Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason: Obsession is a driver

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Interview – Sheku Kanneh-Mason: "Obsession is a Driver"

Host: John Wilson (BBC World Service)
Guest: Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Release Date: September 9, 2025
Duration: ~24 minutes

Episode Overview

This intimate episode features British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, best known for his performance at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. John Wilson and Sheku discuss music’s deep roots in his family, the powerful influence of his Antiguan heritage, his rise to global fame, the challenge and necessity of music education, and his outspoken criticism of “Rule Britannia” at the Proms. Sheku sheds light on his artistic obsessions, the personal and political importance of music, and the ongoing responsibility he feels as a role model for change in the musical world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Legacy and Musical Upbringing

• Influence of Grandfather and Antiguan Heritage

  • Sheku recalls his paternal grandfather Arnold Mason’s love of classical music, despite the family’s Caribbean roots.
    • “There was always such, like a constant and genuine love of music that he had. And that enthusiasm I found to be very inspiring as a child.” (03:31)
  • His grandfather’s fascination with European music was considered unusual among his peers in Antigua, where soca and calypso prevail.
    • Arnold played violin in his youth and championed works like Rachmaninoff’s and Dvořák's cello concerto.

• Playing Chamber Music With Siblings

  • Growing up, Sheku and his six siblings constantly played, listened to, and dissected music as a family.
    • “I think there is a wealth of common knowledge understanding. It’s really nice and often very easy…” (05:58)

2. Early Spark: The Cello's Appeal

• Finds His Instrument

  • Sheku gravitated towards the cello, drawn by both sound and physical presence:
    • “I have a memory of...drawing the bow across the string and feeling the instrument really close to me physically and enjoying that sensation.” (06:21)

• Cello Personality

  • The cello’s grounding, sonorous tone resonated more with him than violin or piano.
    • “You sit down and you kind of... it kind of comes from... the floor or beneath, often musically, rather than singing from on top, which I found less natural for me.” (07:45)

3. Inspiration and Obsession

• Role Models

  • He names Jacqueline du Pré and Mstislav Rostropovich as monumental influences, describing du Pré’s playing as:
    • “This commitment to every note and this utter kind of conviction with which she plays...” (08:26)
  • Regarding Rostropovich, Sheku praises the expression and emotional breadth of his playing.

• Shostakovich: Artistic Obsession

  • Sheku describes his love for Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto as transformative:
    • “It was a piece I was obsessed with, and I think that obsession is the great driver for being able to overcome the sort of technical challenges that are in the piece.” (09:47)
  • He acknowledges how the music’s angst spoke to his inner world, especially as a teen.

4. Artistic Depth, Political History, and Responsibility

• Understanding Context
  • Sheku insists knowledge of musical and political history is crucial to performance:
    • “You do have to be very aware... because this is what is in the music... an understanding of resistance and often of desperation, of fear, is important in order to get to the core of what this music is saying.” (11:40)
  • He cites the emotional toll of immersing himself in Shostakovich’s work, likening it to “a dark and terrifying place.” (11:40)

5. "Rule Britannia," Identity, and Backlash

• Critique and Consequence
  • Sheku is candid about why “Rule Britannia” is painful:
    • “As British people, and I feel British and my family do, with not so distant ancestors who were enslaved, singing a song that has lyrics that says that, yeah, Britons never, never will be slaves... It's really difficult to hear and uncomfortable.” (16:04)
  • He addresses the vitriolic backlash his comments received:
    • “It wasn't a huge shock... I also didn't expect something, I don't know, honest and genuine... to be responded to with such anger and aggression. And that's very telling in itself.” (14:31)
  • Many fellow musicians privately offered support, even if public discourse was hostile.

6. The 2018 Royal Wedding and Aftermath

• The Big Stage

  • The Royal Wedding transformed Sheku into a household name:
    • “To be recognized outside of the circles of people...in classical music was a new thing.” (17:33)
  • Remaining a student kept him grounded amid sudden fame.

