UK pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason studied with Joanna MacGregor and Carole Presland at London's Royal Academy of Music, completing her undergraduate degree at the Academy as an Elton John scholar, performing with Sir Elton in 2013 in Los Angeles.
In 2014, she reached the category final in the BBC Young Musician competition, winning the Walter Todds Bursary for the most promising musician.
In 2019 Isata released her debut album Romance – The Piano Music of Clara Schumann which topped the UK’s classical charts that year. In 2021, she released Summertime, winning rave reviews for a diverse collection exploring American music of the 20th century by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Amy Beach, Gershwin, Barber, Copland and others.
On Saturday 5th November 8pm, Isata will give her National Concert Hall debut with a recital of works by Mozart, Clara and Robert Schumann, Chopin, Debussy and Mendelssohn.
We asked Isata for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Richard Curtis’s festive favourite Love Actually. I like watching it every year , it reminds me of our family Christmases together.
MUSIC
Dmitri Shostakovich is definitely one of my favourite composers as I find his work fascinating. I have always loved exploring and listening to his very varied body of work.
BOOK
A Promised Land by Barack Obama. He had such an interesting life, and I love hearing about other people's stories. It is the first of a planned two-volume series. The memoir traces his life from his early years, political success and the first wo years of his administration.
THEATRE
The Collaboration by Anthony McCarten, with Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquait. It’s the story of them working together on an exhibition. It’s very moving and unpredictable, and it was beautifully acted.
TV
Friends. I can put it on any time, timelessly funny and easy to watch.
GIG
Most recently I went to see Jeneba (Kanneh-Mason, my sister and a pianist/cellist) who played Rachmaninov 2 at Bold Tendencies. It's a wonderful venue to listen to music and one of my fave concertos. Supporting family is important to me.
ART
The Courtauld Gallery, such a beautiful space in the centre of London, it feels like you're in another world. It has one of the best art collections in the UK. It’s probably best known for its impressionist and post-impressionist pieces, but has works right up to the present day.
TECH
Duo Lingo - I really like languages, I’ve been learning Spanish for 2.5 years and I think it’s a great app.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Antigua - my absolute best place to go and it’s where I feel relaxed and happy. I associate it with family and music - my favourite things.
Isata Kanneh-Mason is at the National Concert Hall, Dublin on Saturday 5th November 2022 - find out more here.
