Chagford date for superstar cellist who played at royal wedding

Global superstar cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason won the hearts of audiences across the world when he performed at the royal wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle in 2018. Sheku also made history when he won BBC Young Musician Of the Year in 2016, the first Black musician to do so in the thirty-eight year history of the competition.

His performance in Chagford Church on Monday 11th November is organised by the Whiddon Autumn Festival, a tribute to the growing reputation of this excellent festival which was founded by local born professional musician, Freddie Crowley.

Sheku is the third of seven musical siblings, all of whom are highly musical. Their mother Dr. Kadiatu Kanneh is an inspiration whose book, ‘House of Music’ reveals what it takes to raise a musical family in Britain today. These seven brothers and sisters did not attend an elite school, but a state comprehensive in Nottingham.

Mother-of-seven Kadiatu says: “The first thing the children think when they come home from school is ‘food’, then it’s ‘music’, and they just go straight to it. I never have to ask them to practice. It’s just part of the structure of their lives.”

Sheku was awarded an MBE in the 2020 New Years Honours List at the age of just 20. He has appeared at the BBC Proms every year since his debut in 2017, and is the first cellist ever to reach the UK Top 10 with his 2020 album Elgar. But despite his fame, he has not forgotten his origins: with ever-increasing cuts to arts provision in state education, Sheku has donated money to his former state school to enable other pupils to continue with their cello lessons.

At the Chagford Concert, Sheku will be joined by his duo-partner, pianist Harry Baker. The programme - entitled ‘Bach & Beyond’ - explores the legacy of the towering figure of Johann Sebastian Bach who died in 1750. Music includes movements from Bach’s iconic ‘Cello Suite No. 1 in G major’ alongside arrangements and improvisations deeply rooted in Bach's timeless music.

Amongst the gems to enjoy is a personal favourite of mine: ‘Pohádka’ for cello and piano by the Czech composer, Leoš Janáček. The work presents scenes from a Russian fairytale. There’s also music by Brazilian composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos who was himself a cellist.

Pianist and composer Harry Baker is a favourite of the Whiddon Autumn Festival, working at the highest levels of both jazz and classical performance. At the concert, Harry will perform one of his breathtaking improvisations taking as his starting point, Bach’s ‘Ich ruf zu dir’ (I call to you).

The ancient granite church of St Michael the Archangel in Chagford offers an atmospheric venue for this unmissable concert, surely a supremely rare chance to hear two phenomenal musicians in an intimate, magical setting far removed from the cavernous concert halls of the world where Sheku, as one of the most famous classical musicians in the world, usually finds himself.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello) and Harry Baker (piano)

Monday 11th November 2024, 6:00pm and 8.30pm

Church of St Michael the Archangel, Chagford

Two performances of the same programme. 40% discount to those claiming Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Disability Benefit, Housing Benefit & Pension Credit. 

Tickets: Adults: £15 | Ages 26 - 35: £5.00 | Under 25s FREE

https://www.whiddonautumnfestival.co.uk/events/sheku-kanneh-mason-harry-baker