Isata Kanneh-Mason

Isata Kanneh-Mason
Isata Kanneh-Mason performing at the University of Vermont Lane Series on October 12th, 2024
Isata Kanneh-Mason performing at the University of Vermont Lane Series on October 12th, 2024
Background information
Born (1996-05-27) 27 May 1996 (age 28)
Nottingham, England
GenresClassical
InstrumentPiano
LabelsDecca Classics

Isata Kanneh-Mason /ˈaɪsətəˌkɑnɛˈmeɪsən/[1] (born May 1996) is a British pianist. She is the sister of and frequent collaborator with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. She has been described as "one of today's most in-demand classical musicians".[2]

Early life and education

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Kanneh-Mason grew up in Nottingham, England. She is the first child of Stuart Mason, from London, a luxury hotel business manager of Antiguan descent,[3][4] and Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh, from Sierra Leone, a former lecturer at the University of Birmingham and author of the 2020 book House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons.[5][6]

Isata attended the Purcell School, before earning a place to study at the Royal Academy of Music on the Sir Elton John Scholarship. She later performed with Elton John himself in Los Angeles in 2013.[2] While at the RAM, she studied under Joanna MacGregor and Carole Presland.[7]

Career

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Isata was an ECHO Rising Star in the 2021-22 season performing in many of Europe’s finest halls and she is also the recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award, an Opus Klassik award for best young artist and is one of the Konzerthaus Dortmund’s Junge Wilde artists. She was artist-in-residence with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the 2022-23 season.[8]

Kanneh-Mason made her solo debut at the BBC Proms in 2023, playing Sergei Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #3 with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.[9]

Discography

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Kanneh-Mason records for Decca Records.

References

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  1. ^ "An interview with Isata Kanneh-Mason". Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 15 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Who is Isata Kanneh-Mason? Star pianist's age, family, recordings and more facts". Classic FM. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  3. ^ "Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason receives MBE honour at Windsor Castle". BBC News. 17 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Who is British royal wedding cellist Sheku's family? Meet the Kanneh-Masons".
  5. ^ Kanneh-Mason, Kadiatu (2020). House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781786078452.
  6. ^ Nepil, Hannah (10 January 2018). "Sibling harmony: how the Kanneh-Mason family became a musical force". Financial Times.
  7. ^ "Academy graduates win first and third prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition 2021". Royal Academy of Music. 20 September 2021.
  8. ^ "Meet RPO Artist-in-Residence Isata Kanneh-Mason". Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 21 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Prom 22: Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Prokofiev". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
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