Meet the musician: Isata Kanneh-Mason

Described by BBC Music Magazine as ‘a pianist who makes lines sing beautifully and virtuosic passages dance,’ she hit the ground running in 2019 when her debut album Romance – the Piano Music of Clara Schumann entered the UK classical charts at No. 1.

And she hasn’t let up, having since been awarded the 2021 Leonard Bernstein Award, and a 2020 Opus Klassik award for best young artist. In December 2021 she brought her intuitive and charismatic musicianship to our Queen Elizabeth Hall for a debut performance featuring works by Rachmaninov, Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Gershwin and Sofia Gubaidulina. And ahead of the performance we took the opportunity to get to know the artist a little better.

What’ s your earliest memory of classical music?

I was about three years old and living in Bahrain with my family. I used to have recorder lessons and I remember driving with my mum to my teacher’s house and then doing Music Theory, and playing recorder and listening to lots of classical music.

Did you always want to be a musician?

Yes since I was eight, and I knew that being a musician was something you could actually do as a job!

How does it feel to perform in a concert? And what role does the audience play in that experience?

It’s a feeling you get on stage that you can’t replicate in the practice room. I’m always aware of the audience and the more aware I am of them, the better the performance. When you’re practicing you think about just that – what you’re working on – and not the audience but in the concert you are thinking all the time about how they receive the music and so they do have a hugely important role.

What’s your favourite piece of music to play?

Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto.

And what is your favourite to listen to?

The Trout Quintet by Schubert.

Which is your favourite venue at which you’ve performed?

Wigmore Hall, London.

And is there one you’re desperate to play at?

I’d like to play in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.

What, if anything, would you change about classical concerts?

The audiences would be more diverse and younger.

How much attention do you pay to reviews of your performances?

I’ve never read one and try to keep it that way.

Which performer, composer, conductor or orchestra would you most like to collaborate with?

It would be nice to work with the conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.