• Managing Fame

  • “That sense of development and getting closer to the music... gives me that sense of purpose and something to really focus on and be obsessed with. I find that really helpful.” (18:32)

7. Music Education Advocacy

• Firsthand Importance

  • Sheku and his siblings benefited from dedicated music programs at state schools and attended Junior Royal Academy of Music on weekends.
    • “Music was such a big part of the school community... there was such a feeling of togetherness and celebrating the excellence...” (22:00)
  • He passionately warns against disinvestment:
    • “The underestimation and underinvestment in our children and young people would be one of the greatest shames and losses.” (02:47, 22:37)

• Daily Discipline and Joy

  • “I do have to play every day and practice every day, but also I really want to.” (23:03)
  • He describes music as an intrinsic passion, not solely a professional obligation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Family Influence:

  • “He [grandfather] was just, yeah, really drawn to this world of music that they didn't know or take to. But he was just... really drawn.” (04:05)

• On Jacqueline du Pré:

  • “She was the role model. I was in awe of her playing...” (08:26)

• On Shostakovich and Obsession:

  • “It was a piece I was obsessed with, and I think that obsession is the great driver…” (09:47)

• On Political Dimensions of Performance:

  • “It's often a very dark and uncomfortable place to spend a lot of time... it has, like, a genuine effect, of course, and should on the performer and on the audience.” (11:40)

• On "Rule Britannia":

  • “That's really difficult to hear and uncomfortable... knowing where we have come from and also feeling British and then also feeling excluded and sort of excluded in that moment is a shame.” (16:04)

• On Music Education:

  • “The long-term goals of dedication and focus that come from learning an instrument are incredible.” (22:37)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Family and Grandfather’s Influence – 03:20–05:52
• First Encounter With the Cello – 06:21–07:45
• Role of Obsession (Shostakovich Concerto) – 09:43–10:38
• Discussing Political Context of Music – 11:19–12:27
• Rule Britannia Controversy – 14:08–17:15
• Impact of the Royal Wedding & Sudden Fame – 17:15–18:55
• Music Education and Early Schooling – 19:32–22:37
• Practicing and Love of Music – 22:49–23:41

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Closing Thoughts

Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s story reveals a profound connection between family, heritage, and artistic identity, intertwined with a sense of social responsibility and advocacy. His thoughtful approach to both music and political questions makes him an inspiring voice for the next generation—as much a passionate educator and role model as a world-class cellist.

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Transcript

[John Wilson]

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[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

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[John Wilson]

Hello, I'm John Wilson, BBC presenter and this is the interview from the BBC World Service. The best conversations coming out of the BBC People shaping our world from all over the world.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

There have been so many disagreements between.

[John Wilson]

Me and my family. Putting on a show that is what.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

It means to be Lady Gaga. Only the things that you can't solve with government and private sector is where you bring philanthropy in. There is no place in the world where women are equal. Every generation, every generation has to fight to maintain democracy.

[John Wilson]

For this interview, I met the British cellist Shekou Kaneh Mason in BBC Broadcasting House. While still a student, he performed to an audience of more than a billion people at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, immediately becoming of the most recognizable classical performers in the world. You're going to hear more about that performance and how he dealt with becoming a household name at just 19 years old. He also describes to me the joy of playing music with his seven siblings, all of whom are talented musicians and performers of Antiguan descent. He's attracted headlines for his criticism of the song Rule Britannia. It celebrates British imperial glory and is very difficult for his family to hear, he tells me. During our conversation, he shares his obsession with learning increasingly difficult concertos like those of the Soviet composer Shostakovich. He explains the need to understand the historical and political context of the music that he performs. Kane Mason attended government funded state schools and he warns against cutting music funding.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, and Maybe it comes from. It must come from an idea that music is not a valuable subject, which I believe to not be the case, because I think that the underestimation and under investment in our children and young people would be one of the greatest shames and losses.

[John Wilson]

Welcome to the interview from the BBC World Service with Shekhu Kane Mason. Many people, of course, will be aware of the Kanah Mason family history and.

The influence of your parents in particular, but I'm going to start by taking back two generations to your paternal grandfather, Arnold Mason. Why was he such an influential figure for you?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

He was always incredibly supportive. My Antiguan grandparents were living in London and so we'd see them very often in school holidays and they'd also come to stay with us in Nottingham. And I have lots of memories of practicing and particularly my granddad standing in the doorway or sort of lurking and humming along. And it was always such, like a constant and genuine love of music that he had. And that enthusiasm I found to be very inspiring as a child.

