hope it might encourage people to try something new and express their creativity during this difficult time." SEE THE BBC PAGE

As part of Summerfest, this week CPR Classical will be showcasing the work of British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who didn't just rise to fame, he catapulted. By 18 he already had a major record label contract and his first CD under his belt, but it was the call from Meghan Markle, soon to be Duchess of Sussex, that would change his career trajectory. Kanneh-Mason performed three pieces at the royal wedding of Markle and Prince Harry, which had an estimated worldwide audience of 2 billion people. Overnight, a new superstar was born. The third of seven children, Kanneh-Mason first captured attention when he played classical music with five of his musically talented siblings on the 2015 season of "Britain's Got Talent," making it to the semi-final round. A year later he was the first Black musician to win the BBC Young Artist Competition. Since then he's been awarded the Classic BRIT Awards Male Artist of the Year and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire. READ THE FULL CPR Classical spotlight 

On a Friday evening a few months ago, when it was entirely normal to be in a packed concert hall, Sheku Kanneh-Mason finished playing Saint-Saëns's Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.   The British cellist had torn through the classic piece, which unfolds in a 20-minute whoosh.   "It just kind of starts," he had said at lunch that afternoon. There are no gaps between the concerto's sections, so no breaks for awkward throat clearing. No big solo cadenza stops the momentum. Mr. Kanneh-Mason's playing is more poised than fiery: levelheaded, though not exactly cool. But the enameled sunniness of his tone - milky yet bright - took on dashing spirit in the headlong sprint to the end.   Mr. Kanneh-Mason, who turned 21 on April 4, walked offstage to a loud ovation, then stood with his cello for a few seconds before heading back on for an encore. When he emerged, the audience greeted him with a roar. Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Symphony's longtime conductor, smiled as she watched from backstage.   "It's good," she said. "We need another star."   But if Mr. Kanneh-Mason continues to rise through first-name recognizability - it's "SHAY-koo" - ticket-selling power and millions of Spotify streams, he will be more than just another star who can anchor galas and assure capacity crowds. He will be what the classical music world has long lacked: a black headliner. Orchestras have a stunningly low number of black and Latino members, and the numbers are even grimmer when it comes to concerto and recital soloists.   "The arena is still devoid of stars of color," said Afa S. Dworkin, the president of the Sphinx Organization, a nonprofit devoted to diversifying classical music.   If Mr. Kanneh-Mason becomes a figure as well-known as Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang or Joshua Bell, his celebrity will have had its roots in a fairly standard, if impressive, achievement: He won a prestigious competition, the BBC Young Musician of the Year, in 2016.   But that victory set the stage for a once-in-a-lifetime launch. After appearing at a charity event attended by Prince Harry, he was selected to play at Harry's 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle. It was watched on television by an audience of nearly 2 billion - including many young people of color who have swiftly taken Mr. Kanneh-Mason as a model.   "It's difficult to see yourself doing something if you don't see someone looking like you doing it," he said.   This is what Ms. Dworkin calls "the Sheku effect." "A new generation of musicians are saying, ‘That will be me,'" she said. "And parents are looking at that and saying, ‘I wanted to start my kid on cello. How do I get to this?' It becomes positive and realistic."   Playing with members of the OrchKids after-school program, Mr. Kanneh-Mason took the students seriously and gave earnest advice.Credit...Greg Kahn for The New York Times After one of his rehearsals with the Baltimore Symphony, Mr. Kanneh-Mason rode to an elementary school on the east side of the city to meet students in the ensemble's OrchKids program, which provides after-school music programs in poor communities.   He warmed up with Bach's D-minor Suite in an empty classroom as the sun lowered over the neighborhood of rowhouses. A large group of children, almost all of them black or Latino, filed in and peppered him with questions after he played some short, lyrical pieces, including a version of "No Woman, No Cry" that he arranged in the solemnly dancing style of a Bach sarabande. (His recording of it has been streamed almost 12 million times on Spotify.)   Then, joined in a ring by a dozen or so beginner cellists, Mr. Kanneh-Mason sometimes seemed almost overcome with bashfulness as he led a genial little master class. He took the students seriously as they sawed through "Frère Jacques," and gave earnest, soft-spoken advice as he played along. He was so humble and quiet that he sometimes seemed, improbably, to be just another kid in the class.   Being part of a circle of musicians - rather than the singular attraction - wasn't out of character for Mr. Kanneh-Mason. He was raised in Nottingham, in the middle of England, with six siblings, all of whom have also turned out to be serious players. His mother, who was born in Sierra Leone, and his father, whose parents are from Antigua, both grew up in Britain and met in college. Neither was a musician, or set out to create a family of virtuosos.   "It's a thing they liked," Mr. Kanneh-Mason said of his parents, who would play Itzhak Perlman, Jacqueline du Pré and Vladimir Ashkenazy CDs in the car. "It wasn't a big plan."   Quarantined together in Nottingham, the siblings have broadcast twice-weekly concerts over Facebook Live throughout the coronavirus lockdown. In April, on the day his older sister, Isata, was supposed to have appeared with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as the soloist in Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto, the family performed an arrangement of the piece that has been viewed more than a million times.   "Recitals - with just piano, or chamber music - is what I enjoy the most," Mr. Kanneh-Mason said. "Because of the repertoire, and I like being able to work closely with just a few people on something. I prefer the intimacy of that to a concerto."   His taste in performing, valuing the small-scale and personal over grandeur, has fit in well with the restrictions of the moment and what is likely to come in the near future. He loves spaces like Wigmore Hall in London and, in New York, the 268-seat Weill Recital Hall, where he made his Carnegie Hall recital debut in December with Isata.   Still an undergraduate at the Royal Academy of Music in London, he's been continuing lessons with his teacher over video chat this spring, and working on the improvisations and arrangements he likes to toy with. On a Zoom call in May from his bedroom on the top floor of the house where he grew up, he talked about breaking apart the different voices of a Bach aria and playing them all. A few days later, he posted the results on Instagram, the tiny screen broken into five of himself, and the harmonies of "Komm, süsser Tod" almost painfully rich.   His coming months are uncertain, as they are for all musicians. The plan had been for him to do some low-key performances of Dvorak's Cello Concerto, the next addition to his orchestral repertoire, in the fall, to get some practice before higher-profile dates next year. Now it's unclear when he'll be able to play it anywhere.   He and Isata will return to the United States in a couple of years for another recital tour. "And the presenters are very confident that they will be able to sell big halls, because of the appeal he has and the audience that came to the last cycle," said Kathryn Enticott, who manages both of them. "And the initial reason for that was the wedding. But then the audiences want to come back."   While his biggest successes online have been in a decidedly light mode - "No Woman, No Cry," which he sometimes pulls out for encores, and arrangements of songs like "Hallelujah" and "Scarborough Fair" - his performing career has stuck almost entirely to the standard repertoire.   "He's been asked to do some crossover projects, and he doesn't want to go near them," Ms. Enticott said. "He believes that the music he plays, if people are exposed to it, they will appreciate just how great it is."   Mr. Kanneh-Mason is of course not the only gifted young classical instrumentalist of color. The Sphinx Organization alone has hundreds of alumni that Ms. Dworkin, who admires him, says are his equal in ability and deserve their chances, too.   "At the beginning of my career, a quarter-century ago," Ms. Dworkin said, "there was actual resistance, a vocal one: ‘We don't think they're ready; the talent isn't out there.' Now I think the issue is these quiet choices not being made."   Artist managers, recital presenters, orchestra administrators, record labels, journalists: All have the opportunity, and the responsibility, to take the risks that will broaden music.   "We are very much a field of followers," Ms. Dworkin said. "If a couple of presenters do it, others will follow. Like they did with Sheku."        PHOTO: Greg Kahn

