Choose artist...
Home   >   Projects   >   Song
Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Song

Decca Classics
Release Date: September 9, 2022

Press Release

Read press

Artist Details

Read bio

Tour Dates

View

Website

Visit
Myfanwy (Arr. for Solo Cello)
Star of the County Down (Arr. for Solo Cello)
Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 109
Zak Abel, Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Same Boat
Interview w/ WGTE
Interview w/ WUOL
Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason on the The Andrew Marr Show - 28 Oct 2018
BBC YM Forty Years Young
Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays 4th Mvt - Elgar Cello Concerto at BBC Young Musician 2018
Sheku Kanneh-Mason visits Prior Weston Primary School
Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Isata Kanneh-Mason - Edinburgh International Festival
Sheku Kanneh-Mason visits Australia after cello performance at royal wedding | ABC News
Zak Abel and Sheku Kanneh-Mason perform Same Boat in the Ballroom ? BBC Strictly 2022
Sheku Kanneh-Mason: Tiny Desk Concert
NPR: Tiny Desk
1 Traditional: Star of the County Down (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)  
2 J. Parry: Myfanwy (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)  
3 Lullaby for Kamila (Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Harry Baker for Cello and Piano)  
4 Villa-Lobos: 2. Prelúdio (Modinha) (Arr. Parkin for 5 Cellos) [Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1, W246]  
5 Beethoven: 12 Variations on Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen, Op. 66  
6 Mendelssohn: No. 1, Andante espressivo [Songs without Words, Op. 62]  
7 Mendelssohn: Songs without Words, Op. 109  
8 Massenet: Elégie for Soprano, Cello and Piano  
9 Stravinsky: Chanson russe (Arr. Markevitch for Cello and Piano)  
10 J.S. Bach: Come, sweet death, BWV 478 (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for 5 Cellos)  
11 Messiaen: V. Louange à l'Eternité de Jésus [Quartet for the End of Time]  
12 J.S. Bach: Savior of the Nations, Come, BWV 659 (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for 4 Cellos)  
13 Cry Me a River (Arr. for Cello and Piano)  
14 Falling in Love Again (Arr. Parkin for 2 Cellos)  
15 Finnis: Prelude I  
16 Finnis: Prelude II  
17 Finnis: Prelude III  
18 Finnis: Prelude IV  
19 Finnis: Prelude V  
20 Same Boat  
21 I Say a Little Prayer (Arr. Sheku Kanneh-Mason for Cello)  
Show all tracks
Hide

Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His performance was greeted with universal excitement and was seen by nearly two billion people globally. 

Sheku initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition, the first black musician to take the title. He has released two chart-topping albums on the Decca Classics label, Inspiration (2018) and Elgar (2020). The latter reached #8 in the overall UK official album chart, making Sheku the first cellist in history to reach the UK top 10.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason has included some of his own arrangements including of Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Say a Little Prayer’ (written by Burt Bacharach) for solo pizzicato cello, Bach arrangements for multiple cellos, and the folk tune ‘Myfanwy’, his Welsh grandmother’s favourite song. Sheku said, “This is one of my absolute favourite melodies, and one that I’ve known for as long as I can remember. I spent a lot of my childhood in Wales with my family and particularly my Welsh Grandma, so this is for her.”

As well as performing solo Sheku is also joined by family and friends for many of the pieces on his new album Song. He improvises with jazz pianist Harry Baker on ‘Cry Me A River’, collaborates with singer-songwriter Zak Abel on their original song, ‘Same Boat’ and joins the South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza on Massenet’s ‘Élégie’.

The album also includes the world premiere on a new work (commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music, where Sheku studied) from British composer, Edmund Finnis, who wrote the ‘Five Preludes’ especially for Sheku, and a movement from Messiaen’s moving ‘Quartet for the End of Time’.

“I wanted to show who I am as a musician right now,” said Sheku Kanneh-Mason. “In doing so, I was able to showcase different styles and approaches to music.”

  • On 'Song,' Sheku-Kanneh Mason births timeless melodies and playful improvisations with organic musicianship / TAKE EFFECT
    Posted At: February 24, 2023
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His ...

  • Classical 91.5WXXI 'CD Spotlight' features: 'Song' by Sheku Kanneh-Mason
    Posted At: January 9, 2023
    Song, from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His performance wa...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason celebrates his eclectic inspirations / NPR: Morning Edition
    Posted At: December 7, 2022
    British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs on stages around the world, sharing his love of classical, folk and pop.NPR's OLIVIA HAMPTON writes…..Sheku Kanneh-Mason was six years old when he fell in love with the cello. "I remember seeing a whole orchestra performing and being just excited by the look of the cello, and asked to have lessons," the British cellist said. "I think my mom was relieved because .....

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Harry Baker - Noisenight 13@Jazz Cafe. Distinctive and easygoing chemistry / theartsdesk
    Posted At: November 29, 2022
    A sense of witty, articulate experiment throughouttheartsdesk's Rachel Halliburton writes….The elation in the queue was palpable as people stood laughing and chatting in the November cold waiting for the doors of the Jazz Café to open for the latest crowd-funded event organised by Through the Noise. This 13th Noisenight – which brings major classical soloists to nightclubs – was a chance to see Sheku Kanneh...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays for NPR: Tiny Desk
    Posted At: November 15, 2022
    NPR's Tom Huizenga writes….One measure of an artist’s popularity is how long it takes to book them for a Tiny Desk concert. In the case of British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, it took about three years. Granted, the pandemic got in the way, but ever since his 2018 breakthrough performance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, he’s been -- needless to say -- in demand. Nearly 2 ...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason comes to Carnegie Hall's largest stage for the first time / The New Yorker
    Posted At: October 17, 2022
    The New Yorker writes…. When Sheku Kanneh-Mason—a cellist of blazing sensitivity, who catapulted to stardom when he performed at Harry and Meghan’s wedding—comes to Carnegie Hall’s largest stage for the first time, on Oct. 22, he’ll play one of his favorite pieces: Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a work that rises and falls grandly in the expression of intimate feeling. “It’s an incredibly personal piece of music,”...