[John Wilson]

But he had grown up in Antigua. Big classical music fan, what, from his early years, he was.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, always really fascinated and in love with classical music. And it's funny now, going to Antigua and chatting to our uncles who knew him when they were all young, and they were sort of baffled by his love and fascination with this music that they didn't know or take to. But he was just, yeah, really drawn.

[John Wilson]

To this world of music because traditionally the. The rhythms of Antigua would be soca or calypso and very different kind of music. Did he play?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

He did play the violin a little bit in his youth, but not to a high level.

[John Wilson]

And he would encourage you all the time as well.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

All the time, yes. Yeah. He was a great lover of composers like Rackhamando for the piano and for the cello, Vorak, the cello concerto. Who's always telling me he wants to hear me play that. And he was a great lover of chamber music and in particular, Schubert's Trout Quintet. There was a particular documentary made by.

[John Wilson]

Christopher Newpen in the late 60s.

1960S.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, yeah, exactly. Of the sort of preparations and a performance at the Queen Elizabeth hall in London of five at the time, superstar soloists of their individual instruments coming together.

[John Wilson]

Young characters as well.

That's the other thing.

When you look at that, you realize that those people are in their middle 20s. They're your age.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, I guess in their youth, but very much at the height of their careers in many ways as well. We definitely were thrilled by seeing the way they would rehearse and perform and interact with the music as children. And as at that time we were all starting to learn our various instruments and actually wanted to learn the particular instruments that would form that quintet. In the end that didn't happen because double bass was a bit too big in my parents opinion. And Iseter, who's our pianist, was also playing the viola. And so there was never a combination where we could as a family play that trout quintet. But we loved listening and watching and playing bits for fun.

[John Wilson]

And what happens when it is siblings playing chamber music together? What does that do for the dynamic, the sense of understanding?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I think there is a wealth of common knowledge understanding. It's really nice and often very easy. A lot of that is because we spent a lot of time playing together, listening to music together and talking about music together. We've grown up kind of doing it together.

[John Wilson]

In your book, the very first words on the first page are, I am a cellist. Can you remember the first time that you picked up this instrument and the effect that it had on you?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

My dad played the cello in his youth and so we had a cello at home. And when I said that I wanted to learn, I took out his cello, which was far too big, of course. And I have a memory of looking down at the instrument, at the fingerboard and drawing the bow across the string and feeling the instrument really close to me physically and enjoying that sensation.

[John Wilson]

The resonance.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

The resonance, yeah, because it really sits sort of within you and that's a really beautiful feeling. And the vocal quality of this instrument is something that I found to be something that I wanted to be able to produce.

[John Wilson]

You've been playing violin before that?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I was playing the. I was playing the violin and my mum was teaching me and my older sister Eister and Bremer, my brother, were playing the violin and the piano. So it was natural to also follow and do what they were doing. I don't have much memory of playing the violin, to be honest, but I don't think I got on very well.

[John Wilson]

Was it expected of you that you just learn an instrument at a young age?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, yes, definitely. I don't really.

[John Wilson]

There was no choice in the pattern.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, I don't remember the choice, but I do remember seeing a youth orchestra in Nottingham. We have an Albert hall, which is not the Royal Albert hall in London, but the. The Nottingham Albert Hall. Not as big, but just as special to me. And I remember seeing your youth orchestra and being really excited by the cello section. I think at that age it could have been. I just wanted to play A bigger and cooler instrument than my older siblings. Or maybe there was something special in the sound that I was really drawn to.

[John Wilson]

Is that it as well, that the cello is cooler than the violin or the piano?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

That's certainly true. I'm sure others would dispute, dispute that. I think there is a personality to the instrument that I find more suited to me. You sit down and you kind of. It kind of comes from, I don't know, from the floor or beneath, often musically, rather than singing from on top, which I found less natural for me.

[John Wilson]

It underpins a lot of the music, doesn't it? But can also fly.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

But can also. Yeah, have its wonderful flying moments.

[John Wilson]

Jacqueline du Prey, of course, is the cellist in that 1968 documentary. At the time, she was already a big star, having recorded The Elgarcello concerto four years earlier, I think, when she was just 20 years old.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Mm.

