It’s difficult to predict where Isata Kanneh-Mason’s musical imagination will take her next. Across five solo albums in seven years, the 30-year-old British pianist has delved into the worlds of Clara Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn, explored repertoire by American composers, and revisited the sounds and stories of childhood.
Her latest album, released in April on Decca Classics, is devoted to the mercurial music of Sergei Prokofiev, anchored by her account of the composer’s notoriously difficult Third Piano Concerto. But Kanneh-Mason’s curiosity extends well beyond her recording projects: from playful experiments on social media to the musical ideas and performances she shares with her six siblings — all gifted classical musicians — she seems determined to keep widening the boundaries of what her life and art can encompass.
Kanneh-Mason visited WRTI in May on the heels of a sensational recital with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. She talked with me about a healthy range of things, including her recording process; life on the road; growing up in the remarkable Kanneh-Mason household; and what she continues to learn from her siblings. Watch the full interview and read an edited transcript below.
Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, thank you so much for joining us at WRTI. We are thrilled to have you here in Philly, and I see you already got the memo about Philly sports teams and apparel.
Yeah, I'm already settling in. I'm a Philly native now.
Love it. We're glad to have you here. You played a sensational recital last night at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. I don't think a single audience member was not immediately on their feet after you finished the Waldstein Sonata. What is it like the morning after a performance like that? Are you still riding the high? Is there a hangover, or is it just business as usual?
I think I've already, in my mind, moved on to what I need to do next. I suppose it's the kind of classical musician mindset of, in the moment you're enjoying the performance and you're in that high, but then you go to sleep and you wake up and it's "Okay, what's next? What do I need to improve on from last night? What am I working on? What's coming up?” You're always looking forward.
I was looking at your schedule for the next year, and you have a pretty demanding itinerary, to say the least. You're traveling all over Europe this summer after you finish this tour of the US, you head to Australia and New Zealand in the fall, you're playing three or four concerts a week when you're on the road. Where do you find the energy to do that?
I think there are periods of rest in between the tours, and also even on tour, there's still the occasional night off, and I really rest on those nights off and just relax by myself. So there are pockets of rest, and I think as long as you go up and down in terms of the intensity that you bring, it's fine.
And when you get to a new city, are you eager to explore it, or do you just have to relax and put the performance first?
I think it depends on how much time I have. I like to explore cities. I like when I can walk around a city because you can explore so much by walking around and navigating it. There's obviously times that I arrive and I'm shattered and I just go to sleep, but if there's enough time I like to feel like I'm slightly immersed in the place that I'm in.
Yeah, absolutely. What do you like to do on planes?
It depends. I do watch films. I like if I have a really good book that I can just dive into because then I feel less like a zombie after the plane journey. I do binge films sometimes, but then I come off the plane and I feel a bit groggy. So I like when I can just dive into a book.
But you're not sitting there just practicing on the tray table or anything?
That occasionally happens. But I feel like I go onto planes with high expectations. I think, “I'm gonna do all this mental practice. I'm gonna work so many things out.” And then I get there and something about the altitude just completely fries my brain. And other than reading and watching things, I feel that I can't do much.
I've really been enjoying your latest album, which you released just a couple of weeks ago on your label, Decca Classics, entirely devoted to Sergei Prokofiev, built around the Third Piano Concerto alongside suites from some of his ballets, Cinderella, and Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev is one of my absolute favorite composers. Is it safe to guess that he is one of your favorites too?
Yes, he absolutely is. And particularly the Third Concerto, it's been a favorite of mine. I've wanted to learn it for about 10 years. And so this definitely feels like a milestone moment.
Prokofiev was largely writing for his own hands, his own technique. He was this unbelievably skilled pianist. And he also explores such extremes in his music. One moment it's so whimsical and playful and light, and then on a dime it can become really dark and intense and heavy. How do you prepare for a project like this? What does it take to inhabit his head and also his hands?