  • All Classical Portland reviews Sheku Kanneh-Mason's 'Song'
    Posted At: October 4, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His ...

  • Louisville Public Radio presents: 'Behind the Playlist with Sheku Kanneh-Mason'
    Posted At: September 16, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His ...

  • Sheku-Kanneh Mason - Song is the WFMT: Featured New Release
    Posted At: September 14, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello. Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle...

  • From Bach to Bacharach, 'Song' presents Sheku Kanneh-Mason in an extraordinary kaleidoscope of music / Violinist.com
    Posted At: September 12, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His ...

  • 'Same Boat' by Sheku Kanneh-Mason features singer-songwriter: Zak Abel / TheStrad
    Posted At: September 12, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello. Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason discusses: 'Song' with US classical radio
    Posted At: September 6, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello. Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Friends. Bold Tendencies and intimate tenderness at the car-park / theartsdesk
    Posted At: September 4, 2022
    Peckham magic once more from a star cellist who values collaborationtheartsdesk - David Nice writes….When I worked in the Music Discount Centre decades ago, and non-stop CDs in the background were ordained, a customer remarked wryly of eight Bayreuth Festival horns playing Wagner “very crepuscular”. Five cellists playing Bach and Villa-Lobos as darkness fell beneath the roof of Peckham’s Multi-Storey Car Pa...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason's 'Song' gets feature and heavy rotation on 90.9Classical - Cincinnati Public Radio: WGUC
    Posted At: September 3, 2022
    90.9Classical Cincinnati Public Radio - WGUC - John Clare writes….We have an awesome new recording from Sheku Kanen Mason, Song. The new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Monday 10/3 Igor S...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason's 'Song' celebrates his inspirations from Bach to Bacharach and beyond / udiscovermusic.
    Posted At: June 10, 2022
    Song, the new album from cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason, features music from across the entire spectrum of classical, folk, jazz and pop – all personally curated by Sheku. The eclectic mix of styles are tied together by one thing – the unique singing voice of Sheku’s cello.Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle. His ...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns to a socially distant stage / BBC
    Posted At: July 10, 2020

    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 composit...

  • CPR Classical spotlights; Sheku Kanneh-Mason
    Posted At: June 24, 2020

    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 ro...

  • The Sheku Effect / The New York Times
    Posted At: June 4, 2020

    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. Ther...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason shares his thoughts on the 'Elgar Cello Concerto' with 90.9WETA: Wash DC
    Posted At: May 6, 2020

    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 Ratt...

  • Celebrating his 21st birthday, Sheku Kanneh-Mason marks the occasion by releasing his own piece for solo cello; 'Melody' / udiscovermusic.
    Posted At: April 24, 2020

    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 Nottingh...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason offers a a blissful two-minute meditation called 'Melody' / theartsdesk
    Posted At: April 24, 2020

    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 y...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason; 'Being interested is what makes you interesting' / 98.7WFMT Q&A
    Posted At: March 25, 2020

    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 p...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason releases; the Elgar Cello Concerto / New Classical Tracks
    Posted At: February 19, 2020

    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 release...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason talks Elgar with Spokane Public Radio
    Posted At: January 31, 2020

    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 Orchest...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason takes on the best-known cello work in the canon; 'Elgar's Cello Concerto' and is the WFMT: Featured New Release
    Posted At: January 29, 2020

    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 R...

  • Decca Classics releases: Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar / The Violin Channel
    Posted At: January 24, 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 Variation...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar makes the GRAMOPHONE 'Listening Room'
    Posted At: January 21, 2020

    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-Mas...

  • Highest-charting UK cellist of all time; Sheku Kanneh-Mason lands #1 on this week's 'Official Classical Albums Chart'
    Posted At: January 17, 2020

    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 l...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason discusses new Elgar recording with classical radio
    Posted At: January 15, 2020

    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 ...

  • Ludwig Van Toronto has 20 questions for Sheku Kanneh-Mason
    Posted At: January 14, 2020

    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 a...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason on track to be first cellist in history to reach top 10 on UK album chart / The Voice
    Posted At: January 13, 2020

    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 (OC...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar is the CLASSIC fM: Album of the Week
    Posted At: January 13, 2020

    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 &ls...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason navigates beauty and anguish on Elgar recording and is the WCRB: CD of the Week
    Posted At: January 13, 2020

    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.  ...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason - Elgar is the KDFC: Album of the Week
    Posted At: January 13, 2020

    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 ...

  • Sheku Kanneh-Mason records Elgar's Cello Concerto at same age Jacqueline du Pre set down her iconic take / CLASSIC fM
    Posted At: January 10, 2020

    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...

  • Great works are gifts that keep on giving - Sheku Kanneh-Mason: Elgar with LSO, Rattle / The New York Times
    Posted At: January 4, 2020

    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&...
Go to artist details