[John Wilson]

A role model for you when you first started playing the cello?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

She was the role model. I was in awe of her playing. I think this commitment to every note and this utter kind of conviction with which she plays was something that I was incredibly drawn to.

[John Wilson]

Did you study her and emulate her then?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I definitely watched lots of videos and tried to get that vibrato and learnt from what she was doing. I think it's also a very individual way of playing that she has. And so whilst I learned some specific things, I also learned just from the approach to playing.

[John Wilson]

Another of your musical heroes is the Russian cellist Mislav Rostropovich. Do you remember the first time you heard him? Heard a recording of him?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, I do. He has a few different recordings of Rachmaninoff's vocalese, but there's one. I think it's the second earliest, and the sound and intensity of vibrato and range of expression was something incredibly gripping.

[John Wilson]

Rostropovich was taught by the Soviet composer Shostakovich, who wrote both of his cello concertos for Rostropovich to play. In 2016, of course, you won the BBC Young Musician of the Year playing the Shostakovich First Cello Concerto.

Why that one?

Why that? Such a challenging piece for a competition, isn't it?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

It is challenging, for sure. It was a piece I was obsessed with, and I think that obsession is the great driver for being able to overcome the sort of technical challenges that are in the piece. There are lots of things in the first Concerto that were very new technically for me, and so I think learning that developed all of those.

[John Wilson]

Can I suggest that because of your obsession with Shostakovich, it was when you were a teenager. This is quite angsty music, possibly the sort of music that would appear, appeal to a teenager. Were you a rebellious teenager or an angsty teenager?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I was.

[John Wilson]

Find it hard to imagine if you were?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I wasn't. I was. I was kind of. And still I'm quite quiet and a lot of what I feel and think is internal and can come out in the music. But I think a lot of Shostakovich's music, a lot of the exploration is inward, which I was drawn to definitely, as a teenager and still am.

[John Wilson]

In an interview, your mum said that you were the naughtiest of the seven children.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

As a child. When I was like a child, I think. I think now when I'm older, that's not so much the case, but certainly, yeah, as a child, I was always, like, running around and climbing on things and if there was a sign or an indication that I wasn't allowed to do something, that was often a motivation. I was then even more fascinated to do it. To climb on that, to go over that fence that says.

[John Wilson]

It's that challenge again, isn't it?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. Yes. Maybe.

[John Wilson]

You know, the Shostakovich Shello concerto has become that bookcase that you're not supposed to climb up.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah. And I think it's because until I've. I've climbed it, I don't know what the danger is and what it feels like to do it. So that was often my approach.

[John Wilson]

Shostakovich was denounced by Stalin and Rostropovich himself was exiled in the 1970s from the Soviet Union. And both of those musicians are associated with political dissent, with resistance, with protest. How aware do you have to be of that history to understand the music? To play this music, do you think?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

You do have to be very aware and. Because this is what is in the music, to know and to understand the. Yeah, the feelings of resistance and often of desperation, of fear, is important in order to get to the core of what this music is saying. It's often a very dark and uncomfortable place to spend a lot of time. I remember practicing before I was recording the Second Concerto, Shostakovich. I had about a month and a half off without any concerts. And so I was just practicing this piece and I was really getting into it and I'd have to really take moments in the middle of the day to go for a walk and breathe, because it was so consuming and such a dark and terrifying place to spend a lot of time with. It has, like, a genuine effect, of course, and should on the performer and on the audience.

[John Wilson]

In 1960, 8. On the very day that Soviet tanks rolled into Czechoslovakia, the BBC proms that night, Rostropovich played Wojak's cello concerto. That's a hugely emotional, powerful moment, apparently.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. That is a performance that would have, of course, would have been special. And Rostopic has such a wonderful way of communicating emotion in a way that really feels open and generous.

[John Wilson]

I think you've played that Vorak cello concerto at the proms yourself.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I have.

[John Wilson]

20, 21, I think it was. What's it like walking out at the Proms as a solo performer?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

It's one of the biggest thrills that I've had. It's an amazing arena and to walk out into a space that you really feel that the love and celebration of music is so much at the heart of that festival. And as a spectacle, it's quite.

[John Wilson]

You're literally surrounded by people.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, it's quite overwhelming and very special.

