Over the past 24 years, the Kanneh-Mason family has seen seven children grow up embued with a love of and passion for music, practicing and rehearsing throughout the home, both solo and in ensemble, each finding their own musical voice through the piano, violin or cello. The public began to take notice in 2014, when the eldest, pianist Isata, reached the category final of the BBC Young Musician Competition, followed by a family appearance on Britain's Got Talent. Cellist Sheku won the 2016 BBC Young Musician Competition, becoming the first Black musician to win the award. He, and his family, further gained a world-wide audience in 2018 when he was invited to perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Overseeing this musical journey is their mother, Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, who along with her husband Stuart created a home where music was simply a part of family life. Her book "House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons" comes out Aug. 31. This Saturday on A Tempo (8/28 at 7 pm) host Rachel Katz chats with Kanneh-Mason and 19-year-old Jeneba, who just made her BBC Proms debut in Florence Price's Piano Concerto in One Movement, about the role music has played in her and her family's life, as well as the racial and economic challenges they have faced along the way.
Photo: Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason (Photo by Jake Turney)