That's a really good question. I think I took a lot of time over this. And I think there are so many different ways to get inside a piece of music. The base is obviously being completely comfortable with all the notes and really getting into the score, so I spent a lot of time making sure that was really sharp. And then after that it's quite a lot of imagination, to be honest. I would walk around and think about the music. I would dance to the music. I would write about the music. And I think all of those are ways of bringing the piece to life and trying to get into the imagination of the composer. And I also think that when you play a piece, it has to be your own feelings and imagination meeting what the composer wanted, and those two things mixing together. So that's why everyone plays everything differently, of course.
Tell me about the process of learning the Concerto. You said it was 10 years in the making?
As in, it was 10 years ago that I first heard the piece and wanted to start learning it. But I started learning it in 2023, I think. So I started learning it three years before I recorded it. So I suppose three years in the making.
And how long before you feel like you have it in your hands and you're ready to actually take it to an orchestra?
I think that also comes in stages because I'd been learning it for about two, three months before the first performance with an orchestra.
Really? That quick?
Yeah, just to initially get the notes. But then the first performance you always improve and improve and improve. So you learn it in three months, but I feel each time you come back to it, you discover something new and it sinks a little deeper. And I feel that I can't learn a piece for two years and then perform it because there's some things that I can only learn through performing it, and there's a way that it sinks in that isn't really possible in the practice room. I think you need that live adrenaline and you need the orchestra to really understand the piece. So yeah, a few months by myself and then it's out in the world and we're learning in public.
You just push yourself out of the nest.
Yes.
You must have been so nervous to play it publicly for the first time.
Yeah. I'm always nervous performing something publicly for the first time, and sometimes even 10 times in, because there's always something new. But that nerves, I think, is part of the learning. I never learn a passage better than when I feel it's gone wrong on stage.
This is the fifth solo project you've released in the last seven years. In addition to your playing, I've always been really impressed by the way you curate your albums. All of them so far have been specifically focused on single composers or themes, whether it's Clara Schumann or Felix Mendelssohn, American composers, music about childhood. It's clear to me that you spend a lot of time thinking about the flow of an album and calibrating the right mix of repertoire. Can you walk me through, at a high level, your process for recording an album from the genesis of the concept all the way to completion?
I think it often starts from one or two pieces of music that I feel “I know this piece very well,” or “I love this piece a lot and I'd love to record it.” And then I start thinking, “Okay, how could this fit into a wider theme and a wider idea?" And then I think, "Okay, what pieces could fit with it?” So it starts from a piece. For example, this album started with the Prokofiev Third Concerto, and then I felt that I wanted this to be an all-Prokofiev album. But some of the other ones, for example, Childhood Tales, that started with the Dohnányi “Variations on a Nursery Rhyme.” And then I thought, “It's childhood, it's nursery rhymes. What other pieces fit that?” And I thought of the Mozart that also has that kind of theme, and it just came together in that way.
And then once you actually get in the studio to record, how do things work from there?
There's usually a couple of sessions, and those days are always so intense. It's hours and hours, and you're trying to play at your full capacity every single time. And so I always make sure I'm mentally prepared. The first time I recorded, I was so exhausted, and I thought, “Okay, this takes a lot of stamina.” So I prepare for that. And then after you've done the sessions, there's an editing process. So sending back and forth the first edit, second edit, and I give notes saying, “Oh, is there a take where I did this and a take when I did that?” and hope that there is. And then eventually it's finished. They do things behind the scenes, they're remastering and preparing, and then it's slightly out of my hands and I just wait for the release date.
How do you take care of yourself? How do you prepare for the intensity of the sessions?
I think for me it's a lot of mental stamina. So of course, there's the basic things like getting enough sleep leading up to it. But it's also, I like to feel completely on top of the repertoire, and then also mentally and physically fit so that I know I can get through the day. So just making sure that I exercise leading up to it. I just try and get in a good state. And then on the day, I don't let myself have any distractions, so my phone will be off all day. And I think that means that I have enough brain power to just focus on the music, because other distractions take away from my focus.