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is best known to those outside Britain as the phenomenal young cellist who played for the wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle, but in Britain he's quickly becoming almost as famous as they are. His second album, recorded last year in Abbey Road Studios when he was twenty years old, features the Elgar Cello Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. (Jacqueline du Pré was the same age when she recorded the same concerto with the same orchestra in 1965). Sheku shares his thoughts on the concerto and his dedication to music with WETA: Wash DC, James Jacobs. LISTEN

Award-winning British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason recently celebrated his 21st birthday and is delighted to mark the occasion by releasing his own piece, for solo cello, which was inspired by folk music. He sometimes performs ‘Melody' as a surprise encore at concerts but had no intention of officially releasing it until now. ‘Melody' was filmed in the garden of his family home in Nottingham Kanneh-Mason explained, "I wrote this tune a while back, inspired by folk music I love listening to. I never intended to release it but felt now would be a good time to share it. I hope it might encourage people to try something new and express their creativity during this difficult time." READ THE FULL udiscovermusic. ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO

Inventiveness waxes ever stronger, it seems, in quarantine, as do the number of faces and instrumental sounds gathered together at any one time. As the branches diversify, embracing pre-filmed concert and opera, solo and multiple livestreams from home, it made sense not to try and yoke all this together, and to give individual slots to each happening, from two innovative opera productions to a fabulous young cellist playing in his back garden. The deservedly celebrated young cellist has been livestreaming from home, giving further insight into the happy musical family scene in Nottingham, but his latest offering, a blissful two-minute meditation, is a thing apart – just released, his own composition, played in the garden (with a brief interjection from a querulous blackbird). It sounds like an offshoot from Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, and none the worse for that, given the familiar subtlety and artistry. Despite his rise to fame, Sheku will not be deserting the musicians with whom he began: he'll be trying out Dvorak's Cello Concerto with the young players of the Fantasia Orchestra later this year. READ THE FULL artsdesk ARTICLE