[John Wilson]

You're listening to the interview from the BBC World Service people shaping our world from all over the world. For this episode of the interview, I'm speaking to Sekou Kanemasan. Although he's been performing in public since he was a child and has been famous for all of his adult life, Sheku is a remarkably quiet and shy young man. His beloved 300 year old cello remained close to hand throughout our conversation, and I got the distinct impression that he felt far more comfortable playing some Bach for me than talking to me about his life and career. Nevertheless, Shaku was a fascinating and utterly charming interviewee. Okay, let's return to my conversation with Shekou Kanemaissen.

You've talked about the song Rule Britannia, which is sung every year at the last night of the proms. And you've said that it is something that makes a lot of people feel uncomfortable. And you said it shouldn't be sung at the proms anymore. Now, there was a backlash in the press and particularly online when there was some really vitriolic racist abuse directed at you. I mean, that must have been a huge shock.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Wasn't it a huge shock? Because it's very disproportionate to my comments on it. I felt I was asked my feelings and I gave my honest opinion, but not. I also didn't expect something, I don't know, honest and genuine, and I didn't think very forceful opinion on it would be responded to with such anger and aggression. And that's very telling in itself. And how did you cope with that? I mean, it's not very nice, but it's also affected very much in the long term, I guess, because in a way, it was surprising and shocking, but also not unfamiliar, those kinds of attitudes. But it's sad and ashamed.

[John Wilson]

At the 2023 Proms, when Rule Britannia was sung, you went backstage, it was very difficult for you to listen to. And you say that all of your family, of course, were in the auditorium. They couldn't le. And you say that most of them were in tears by the end, all of them miserable and frightened. I mean, that's a terrible thing to read. Was it the lyrics and the tone of the song or the way that it was being sung by the people around them?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I mean, yeah, I wasn't in the auditorium because I didn't want to be, quite frankly, but it's. Yeah, it's the. It's the lyrics, I think, as British people, and I feel British and my family do, with not so distant ancestors who were enslaved, singing a song that has lyrics that says that, yeah, Britons.

[John Wilson]

Never, never will be slaves.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, it's. That's very. And sung with such determination and joy. That's really. It's really difficult to. To hear and uncomfortable. To be in the. In the presence of knowing where we have come from and also feeling British and then also feeling excluded and sort of excluded in that moment is a shame. And I think the problems is a celebration of music. That's what I believe it is and should be. And there are so many wonderful things about music and about British music that we could easily celebrate in the place of something that I think is not necessary and actually actively harmful to a lot of people.

[John Wilson]

You say it's an embarrassing reminder of a Britishness that celebrates imperial glory and subjugation. And then you say that most musicians, and those who decide the repertoire would deal with, really love it to be left behind. Most musicians. Have you had this conversation?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, with a lot. Of course. And a lot of musicians, when I was having a lot of backlash about it, were reaching out and showing their support in lovely ways, and they are. Yeah. I'm not attacking the Proms, and I'm not attacking the musicians. And actually, yeah, I've been very kindly supported by them. And that makes it doubly as confusing.

[John Wilson]

You also performed famously at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and an audience of over a billion people, I think, worldwide. You became a global solo star in that moment. That must have felt like a whole new level of fame for you.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Definitely, yes. I guess to be recognized outside of the circles of people specifically interested in and closely interested in classical music was A new thing.

[John Wilson]

Was that welcome attention or was that quite hard to deal with at first?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I mean, yeah, some nice, nice things. I'm not so. And definitely at that time I wasn't so like constantly conscious of that. I think it very much helped that I was still a full time student then. And so I remember the morning of that performance I was picked up from my student halls and then dropped off back at my student halls afterwards and was at the Academy the next day for my cello lesson. And that sort of. That side of things was enough to be occupied by, such that the outside things weren't really. They don't take so much of my focus.

[John Wilson]

That's really interesting because I was wondering how you have to navigate that sort of level of fame, whether you seek advice from other musicians, but really it was just about going and becoming a student again. I mean, that's quite grounding, isn't it?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, absolutely.

[John Wilson]

And get too big for your boots and.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, and really, really important. I think this sense of like, development and getting closer to the music and closer to being able to play this, this instrument is. Gives me that sense of purpose and something to really focus on and be obsessed with. I find that really helpful. But also that's just what I want to be doing and thinking about. I'm constantly learning.