Do you bring people with you? Do you bring friends or family, or is that too distracting?
No, actually, that's really nice. And with the Prokofiev, for example, with the Concerto, I had about eight people there, most of my family and a couple of friends. And so that's actually really helpful because when they're watching the takes, it feels even more like a performance. You're performing to someone, and so actually it brings the energy up. And talking to people in the breaks, that's not distracting. That's relaxing. I think distracting is opening my phone and seeing things to reply to and all of that.
I don't want you to share any closely guarded secrets, but do you have a sense of some future projects or repertoire you'd like to take on at some point? I'm sure you have a big list.
Yeah, I definitely have things that I want to record. And yeah, there's nothing concrete, so I won't be sharing secrets. But Rachmaninoff, for example, is a huge composer for me that I've loved since my childhood. So I definitely want to record some of his music. I also really enjoyed doing the Summertime album, and I'd like to go more into some of that music as well at some point.
Yeah, that was a wonderful project.
I really appreciate the way you approached your own social media because I think you're pretty “online,” but you're also so authentic and funny, and you let your audience in. You post a lot of short videos of yourself on Instagram practicing, rehearsing, and also playing around: arranging pop songs in the style of Rachmaninoff or playing Billy Joel or improvising on film soundtracks. How intentional are you with your social media presence, or is it something that just comes more organically?
I would say fairly intentional because it was something that I didn't feel comfortable with for years. My team would hassle me, “You need to post on social media.” I'd think, “Ah, I need to post on social media,” and I'd be very stressed about it. But I find it easier now because I probably put less judgment on it. So I think I just allow myself to be myself, which is easier said than done. If five years ago someone said, “Oh, just be yourself,” I'd think, “What is that?” But I think that I feel a bit more comfortable with all of that now. The ideas just naturally come, and I just think about what I actually enjoy and how I actually spend my time and what I'd therefore like to share with people. And there are also many things that I forget that people might not be aware of, like what it's actually like behind the scenes or things that I'm interested in. And so I just share those things, and I never know what's gonna land, so I try not to over-scrutinize my page. I just think, “This is an idea. Let's make it. Let's post it,” and then I try to walk away after that as much as possible. So that's my approach.
Is it hard to walk away?
Definitely. It's something I'm constantly reinforcing.
Do you feel like it's necessary to have that kind of disposition or presence on social media to be a successful multinational classical artist today?
I think it's definitely a part of our careers now, and it's something I resisted for a while. It's definitely not everything, though. Of course, there are many aspects to having presence, but I think it's such a huge thing now, and it's how I discover many people. And so I think it's quite difficult to be an artist in today's world and not have some kind of a presence. So I suppose the key is how you make it your own and how you choose to use it.
I'd love to spend some time talking about your family. I think most of your fans know that you're a member of what may be the most high-profile classical music family working today. You're the eldest of seven. All six of your younger siblings are gifted classical musicians. Together you made a huge splash on Britain's Got Talent about a decade ago. Your brother, the cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, played at the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And you guys all regularly perform and record together.
I myself am the oldest of four so I know how heavy it is to wear the crown of the oldest child. But I cannot imagine having double the number of siblings and all of you being elite classical musicians. I wanna start by asking about your parents, because it's pretty difficult and rare to raise one successful classical musician, let alone seven. So what are they like? And are they musicians too?
Yes. Gosh, it's so difficult to answer what your parents are like. But what I remember from my childhood, they were always very supportive and very involved. I think that's the biggest thing I can say about them, actually, and to this day. They're very involved, and so they're very passionate about music. They didn't plan for us to be musicians, that came from us. But when they knew we wanted it, they came to every lesson, they would talk to the teachers, they would sit in on our practice sessions, we'd have group family performances. And I think that environment is what made it possible for all of us to become musicians, because it was something we were all doing together. And I don't think becoming a classical musician is something anyone can do by themself. There's always at least a teacher or a team of people that have helped that person. And so I think in a way, we were all helping each other, along with teachers and external people as well. And that's what I think is the answer as to why we all ended up doing it.