It's difficult to name a classical artist with a bigger big break than Sheku Kanneh-Mason. In 2018, 1.9 billion people around the world watched the young cellist - he was just 19 years old at the time - perform in the halls of St. George's Chapel during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In addition to the Royal Wedding, Kanneh-Mason, who is now 20 years old, has had numerous television performances throughout his young career. In 2015, he was a contestant on Britain's Got Talent and performed in an ensemble with his siblings (which included his older sister Isata, a successful pianist). He also competed and won the BBC Young Musician in 2016. Kanneh-Mason has expressed that preparation and practice have guided him throughout these major performances. In addition to an active concert schedule, he recently released his second album, Elgar, on the Decca Classics label, with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra. Anchored by Elgar's Cello Concerto, which Kanneh-Mason describes as his favorite, the album also features music by Fauré and Bloch, as well as two traditional songs. 98.7WFMT: Chicago hosts Keegan Morris and Michael San Gabino spoke with Sheku Kanneh-Mason about finding his musical voice, the experience of performing at a Royal Wedding, and his collaboration with Sir Simon Rattle.   READ THE Q&A

He performed at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. Two years earlier, at the age of 17, he won the BBC's Young Musician Competition. And he's appeared on Britain's Got Talent with his six musical siblings. Yet, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who is just 20 years old and still studies at the Royal Academy of Music, is grounded in the music he loves. He's just released his second solo recording. It features Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor and other pieces that are close to his heart. "What I'm always searching for is the most convincing and expressive way to play the music that I'm playing. There are lots of pieces of music that I really, really want to learn. I think meaningful playing is what I practice for." READ & LISTEN TO MPR: New Classical Tracks: 

Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and conducted by one of Sheku's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle, the work is a statement of intent from the 20-year-old musician whose rise to being "the world's new favourite cellist" (The Times) has taken nothing away from his ambition to continue evolving and learning as an artist. Sheku explains, "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going." Sheku is a young man with great technical prowess and an understanding of the music he plays much beyond his years. Listen to his conversation with Spokane Public Radio's Jim Tevenan about his new Decca album.  LISTEN p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

Award-winning young cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason presents a new recording anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon for the cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance in 2019. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios, the album features the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by one of Kanneh-Mason's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle. The concerto is set amid nine exquisite shorter pieces, some popular and some less well-known, providing a musical context to Elgar's work. Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar is the WFMT: Chicago 'Featured new Release' for Wednesday January 29, 2020.

Recorded with conductor Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra, the disc features the Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Frank Bridge's ‘4 Short Pieces‘, Ernest Bloch's ‘Prelude‘ and ‘From Jewish Life‘, Gabriel Faure's ‘Elegie‘, Julius Klengel's ‘Hymnus‘ – plus a number of new cello arrangements of Elgar's ‘Enigma Variations‘ and ‘Romance‘ and the traditional folk songs ‘Scarborough Fair‘ and ‘Blow the Wind Southerly‘. "The main piece on the album is Elgar's Cello Concerto, which I grew up listening to a lot … it has always been one of my favorite pieces of music, so it was was such a privilege to record …" Sheku has told The Violin Channel. "I wanted to also record pieces around it that relate to the Concerto – by either also being written by Elgar, or being by British composers, or written around a similar time … or simply sharing a mood or theme …" the 20-year-old 2016 ‘BBC Young Musician of the Year‘ has said. "But essentially it's just pieces I really love." SEE The Violin Channel PAGE & WATCH THE VIDEO

James Jolly's fortnightly playlist includes a taster of Víkingur Ólafsson's much-anticipated new album 'Debussy - Rameau', Ruby Hughes singing Rhian Samuel's Clytemnestra, Jean-Philippe Collard in Granados's Goyescas and Sheku Kanneh-Mason's Elgar Cello Concerto with Sir Simon Rattle. A big concerto this week – the much-hyped Elgar from Sheku Kanneh-Mason (it's been a while since I saw an advert on the Tube for a mainstream classical album). It's an impressive release, with solo playing of big personality and a magnificently handled orchestral role, guided by Sir Simon Rattle with masterly style. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE FULL GRAMOPHONE PAGE

BBC Young Musician Sheku Kanneh-Mason scores a personal best and sets a new Official Chart record today, entering at Number 8 with his second album Elgar. The entry makes the 20-year-old Nottingham-born musician. who performed at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding in 2018, the highest-charting cellist of all time in the UK, and the first to break the Official Albums Chart Top 10. Sheku also lands at Number 1 on this week's Official Classical Albums Chart.

Celebrating the news, Sheku said: "I am so excited that my album is in the Top 10 of the Official UK Album Chart – thank you Edward Elgar for writing such a fantastic piece of music! And thank you to Sir Simon Rattle and all the other great artists who feature on the recording too." Further down, Former Mercury Prize nominees The Big Moon claim their first UK Top 40 album with Walking Like We Do (19), rising star Georgia also makes her chart debut album Seeking Thrills (24), and new Andy Williams hits collection Gold also secures a place in this week's Top 40 at Number 29. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE FULL Official Charts PAGE

Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and conducted by one of Sheku's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle, the work is a statement of intent from the 20-year-old musician whose rise to being "the world's new favourite cellist" (The Times) has taken nothing away from his ambition to continue evolving and learning as an artist. Sheku explains, "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going." In conjunction with the album release; Sheku has made some time available TODAY and on January 31st to speak with classical radio stations around the US. Watch for our tweets today on part one of Sheku's interview journey.