[John Wilson]

Still learning.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, I hope so.

[John Wilson]

Does it feel like a pressure now that you know there's a lot riding on you in terms of the future of classical music, in terms of record sales for a record label, in being a role model for younger musicians as well, does that feel like a. A responsibility?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

A responsibility, yes. Not so much a pressure. I want to be able to perform this music as truly and as well as possible. And so I believe that as long as I'm focused on that. And of course I understand there are things outside of just playing the cello and performing, but that is absolutely the main focus and drives everything else.

[John Wilson]

You and all of your siblings attended the Junior Royal Academy of Music every Saturday? I think so. Was that a trip from Nottingham to London every weekend?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. Yeah. I remember very early Saturday mornings getting up at 5:30 to get the 6:30 train to London and then a day of cello lesson, piano lesson, orchestra, theory, choir.

[John Wilson]

Huge dedication.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah. But it was the best day of my week.

[John Wilson]

Was it?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Because it was like. Yeah. A day of being around other very enthusiastic young musicians, inspiring young musicians and great teachers.

[John Wilson]

You've got perfect pitch obviously, and you've always known that, I think, haven't you? Sense of music within you.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. I mean it Was lucky to have music all around me from a young age. And it felt like also something that was very much inside me from a young age as well.

[John Wilson]

I mean, obviously you are innately talented, as are your siblings, but what accounts for that huge success that you've had as a family? The fact that everybody has this. This gift.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, I don't know. I think. I think the love for it is such a big factor in it all and has to be. And also the ideas of dedication and.

[John Wilson]

Hard work that can take you so far, that can take you to the local talent show. What does it take to get onto the next level to be a world class musician as you are now?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

It takes so many things. It takes a constant interest in exploring further an understanding of really trying to get the most out of every moment that you are with. Takes. Takes luck. It takes great teachers and that innate.

[John Wilson]

Talent we were talking about.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. Yeah. Which I. Yeah, it's tricky to describe.

[John Wilson]

You became famous as a family, but now you are a global solo star. Is the sibling rivalry?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

No, there's not. Not within music for sure. With everything else though, board games. Yeah. We have so many competitions of other things, but with music, that was never, never the case.

[John Wilson]

One thing that you talk very passionately about is music education in state schools. And you of course were lucky enough to have attended a school with what sounds like an amazing musical education department and the provision of musical instruments. But you witnessed big cuts that happened not long after you won the BBC Young Musician of the Year. How did those cuts impact the musical education in the school that you went to?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yeah, both the primary school and secondary schools that I went to, music was such a big part of the school community and that was a wonderful thing. And it meant that there was such a feeling of togetherness and celebrating the excellence that can come from instrument learning and school orchestras and bands and choirs and performances. And I found that a very inspiring environment to be in and I think that was the case for a lot of the people I went to school with.

[John Wilson]

And these are all your arguments for music to be part of the core curriculum?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes.

[John Wilson]

Which is not anymore. There is not an obligation on most schools, state schools in the country to provide that musical education.

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes. And maybe it comes from. It must come from an idea that music is not a valuable subject, which I believe to not be the case because of those long term goals of dedication and focus that come from learning an instrument are incredible.

[John Wilson]

And if there's not a concert coming up with rehearsals or you're not heading into the studio. Do you just play every day because you love this instrument so much?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

I do, I do.

[John Wilson]

Is that about do you have to play every day just to keep your hand in, or is it just about the love of the sound of it?

[Sheku Kanneh-Mason]

Yes, I do have to play every day and practice every day, but also I really want to. And there are, for example, last night I was together with my brother and a friend who were reading some Handel trio sonatas because this is great music and we want to investigate it. We're not going to perform it necessarily, but we want to play this music and I really enjoy doing that. And so for me, yeah, it's about my love of it and of course I'm professional about it and I know that I have concerts and stuff to prepare for and there is a responsibility in that, but that's not the main motivation.

[John Wilson]

Thank you very much for listening to the interview from the BBC World Service. If you enjoyed today's program, you can listen to the interview wherever you get your BBC podcasts and you can hear more in depth interviews with leading artists and creative people with me, John Wilson on the BBC's this Cultural Life. Until the next time.

Bye for now.

[Unidentified Complimenting Speaker]

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