Jeneba Kanneh-Mason was drawn to the piano from a very young age. Growing up in the musically vibrant Kanneh-Mason household alongside her six brothers and sisters, it was hectic, fun and always full of music.
And yet despite their meteoric success, the Kanneh-Masons have each found their own place in the world of classical music, and continue to thrive under the watchful eye of their parents Stuart and Kadiatu, who went the extra mile to ensure their children realised their dreams. https://oxinabox.co.uk/i-never-regretted-giving-up-my-career-to-have-children-kadiatu-kanneh-mason-on-motherhood-music-her-new-book-and-the-royal-wedding/
You can see Jeneba‘s immense piano skills for yourself on Saturday (Nov 15) as she stars in The Orchestra of St John’s RAVEL AND STRAVINSKY concert at Dorchester Abbey. “I love the Ravel concerto. It’s such an exciting piece for the audience and quite complex harmonically – full of ceremony, vibrant colours and jazz so I’m really looking forward to performing at Dorchester Abbey,” she says.
“It’s something I played a lot when I was younger, and it will be lovely to revisit it,” she adds.
Currently studying at the Royal College of Music and balancing her studies with performing all over the world, Jeneba’s accolades are stacking up – a finalist in BBC Young Musician 2018, winner of the Murs du Son Prize, The Nottingham Young Musician and the Iris Dyer Piano Prize. She was named a Classic FM ‘Rising Star’, performed at The BAFTAs, The Royal Variety Performance, starred in BBC4’s Young, Gifted and Classical, and the Imagine documentary for BBC1. She also released her debut album Fantasie this year.
‘It was very strange at first being away so much but it gets easier’
In demand then? “I’m very busy so I just make the most of the time I have when I’m actually at home. It was very strange at first being away so much but it gets easier,” she says.
And did launching her solo album feel like a step away from the Kanneh-Mason family dynamic? “We’ve all been playing solo our whole lives so the album was a reflection of that rather than a move away from my family,” she says.
“They’ve always supported everything I do and we all encourage each other. We’ve always had our own things going on, so there is no rivalry between us over music, we just pour all of our competitive energy into boardgames,” she laughs.
‘We’ve always had our own things going on, so there is no rivalry between us over musi., we just pour all of our competitive energy into boardgames’
“Instead, I was constantly inspired and motivated growing up in my household. It just felt really natural to be playing instruments and practising when I came back from school, very normal,” she says.
Hard to stand out though? “It didn’t feel difficult to find my own voice because we are all different ages, doing our grades at different times, so we all got our moment in the spotlight,” Jeneba says, ” but it was always the piano that spoke to me. It was pretty instant from a very early age.”
Not that Jeneba doesn’t suffer from nerves, but has learnt to use them to her own advantage: “I always get nervous before concerts. If I didn’t get nervous I wouldn’t feel as focused, so I really need those nerves. When I was younger the nerves could really affect my get the better of me, but now I just go with it, accept them and use them for the performance.
‘If I didn’t get nervous I wouldn’t feel as focused, so I really need those nerves’
“Besides, the first rehearsal is always so different to the concert itself. It takes a bit of time for the orchestra and soloists to adapt to each other, but its always wonderful to play with so many different musicians.”
Catch her while you can then, because come January, Jeneba is heading out on tour in America. “It’s really exciting. I haven’t played the US that much but given the opportunity you don’t say no.”
But before that the Kanneh-Masons will be congregating at home for the festive season: “It’s not often we all get together as a seven except at Christmas, although we meet up whenever we can, so yes, it will be great to see them all.”
RAVEL AND STRAVINSKY with JENEBA KANNEH-MASON – 7pm at Dorchester Abbey features Ravel Mother Goose Suite, Ravel Piano concerto in G and Stravinsky Pulcinella complete. Book at https://www.osj.org.uk/osjevent/ravel-and-stravinsky-with-jeneba-kanneh-mason-7pm-at-dorchester-abbey/