For Royal watchers and classical music lovers alike, it was hard not to notice the extraordinary performance by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason at the Royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018. His appearance was seen by over two billion viewers and took the world by storm. His debut record for Decca Classics, Inspiration, reached No. 1 on the classical charts and No. 18 on the UK Album charts and has been streamed over 2.5 million times on Spotify. Kanneh-Mason's latest album featuring Elgar's Cello Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle is out now. If the critics are right, this is an artist becoming become synonymous with the cello. Ludwig Van's Q&A series is comprised of a bank of questions aimed at artists who have made a serious mark on the classical music scene. They pick and choose. The minimum response is 20 answers. Here's what Sheku wrote.

Throughout the week Classic FM's presenters bring you the best new recordings, including world exclusives and premiere broadcasts of latest releases. This week Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with his third album, Elgar, featuring music from Fauré, Bloch, Klengel, and of course – Elgar himself. The focal point of Sheku's latest release is Elgar's legendary ‘Cello Concerto', a piece which was first performed 100 years ago last October. The concerto was recorded at Abbey Road studios and made in the new Dolby Atmos sound, creating a more immersive and ‘high definition' listening experience. It was back in 2018 when Sheku became a household name, following his stunning performance at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Sheku first began to learn the cello when he was just six years old, before going on to study at the Royal Academy of Music where he held a junior scholarship. He is still a student at the academy, studying with British cellist Hannah Roberts. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE CLASSIC fM PAGE

Britain's Sheku Kanneh-Mason family is a phenomenon – seven sibling classical musicians from Nottingham who have been profiled in documentaries seen around the world. The mystery of deep musical talent seems even more intriguing when it visits an entire family, but every voice is unique, and the Kanneh-Masons say they are tightly enough knit to be supportive of each other as individuals.  When Sheku won the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year award, he became the first black musician ever to win it. He played to an audience of a billion at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He's been on the cover of GQ Magazine. And he's just been appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music in Britain's 2020 New Year's Honours list. He's accomplished all of this while continuing to study at London's Royal Academy. Now, he's had the spectacular good fortune of working with Sir Simon Rattle on a recording of one of the most loved pieces of music in England, Elgar's Cello Concerto. On this new album, the Concerto is the centerpiece of a collection of arrangements of pieces written around the same time, all of which bring you into the dramatically rich and colorful sound world of the cello. Sheku's warm and burnished sound meets you at the very beginning in his solo cello arrangement of the traditional Northumbrian folk tune Blow the Wind Southerly. He says that Kathleen Ferrier's 1949 recording was the inspiration for it: READ THE FULL WCRB: Boston PAGE

Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month. Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and conducted by one of Sheku's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle, the work is a statement of intent from the 20-year-old musician whose rise to being "the world's new favourite cellist" (The Times) has taken nothing away from his ambition to continue evolving and learning as an artist. Sheku explains, "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going." Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar is the KDFC: San Francisco 'Album of the Week'   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

AWARD-WINNING CELLIST Sheku Kanneh-Mason is on track to become the first cellist in the history of the charts to earn a place in the UK Official Charts Top 10. The chart position would also make Kanneh-Mason the first British classical instrumentalist in over 30 years to reach the Top 10 after violinist Nigel Kennedy released Vivaldi's Four Seasons in 1989. According to the Official Chart Company (OCC) Midweeks report, Kanneh-Mason's album Elgar, released on Decca Classics, is a new entry at No.6 of the combined album chart, ahead of new releases from Big Moon and Georgia, and No.4 in the digital download chart behind Stormzy's Heavy is the Head. Fans who want their purchase of Kanneh-Mason's second album, Elgar, to count towards first week sales – and what could be a historic moment – will need to buy the album by Thursday. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE VOICE ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO

Royal wedding cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason records Elgar's Cello Concerto at Abbey Road Studios. Kanneh-Mason has recorded Elgar's monumental work at just 20 – the same age Jacqueline du Pré was when she set down her iconic take on the concerto. Joining the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, the recording marks the young cellist's second album on Decca Classics. Other works on the album include an arrangement of Elgar's ‘Nimrod' from the Enigma Variations, Fauré's Elégie in C minor, and arrangements of traditional songs ‘Scarborough Fair' and ‘Blow the Wind Southerly'. "All the pieces are connected, either exercising similar emotions to the Cello Concerto, or written around the same time," Sheku explains. "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going." John Suchet's has selected as 'Album of the Week' next week – listen to John's show at 10am every week day from Monday 13 January to hear highlights. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL CLASSIC fM ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO

New accounts of standard works, even those covered by dozens of classic recordings, can still enliven classical music. The standard repertory in classical music is often standard for good reason: Great works are gifts that keep on giving with repeated hearings. But what about repeated recordings? Some recent recordings of standard fare that merit attention and add to our understanding of the classics is Sheku Kanneh-Mason's new Elgar recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Simon Rattle. Mr. Kanneh-Mason, a fast-rising cellist who recently made an auspicious New York debut at Weill Recital Hall, joins the veteran Mr. Rattle in a youthful yet searching and intensely expressive account of Elgar's challenging concerto, due for release later this month. The performance brings impressive urgency and sweep to the episodic final movement. Mr. Kanneh-Mason fills out the album with shorter works, including a couple of novelties. But his main statement comes through an undaunted performance of a staple that remains a summit for aspiring cellists.

