We Chat to Konya Kanneh-Mason All About African Rhapsodies With BBC Concert Orchestra and Seckou Keita

You've played at some fantastic venues and countries – BAFTAs 2018, BBC Proms at the Royal Concert Hall,  Antigua, Barbuda, Australia, USA, Canada and Europe. What was it like playing in Nottingham?
It was a very different thing. I think because I grew up in Nottingham, The Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham is very much a familiar haunt for me, in terms that I went to lots of concerts there growing up. They have lots of great schemes. 

How does it compare?
Being there felt special in that way. Plus, I was playing to lots of people I know because I had lots my neighbours and friends there. So, in that way, it felt special. It was more intimate because of the crowds it brought in, plus people I know. So it was very different that way.

So there were a lot of people in the audience that you knew?
A lot of my neighbours came. A lot of my friends. My family were there, and my siblings. Yes, quite a lot of people were there. 

Because it was more personal and more intimate, did you feel more or less nervous then? Do you get nervous? You might not get nervous!
I do get nervous. I was most nervous about playing my sister's composition because I found it a beautiful piece. I wanted to do it justice, and obviously, because she was in the audience. I think for that reason, I was probably most nervous. For everything else, I was just so excited to be playing alongside musicians I admire.

How did you get involved in the concert?
A year ago, I went to a concert that Seckou Keita was doing in London with a brilliant harpist. After the concert, I sent him a message on Instagram and said that I was a big fan and that I loved the concert and I would love to play with him. So I'm very grateful and very excited. 

Have you used that approach before?
No, never. It was the first time that I had used that. 

You play piano and violin, so was playing the piano in the concert, your decision?
The piano is my first instrument, in that I studied it. The violin, I don't really play that much. The piano is my instrument.

If given the choice, would that have been your chosen instrument?
I am a pianist and Seckou knows me as a pianist. Definitely, the piano. Always the piano.

Do you play the violin at concerts sometimes?
Only in the context of family concerts do I sometimes play the violin only if another violin is needed in the composition. But, even then, it will be a simple part.

Did you have a say in the pieces you played in?
I was expecting to be in as little as possible. I thought maybe in one piece. I wasn't expecting Seckou to write parts for me to play. Most of the second half of the concert. I was very grateful. No, I had no idea how much I would be in. I hadn't realised it would be such a big part. It was very nice of him.

If you could have chosen which pieces to play in, would you have chosen the ones you did? The one I really, really liked a lot was L’Épopée Mande-Arab. I love that one!
That one was one of my favourites. That one was the one, outside of the ones I played, that I really loved. 

Which pieces did you enjoy playing the most?
Probably Waamo, just because it was nice to improvise alongside him. Either that or Bamba, which was the encore.

Was that the first time that you'd played with Seckou?
The week before was my first time. We practised for over two weeks, and then it was the concert.

How many hours would that take in terms of practice?
There was private practice in terms of my own parts. And there were other practices. We had three hours, over a week and a half before. Then, a couple of days before, we had rehearsals. But Seckou has been playing with the orchestra for a long time, and he has had a relationship with them.

How did it feel playing Hiraeth?
Once I was playing, it was easy, weirdly. I think it's because I watched Isata composing the piece. As in, she took me through the process while she was composing it. I'd been hearing it for months. It’s a Welsh tune and I'm a quarter Welsh, so there’s that connection there. It was professional, very beautiful and special.

Is there any other musician (dead or alive) that you would like to play with? 
So many…The first person that popped into my head was Esperanza Spalding. She was a female American jazz singer and musician. I have admired her my whole life; she's an incredible musician.

Is there another instrument you're not playing now that you would play?
There's none I am considering playing. I am happy with the instruments I've got. So, if I had to pick another instrument, it would probably be the cello.

When you first started playing, did you choose the piano first?
Yes, I started on the piano and then started playing the violin afterwards. I played both of them for years, but the piano was the one I always practised the most.

Do you have a role model?
I have lots and lots of role models; it depends on what field. There are lots of writers and musicians that I look up to. The most immediate role models are my family. It's where I get most of my inspiration.

What's next for you?
At the moment, I am working with a publisher on a novel that I am writing. That's what I'm spending most of my time doing for the next couple of months. So that will be what's next for me.

What sort of genre?
It is children's fiction. It’s a children’s book.

Is that something that you've always wanted to do? 
Yes, yes. 

Thank you Konya, for making time out to speak to me because I know that you’re very busy.
No, not at all, thank you for taking time to speak to me. Thanks so much.

You will be able to listen to and enjoy African Rhapsodies with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Seckou Keita, on BBC Radio 3 very soon

@konya_km