How involved are they still today?
They're still very involved, actually. They come to as many concerts as they can. They often travel. They came, for example, to Prague recently with me to come to my concert. And so they're very present with hearing us play. They still have two children at home that they will listen to, and yeah they check in and ask how things are going. So yeah, definitely very present.
At what point did you know that classical piano was gonna be your thing? Like, when did you know that you were that good?
I wouldn't have thought of it as, “Oh my gosh, I'm so good.” But…
This is me saying it, but yes. I think you knew deep down at some point that you were that good.
I think when I was younger, when I was about eight, I knew that I enjoyed music more than anything else, more than any of the other hobbies that I was doing. And I spoke to my parents and I think I said, “Is piano something you can do as a job when you're an adult?” And they said, “Yes.” And I said, “Okay, that's what I'm gonna do.” And it stuck from then on. So yeah, about eight.
Being part of a big family, you have to learn how to share at a pretty young age. As much as I adore my own brothers and sisters, I know that is not always the easiest thing to do. We had some pretty epic battles over sharing toys and bedrooms and clothes. Was it like that with you and instruments in your household? How and where did you all manage to practice?
I think the biggest arguments were over games and food. That's when we most struggled to share. With instruments it was a really good system because we had more than one piano, so the pianists could practice at the same time. And then the string players would go in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the bedrooms, in every room of the house, and we would all practice at the same time. So there was no sharing of instruments. We could all do our thing at the same time, and it would just be a cacophony of noise.
So you'd walk in and it was just some crazy John Cage composition that was happening in real time?
Basically, yes. I don't think anyone played any actual John Cage, but we might as well have, the sound that was coming. And you just got used to it. I think even now I can very easily focus with stuff going on around me. I could practice with someone else in the same room. That's not a problem.
That's such a gift in a way, that you were steeled to distraction while you were learning music.
Yeah. I think I realize that now. Sometimes I have concerts, and something will happen in the audience, and afterwards they’ll say, “Oh, my gosh, I hope you weren't distracted.” It’s like, “No. Actually, if anything, I was more relaxed.” It's like, “Oh, there are people around me.”
For a long time you all would gather every Sunday in the hallway of your house in Nottingham, and you'd all take turns playing for each other and then delivering feedback. How integral was it to get that kind of critique — the critique that only a sibling, flesh and blood, can give? And how, specifically for you as the oldest sibling, did you set the tone for those sessions?
I definitely didn't set the tone. I think everyone, from my perspective, was equally terrified. I think it was so good because you had the feeling of a high-pressure concert, which is essentially what we were practicing for. And yeah, you'd all take it in turns to play. I think at one point we'd mark each other out of 10 for technique, musicality, and performance because that's what it was like at some competitions.
Who won?
It wasn't a competition against each other. It was more to mark you out of 10 so you know what areas to work on, and then we'd give comments on top of that. And I think we got the idea from competitions that we would do, where they do mark you out of 10 for those three things, and so we were practicing that. And then, I'd be equally terrified to get a comment from my younger sister as I would my Mum or Dad. So it wasn't that I was setting the tone or anything, being the oldest.
That's such an interesting dynamic.
Yeah. It was something that we wanted to do because it was helping all of us. And, we'd finish the family concert and then go straight back to being playful siblings. And so I think we would just switch modes, and I'm glad that we had that because performance is something that, the adrenaline of it and the pressure of it, you do need to practice it, otherwise you get on stage and it's too much.
How much do you go to your siblings for that kind of critique now? Is it still that way? Do you still do these Sunday concerts when you're together?
We don't do the Sunday concerts anymore because we're just not all together enough. But we still go to each other. We have the occasional lesson. Now it will be one of us will call the other and say, “Can I perform this piece to you?” For example, I'll go around to my brother's house, and he'll give me a lesson on my piece. My sister and I will play to each other. When we're all in Nottingham, let's say for Christmas, and someone has a big concerto coming up, they'll perform it to a couple of people. So it's still there, in part.