A young musician who played at the Duke of Sussex's wedding said it was "amazing" to be appointed an MBE in the New Year Honours. Sheku Kanneh-Mason, 20, became the first black musician to win the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016. Receiving the news, the Nottingham cellist paid tribute to his parents for their support. He said he would continue working with organisations to show the benefits of access to music for young people. "I was so lucky to have the dedicated support of my parents in giving me the opportunity to have specialist music lessons from a young child," he said. READ THE FULL BBC STORY

It's only fitting that cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, whose first name means "prince," should have performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the spring of 2018. Viewed by more than one billion people worldwide, the event catapulted the teenager to superstar status. Not that Kanneh-Mason was unknown before the nuptials: Indeed, the youth from Nottingham, England, took top honors at the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, becoming the first black musician to do so, and has been in great demand from major orchestras and concert halls ever since. Together with his older sister, the pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, a postgraduate student at the Royal Academy of Music who has fistfuls of awards herself, including having snagged that institution's Iris Dyer Piano Prize four times, the duo brings their formidable gifts to California, where they will perform concerts on Dec. 3 at Los Angeles' Colburn School and on Dec. 4 at Cal Performances' Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. (Sheku will also be a soloist with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in a series of four performances in May, 2020.) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE San Francisco Classical Voice Q&A

Winner of 2016's BBC Young Musician of the Year, Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his older sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason are set for thier upcoming recital performance at the Queen's Hall on 7 August, which is part of this summer's Edinburgh International Festival. Watch the attached file as Sheku & Isata's talk about growing up with classical music, the inspiring atmosphere of events like the International Festival and music as an escape and expression of reality.     p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Classical musical sales have bucked the downward trend thanks to young stars who appeared at the Royal Wedding and Proms, the UK's record label association has revealed. Sales of classical CDs and streaming of the music have increased by more than 10 per cent in 2018 compared to the previous year, the BPI has said. More than 2.2 million classical albums were either purchased, downloaded or streamed last year, with the genre growing faster than the rest of the UK music industry as a whole, which grew 5.7 per cent, according to data collected by the Official Charts Company for the BPI. READ THE FULL Telegraph ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

The 19-year-old cellist has received the award after passing 30,000 UK sales for his debut album Inspiration. Sheku's debut offering features selections of his favourite songs, all recorded with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. It includes orchestral renditions of Bob Marley's No Woman No Cry and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah. The album has amassed over 100,000 worldwide album sales and has made him the youngest cellist to ever break into the UK Top 20. Inspiration is the top selling classical album of 2018 in the UK and has enjoyed 13 weeks at Number 1, also topping Billboard's Emerging Artist chart in the US, making him the first classical musician to do so. The BRIT Certified Breakthrough Award is an extension of the Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards which are given to artists upon achieving notable sales landmarks.      READ FULL M ARTICLE

The Classic FM Chart has two new entries at No. 3 and No. 5, but nothing can nudge Sheku Kanneh-Mason from the top spot, as the cellist holds No. 1 for the eighth consecutive week. Once again, Kanneh-Mason's Inspiration holds the No. 1 spot in the Classic FM Chart, closely followed by Einaudi's Islands – an long-time favourite in the top five. Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra's recording of Shostakovich's symphonies has jumped in at No. 3, nudging John Williams: A Life in Music down to No. 4. There are two further new entries in the chart, with Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's Orchestral Works at No. 5, and Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton's new album Come to Me in my Dreams at No. 25. Plus, Andre Rieu's Amore has reentered the chart at No. 30. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE CLASSIC fM CHART

British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has played at the grandest of stages and broken into the UK and US top 20 – all at the age of 19. Meghan Markle has impeccable manners. Within a few weeks of marrying Prince Harry, she'd already sent out her thank-you letters – including a heartfelt one to young British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. With his stunning, emotional performance at the royal wedding, playing three pieces as the newlyweds signed the register at St George's Chapel, this unassuming Nottingham teenager seemed to encapsulate the spirit of the day and its nation-bonding mood of optimism and love. "It's a really nice letter," he reveals, with characteristic humility. "Really personal. It was an amazing experience to play at the wedding and nice to know how much the music meant to them." In providing a perfect soundtrack to the nuptials for more than 12 million viewers in Britain and many more worldwide, he may also have helped change more than just the perception of classical music in the UK and beyond. Because not only did he put the cello at the heart of a wedding in which the likes of Elton John and George Clooney played walk-on roles as guests, but he was also part of a royal celebration that had black faces to the fore, from the Rev Michael Curry, the African-American bishop who preached the sermon, to the Kingdom Choir, who sang the R&B classic, Stand by Me. Sales of his debut album Inspiration, which came out earlier this year, have not only smashed the UK charts since the wedding (he was the youngest classical cellist ever to enter the UK Top 20), but have been breaking records around the world and online, hitting number one on iTunes and Amazon. In the USA, he charted in the Billboard album top 20 (the first classical cellist to do so) and became the first classical artist to top their Emerging Artist chart – a huge accolade for any classical musician, let alone one who's yet to celebrate his 20th birthday. READ THE FULL Radio Times ARTICLE

