With violins, pianos and cellos, the Kanneh-Mason siblings keep music in the family
The Kanneh-Mason parents packed their children’s after-school schedule with activities — cricket, soccer, tennis, gymnastics and karate — but it was music that stuck.
The seven siblings went on to become a classical music sensation.
While mom Kadiatu (Kadie) Kanneh and dad Stuart Mason took music classes in school, that’s as far as their formal music education went. When it became clear their children had abundant musical talent, they wanted to foster it.
“They told us this is what they wanted to do. So then, we had to be honest to say, ‘Well, if this is what you want to do, then you have to work hard,'” Kadie said. “Because the reality is, if you want to be successful at anything, you have to go for it.”
Going for it
The oldest sibling, 29-year-old Isata, began playing the piano when she was 6. As the Kanneh-Mason clan grew, the younger siblings imitated the older kids. Braimah, now 28, picked up the violin. And Sheku, now 26, learned the cello, saying that he took up the instrument, in part, because he wanted a bigger instrument than the one Braimah played.
“It helps [that] it’s objectively a better instrument,” Sheku joked.
“I think the violin is more popular,” Braimah retorted. “There’s more repertoire.”
60 Minutes
The budding virtuosos practiced their instruments hours each day while attending local public schools in Nottingham, England. All seven were selected for the junior program at the renowned Royal Academy of Music in London. It was a two-hour trip each way every Saturday.
Any extra income the Kanneh-Mason parents had went directly to instruments and lessons. More than once, they nearly defaulted on their mortgage.
At home, Isata, Braimah, Sheku, Konya, now 25, Jeneba, now 23, Aminata, now 20, and Mariatu, now 16, also formed their own informal music school. They gathered each week for what they called their “Sunday Concerts.” Each sibling would play a piece, and the others gave notes.
“You have to get used to putting yourself under that pressure,” Isata said. “It’s so easy to just crumble under the nerves.”
Their environment growing up was critical for their success, they said.
“Because our environment was so intensely musical and loving and supportive, it was kind of bound to happen in one way or another, as in us feeling like we could achieve what we have achieved in, on our instruments,” Jeneba said.
What the Kanneh-Mason siblings have achieved.
Mom Kadie says her kids have always called the shots when it comes to career strategy — and the goal of their performance as siblings has never been clicks, likes or riches. In 2015, the siblings agreed to appear on “Britain’s Got Talent,” but only if they could play real classical music rather than a pop-heavy setlist.
“They wanted to be classical musicians and be really good at what they did,” Kanneh said.
60 Minutes
The invites and accolades continued from there. Sheku won a major British music award and caught the eye of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He performed at their 2018 wedding.
Sheku became the first cellist ever to crack the top 10 on the U.K. album charts. Today, he draws packed audiences as a soloist.
The Kanneh-Masons have toured the world, recorded chart-topping albums and won prestigious awards. They’ve performed with each other in every combination and on many world stages, including at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
“Because we’re so close, I think there’s, like, a speed at the way that we interact,” Jeneba said. “I think that kind of unspoken communication is just very quick because of how close we are.”
The siblings keep rivalry out of their careers, they said.
“We draw the line at music because our instruments are such, like, an integral part of ourselves,” Jeneba said. “And it would be like deeply attacking the other person.”
They still perform as a family from time to time, but Konya is now devoted to writing fiction. Aminata tried out acting school, but music tugged her back and she decided to return to conservatory.
As to the four current musical professionals in the family, they’re busy recording or touring. In the spring, Sheku will take the stage as artist in residence at the New York Philharmonic.
While they came out into the public as a unit, the siblings are now carving out identities as individuals. Some of it comes from being different ages, playing different instruments and different repertoires. The rest comes down to time and experience.
“I think it’s something that probably gets easier as you get older, because you start to just get more confidence and more knowledge about what kind of things you want to be doing,” Isata said.
More from CBS News
Go deeper with The Free Press
