Music

Royal wedding cellist calls for action on diversity in music


Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the award-winning cellist who rose to prominence after performing at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, has called for greater investment in early-stage music education to tackle a lack of diversity in classical music.

The 20-year-old musician, who played to a global audience of 1.9 billion at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made history this week by becoming the first cellist to reach the top 10 in the UK album chart.

“I’ve benefited from having so much music education,” Kanneh-Mason told the Radio Times. “And the thought that lots of people won’t have something even close to that same level is a real shame. Diversity needs to start way, way before people are auditioning. If actual education is not invested in and supported, then nothing will change.”

The 2016 winner of the BBC young musician award, and the first black musician to win the competition, credits a robust musical education as well as supportive parents for his success. He said: “I feel very lucky that I was firstly exposed to great classical music recordings and live concerts and by having amazing teaching when I was very, very young. And I went to a school where the idea of wanting to spend my time dedicated towards music was supported.”

Kanneh-Mason is an ambassador for London Music Masters, a charity that offers musical support to state primary school children in London. As part of his ambassadorial role with the charity, he regularly visits schools to perform with young musicians.

He earned the highest mark in the UK for his grade 8 cello exam when he was nine, and is the third of seven siblings, all of whom are skilled classical musicians. In 2015, six of them, including Sheku, made it to the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent, performing together as the Kanneh-Masons.

The cellist’s latest album, Elgar, is No 8 in the UK album chart, placing him alongside Stormzy, Lewis Capaldi and Selena Gomez – and one place ahead of Post Malone.

In his interview with Radio Times, he expressed a desire to work one day with Stormzy.



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