The Royal wedding cellist once again remains unbeatable in the Classic FM Chart, as his debut album ‘Inspiration' takes the No. 1 spot for the seventh week in a row. The chart sees little movement in the top four, with Margaret Keys, John Williams and the LSO and Ludovico Einaudi all holding steady. As Incredibles 2 hits cinemas around the world, its soundtrack, by Michael Giacchino, has entered the chart at No.7. This is Giacchino's only score in the chart, as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has now fallen out of the top 30. SEE THE CLASSIC fM CHART

Fresh off the presses, it's The Royal Wedding: The Official Album! Fortunately for us, the recent wedding of Prince Harry and American Meghan Markle featured a lot of really nice classical music. One highlight included on the album, is a star turn from the remarkable young cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Tracks include If Ye Love Me, a stunning choral piece from the English Renaissance composer, Thomas Tallis, a musical blessing by the contemporary composer, John Rutter, as well as selections by Schubert, Faure, William Boyce, and more. For the Week of June 18th - The Royal Wedding: The Official Album is the KDFC: San Francisco - Album Of the Week. SEE KDFC PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Following a stunning performance at the Royal wedding, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has held onto the top spot in the Classic FM Chart for a second consecutive week. In a brilliant first year in the music industry, Sheku Kanneh-Mason's debut album Inspiration, which includes Shostakovich's Cello Concerto and a cello arrangement of Bob Marley's ‘No Woman, No Cry', has had a second bout of success.  Sheku takes his cello in for service. Watch what happens p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason set social media abuzz immediately after his royal wedding performance last month. But many classical music lovers had already set eyes and ears on the talented English musician. Mason came into the spotlight when he won the prestigious BBC Young Musician award in 2016. Signed to Decca Classics, his debut album 'Inspiration' features Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.1, the piece Sheku performed in the BBCYM final. Recorded live with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Inspiration also includes a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saëns' "Le Cygne (The Swan)" to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry." 90.5WKAR: Lansing MI, Peter Whorf has more on Kanneh-Mason as Inspiration is the Classical's New Release of the Month for June.  LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19. If you were one of the millions of viewers who tuned into the royal wedding last weekend, you may also have been one of the many who were impressed by a young cellist. Nineteen-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason played three pieces during the interlude in which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed the registry. Kanneh-Mason and five of his siblings competed as a group on Britain's Got Talent in 2015 - and the following year, he won the nationally televised BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Kanneh-Mason was the first black winner since the competition started in 1978. At a charity concert last year, he caught the ear of Prince Harry, and soon after Meghan Markle called to ask him to play at their wedding. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ/LISTEN TO NPR: All Things Considered SEGMENT

After a stunning performance at the Royal wedding last weekend which saw his debut album ‘Inspiration' jump to No. 1 in the US pop charts, Sheku Kanneh-Mason has also shot to the top of the Classic FM Chart. The 19-year-old performed during the signing of the register at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding last weekend – and since, he has jumped to No. 1 in not only the Classic FM Chart, but also the US iTunes charts. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THIS WEEK's CLASSIC fM CHART

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has been given a chart boost after performing at the royal wedding on Saturday. His album Inspiration has risen to Number 11 in the chart and is already the best selling classical album of 2018. It also returned as number one album on the Classical Artists Albums Chart. The former BBC Young Musician told the Official Charts Company: "It's been a crazy week with my college exams straight after! I'm so happy that people are enjoying my music and really grateful for all the support I've received in the past few days - it's been fantastic." Kanneh-Mason's performance of Sicilienne during the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding captured the attention of viewers across the world. It now means Kanneh-Mason is the highest-charting cellist in official albums chart history, surpassing Julian Lloyd Webber's 1990 album Lloyd Webber Plays Lloyd Webber, said the Official Charts Company. SEE BBC PAGE

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is a British-born teenage cellist. He grew up in Nottingham, England, with his six siblings. His dad, Stuart Mason is a business manager, and his mom, Kadiatu Kanneh, used to teach at university. He began playing the cello at age 6 and appeared on Britain's Got Talent with his siblings. Kanneh-Mason, 19, was the 2016 recipient of the BBC Young Musician award and was awarded the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Instrumentalist Duet Prize the same year. He studied at the Royal Academy of music and the Trinity College Catholic school. On Saturday, May 19, Kanneh-Mason played the cello as part of the celebration surrounding the latest royal wedding, as the UK's Prince Henry of Wales, commonly known as Prince Harry, marries American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor. Here's what you need to know. READ heavy p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}

