If you do end up sneaking a peak at the sponge-fest that is the Royal Wedding, make it when Notts boy, prodigious nineteen-year-old cello talent and 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year winner, Sheku Kanneh-Mason serenades the church...
It’s been quite a ride for Sheku, from when he first picked up a bow aged six, to the day he picked up the phone to Meghan Markle, who wondered if he might possibly be free to play at her wedding.
Whatever Mr and Mrs Kanneh-Mason’s secret is, they’re doing something right. They have produced a family of exceptionally gifted children, from eight-year-old Mariatu, who plays the cello and the piano, up to Isata, 21. Six out of seven of them have even performed on Britain’s Got Talent.
But tomorrow Sheku will be going it alone, as he has done countless times already at the BBC Proms, the BAFTAS and packed concert halls all over the world. It was during this whirl of gigs and tours last year that a certain flame-haired prince spotted Sheku performing at a charity do and decided to run the idea by his bride-to-be.
LeftLion tried to have a chat with Sheku about the gig, but the reptilians have sworn him to secrecy on pain of being sent to some sort of tower if he talks to the press beforehand. However, he’s tweeted that he was “bowled over” when he got the call from Meghan.
There might be ways you’d rather spend a Saturday than watching a Royal Wedding. Having your feet slowly sawn off with a rusty fruit knife, for example. But whether or not you think there’s anything remotely special about the Royals and their soon-to-be latest member, they’ve picked our Sheku to give it a touch of the Kanneh-Mason magic.
The Royal Wedding takes place on Saturday 19 May 2018.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason website
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
