The Kanneh-Masons

As a family of classical musicians, the Kanneh-Masons feature seven brothers and sisters, with a 12-year age gap between youngest and oldest, who play a mixture of violin, piano, and cello. Having attended London's Royal Academy of Music, the three eldest siblings, Sheku (cello), Isata (piano), and Braimah (violin), regularly played as a trio. They had already made a name for themselves by the time their younger siblings, Konya (violin/piano), Jeneba (cello/piano), Aminata (violin/piano), and Mariatu (cello/piano), were able to join them. The first time they appeared on-stage (except for Mariatu, who was still too young) was for the 2015 season of Britain's Got Talent. Similarly, Sheku, Isata, Braimah, Konya, and Jeneba played the BAFTA in 2018, but it wasn't until the following year that all seven would take the stage together at the Royal Variety Performance in 2019. Their debut album, Carnival of the Animals, saw release on Decca in 2020. They returned to the label for the release of River of Music in 2025. It included their versions of everything from traditional folk songs to works by Handel and Dvorák and Schubert's "Trout" quintet. ~ Liam Martin