As Prince Harry and (now) Princess Meghan head off to sign the registry, a real superhero appeared from the mist. Among the likes of famous faces like Elton John, the cast of Suits, and Oprah, one man stood above the rest: Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Why is that? Oh, well, let's discuss. Kanneh-Mason was named BBC's Young Musician of the Year in 2016, marking the first time a black musician has won the titled in the award's 38 year history. Then he went on to drop his first album in January of this year, which shot to the top of the classical charts. You may scoff, but this is England. British people love fancy music. After seeing him perform at an event, Prince Harry chose him, proving that if you show the hell up to every gig and do your best, you might just get tapped by a prince to bring your services to his wedding. And he is pretty stellar. Check out this performance of "Hallelujah." Classical domination. READ THE FULL Esquire ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

That's because we're celebrating the nuptials of American actress Meghan Markle and Prince Henry (aka Harry) of Wales, younger son of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales, and sixth in the line of succession to the British throne, taking place May 19th.  On the next "Friday Afternoon at the Movies," we'll toast the happy couple with music from films about royal weddings. Here are some noteworthy scores from some notable films about weddings of note. And what music will accompany the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? We won't know all the details until the actual event, but a few artists and performing groups have been announced. The couple will be married in St. George's Chapel, and the men's and boys' Choir of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, founded in 1348, will be featured. Also performing will be 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the first black musician to win the BBC Young Musician of the Year award since its founding in 1978. Sheku was called personally by Meghan Markle to perform. Christopher Warren-Green, who was music director for the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will lead members of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Philharmonia Orchestra. So, set the alarm for 3 in the morning, put the kettle on for a nice cup o' tea, pop some crumpets in the toaster, and join an estimated 36 million who will watch the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on TV. And enjoy the quality, pride, pomp, and circumstance that the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offers. We're especially excited to have learned that Thomas Markle, father of the bride, was for many years a lighting director at WTTW Channel 11, WFMT's sister station.
(Photo: Lars Borges) READ FULL PIECE BY Candice Agree

SINCE 1978, BBC Young Musician has been a national institution and performers who have won or taken part amount to a roll call of contemporary classical music. It's a showcase watched by the music business and an appearance in the final often opens the door to a major career. This documentary focuses on the soaring careers of 2016 finalists – Sheku Kanneh-Mason. The 18-year-old cellist now signed to Decca Classics, released his debut album - Inspiration, which features Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.1, the piece Sheku performed in the BBCYM final. Recorded live with City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Inspiration also includes a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saëns' "Le Cygne (The Swan)" to Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry." SEE BBC4 PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

On WCRB's CD of the Week, 19-year-old Sheku Kanneh-Mason looks back to his greatest musical inspirations growing up, from teachers to legendary cellists. Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is 19 years old, and he's grown up with the loving support of a big family in Nottingham, England. When he plays, he unleashes a beautiful, unburdened sound that courageously follows the composer's story, with an astonishing amount of depth and insight. In 2016, Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. That moment is captured on the video below, along with a portrait of the unbelievably musical, fun-loving and intelligent atmosphere that he and his six talented siblings have grown up in. Proud to be the first black musician to win the BBC award, he finds himself now recording far sooner than he'd imagined – and for a major label, DECCA, no less. It's not hard to feel a pang of worry about a musician so young getting caught up in the invasive tentacles of the industry. But Sheku seems to have left enough crumbs along the path that he'll always know his route back to the simple truth of his love for music. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL WCRB Boston ARTICLE

He's the next big thing! 18-year-old British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is making musical waves everywhere. Recorded live with conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla and the City of Birmingham Symphony, Kanneh-Mason's debut album Inspiration features the Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1, as well as a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saens' The Swan to Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry. For the Week of March 18th, the KUSC: Los Angeles 'Album Of the Week' is Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Inspiration p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

He's the next big thing! 18-year-old British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is making musical waves everywhere. Recorded live with conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla and the City of Birmingham Symphony, Kanneh-Mason's debut album Inspiration features the Shostakovich Cello Concerto #1, as well as a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saens' The Swan to Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry. For the Week of March 18th, the KDFC: San Francisco 'Album Of the Week' is Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Inspiration p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Sheku's new album, Inspiration, represents something of a change of pace, certainly for myself, and I presume for most of those listening. Sheku has a lot of musical buzz; winning BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016 and completing his grade 8 in cello by the age of 9 (putting my grade 6 guitar by 16 into perspective). I only first heard of him from the side of the number 36 bus. First, I would like it noted that the aesthetic of the bus adverts are a vast improvement on the album art. But shouldn't judge a book by its cover, which is good, because if we did it'd already be on minus points. I think it's worth reminding people that you should try to see classical artists physically perform, these aren't original compositions so its very much about how the artists interpret them. Certainly the videos of Sheku performing renditions of ‘Hallelujah' (the closing piece of the album) as well as his performance of Rachmaninovs : Morceaux de Fantaisie ‘Elegie', are worth experiencing to see Sheku's magnetic intensity. READ THE FULL Impact Magazine ARTICLE

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason isn't even 20 years old yet, and he's already been called "the hottest young classical musician on the planet" by Classic FM. Sheku (he goes by his first name) won the BBC Young Musician Award in 2016 and has just released his first album on Decca Classics, called "Inspiration." The album features Sheku playing a variety of music. The centerpiece is the Cello Concerto no. 1 of Dmitri Shostakovich, the piece he played to win the BBCYM award. He also includes popular pieces for cello like Saint-Saens's "The Swan" and Pablo Casals's "Sardana." Arrangements of popular songs including Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" round out the album. SEE THE IPR PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