A few days ago you gave a master class that WRTI co-sponsored at the Settlement Music School. How does the process of teaching and mentorship influence your own musicianship? And is it something you do a lot of? Is it something you want to do more of going forward?
I think it really does influence me because as soon as you're teaching something, you have to really think, “Oh, how do I do this?” Because you have to be really clear to get them to do what you want them to do. And then you're reminded of what you think is important in music-making. And then when you're practicing, you're thinking, “Am I doing these things that I'm preaching?” And so I definitely think, and you often hear teachers say this, that you teach and then you also learn at the same time. And so I think it's very useful. I'd like to do it more, but at the moment I'm not able to do it regularly, so it's master classes here and there.
And are you still working with a teacher? Or, what is your relationship like with the teachers that you grew up learning from?
Yeah, I sometimes still play to people. I sometimes go back and play to my first piano teacher, Patsy Toh. I play to Alasdair Beatson as well. I have different people that I will play to, and then my peers and siblings.
You and your siblings perform together a lot, especially chamber music. Is there sort of a telepathy that you have when you play together that you don't have, or is harder to achieve, with other musicians in similar settings?
I think so. Although I think it can be achieved with anyone that you spend enough time with, I think we just have the advantage of we've grown up together. And so I think those bonds can be made with any musician that you've spent enough time with and you align with musically, and I have both of those things with my siblings. So I do often feel like we're basically reading each other's minds, especially when I play with Sheku. I feel like our brains are very connected, and we always leave the stage feeling pretty much the exact same way. It's not like we leave the stage and I'm like, “Oh, that felt great,” and he's like, “No, it didn't.” We will feel exactly the same way.
Is there something distinct or signature about the Kanneh-Mason sound? What's the Kanneh-Mason style? What do you emphasize?
I don't know what our collective style is because we all have different ones. I suppose we all value the story and the expressiveness of the music above all else. I think we're all, for example, very big on phrasing, and so everything has to be clear. And so if we're rehearsing together, we have so many discussions about where is this phrase going and what's the important harmony and what are we emphasizing so that the story and the expression of the music will be clear. I think that's something we'd all agree on. If we're playing and it just sounds like we don't know where we are in the music and what's happening, we would go for that to fix.
This is an unfair question, but I'm gonna ask it anyway: If you could take one trait or a couple of traits from one of your siblings' music-making or musicianship and apply it to your own, what would it be and why?
I think I would take, maybe, Sheku's abandon. I think he has such a sense of passionate abandon when he plays, which is difficult to achieve sometimes if you're focusing on controlling what's happening. But he doesn't lose control with having that. So I would take that.
You can give me one for everyone if you don't wanna be unfair. I don't wanna put you in hot water.
No, I'll pick a few. I'd take Sheku's abandon. I'd take Braimah's ear. He has the sharpest ear out of anyone that I know, so I would take that. I would take Jeneba's relaxation. I don't think she feels relaxed, but she comes across as so relaxed when she plays. I think that's a great thing to have. And I would take my sister Konya's humor and quirkiness. She has such a natural humor that really connects when she plays, and I think that adds a sparkiness to the music.
What about Philly? How was your time here? I know you've been here a couple times. Have you gotten to do anything interesting, fun, or just kinda walked around the city and gotten a sense of it?
I would say I just walked around mostly. The last time I was here it was December, and we went to the Christmas market behind the train station, and that was really nice. This time I had some lovely food. I went to Rittenhouse Square Park and read my book on the bench. And I went shopping and bought a hoodie. And so very simple, relaxed, day-to-day life, which is what I wanted. I didn't have time to do anything fancy.
“Relaxed” is the word that everyone thinks of when they think of Philly. Thank you so much for spending time with us today. It was such a pleasure to have you at WRTI. We can't wait to have you back in Philly and hopefully at WRTI again soon.
Thank you so much.