18-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason came into the spotlight when he won the prestigious BBC Young Musician award in 2016. Signed to Decca Classics, his debut album, "Inspiration," features Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1, the piece he performed in the BBCYM final. Recorded live with conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, "Inspiration" also includes a broad range of new cello arrangements, from Saint-Saëns The Swan to Bob Marley s No Woman, No Cry. For Saturday March 3, 2018, Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Inspiration is WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release.' p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

Sheku Kanneh-Mason clinches back the top spot from Andre Rieu this week, taking Inspiration to its third week at no. 1. Amore by Andre Rieu falls back down to no. 2, while Laurie Anderson and the Kronos Quartet enter the Classic FM Chart at no. 3 with Landfall. Einaudi's Islands continues its seemingly never-ending streak in the chart at no. 4 and is accompanied by another two new entries - Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack for The Shape of Water at no. 4 plus music from Bartok, Poulenc and Ravel by Deux at no. 5.  Steve Reich is this week's highest climber, sitting in the middle of the chart at no. 14 having climbed up sixteen places from no. 30. It is joint by a John Williams favourite, Jaws, making it's (surprising) first appearance in the Classic FM Chart.  In the lower third of the chart, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchester is the fifth new entry of the week at no. 20, while Music for Mindfulness is this week's biggest faller just behind it, dropping from no. 6 to no. 22. Hans Zimmer's score for Dunkirk is the only re-entry this week at no. 26, with our sixth and final new entry entering at no. 30 - the Chiaroscuro Quartet playing Haydn.   SEE THIS WEEK'S CLASSIC fM CHART

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who counts Bob Marley and Mstislav Rostropovich among his idols, is a young man on the move. The British cellist, still a teenager, won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Award in 2016; he's just released his major label debut, featuring his rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," which has been quietly racking up YouTube views and Spotify hits. Music flows deep in Kanneh-Mason's family. He has six siblings, all of whom are musicians. They wowed the audience at Britain's Got Talent in 2015 with a mashup of classical and popular numbers. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} Kanneh-Mason's new album, Inspiration, is also a mix of chestnuts and pop. Along with Marley's "No Woman" and Saint-Saens' "The Swan," there's an arrangement of Leonard Cohen's ubiquitous "Hallelujah." But the centerpiece of the album is his performance of the demanding Cello Concerto No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich, the very piece that earned Kanneh-Mason the BBC award. A reviewer in the London Times noted, in a subsequent performance, that the young cellist offered "urgency and bite" and "impeccable technique." READ Tom Huizenga's FULL ARTICLE

18-year-old cello player Sheku Kanneh-Mason is taking the music world by storm as he enters the Classic FM Chart at no. 1 with his debut album Inspiration. He has already become this year's best-selling British debut artist across all genres, having also made it into the Top 20 in the Official UK Albums Chart. Sheku has also made chart history as the first BBC Young Musician winner to enter the Official UK Albums Chart with a debut recording, as well as the youngest cellist ever to reach the Top 20. He is also the highest-charting BBC Young Musician winner ever. Furthermore, Sheku is the youngest classical artist to break into the Official UK Albums Chart in almost a decade.  READ THE FULL CLASSIC fM ARTICLE & SEE THE CHART p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Teenage cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason is celebrating after his debut album entered the Official Top 20 and became the best-selling release by any British newcomer, across all genres, this year. Inspiration, a collection of classical arrangements by the 2016 BBC Young Musician winner from Nottingham, crashed into the offical albums chart at number 18.  Recorded with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Decca Classics record, which features Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No.1 as well as the 18 year-old's take on Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry, topped this week's classical chart. Kanneh-Mason has swiftly built an army of young classical music fans. He is now the highest-charting Young Musician winner, ahead of previous record-holder Nicola Benedetti.    (photo – Lars Borges)   READ THE FULL iNews ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Sheku Kanneh-Mason made history in 2016 when he became the first black winner of the BBC Young Musician competition. Sheku has six musically gifted siblings and this film explores their extraordinary talentsand issues of diversity in classical music. BBC4 follows Sheku and his brothers and sisters and examine the sacrifices that parents Stuart and Kadie make in order to support their children in pursuing their musical dreams. Told through the prism of family life we get an understanding of what it is that drives this family to be the best musicians they can be. At the heart of the story is 17-year-old Sheku, and we see him coming to terms with his Young Musician win and the pressures and opportunities it brings. His life is changing dramatically as he now has to learn to deal with the challenges of becoming a world-renowned cellist. He gets advice from those who have trodden this path already, including international violinist Nicola Benedetti and renowned cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, discovering what it takes to be a famous international solo musician. The documentary culminates with Sheku's biggest performance to date, playing at the world-famous Royal Festival Hall in London, with Britain's first all-black and ethnic minority orchestra, Chineke!. As the preparations for this groundbreaking concert begin, the film explores what it means to be a young, black, classical musician in today's society. WATCH THE DOC