Isata Kanneh-Mason: There's definitely a gap between how many people play these pieces and how well known they are. But I definitely enjoy playing them and recording them and putting them on the map. And I'm seeing more people around me also do that as well.
Hello. My name is Isata and I'm from the UK and I'm a pianist.
James Stewart: Isata Kanneh-Mason is being humble here with her introduction. She is one of the most in-demand and lauded pianists of her generation. Isata will be performing in Vermont as part of the UVM Lane Series, on Saturday, October 12th.
I’m James Stewart and last month, I had a chance to chat with Isata Kanneh-Mason via a Zoom call from across the pond in the U.K.
Isata: I see myself as British. I was born and raised here, but I also have family from all over. I have family from Antigua and Sierra Leone and Wales and so I think I feel connected to many different cultures and I wouldn't really put myself into just one. I think because of that, maybe that's why I'm so against being stuck to one thing and I think that when people are, it only limits you, I think.
James: Isata and I talked about the upcoming performance in Burlington and where her passion for the piano comes from.
Isata: I always wanted to be a pianist from when I was about eight years old. Our parents both played the piano a bit, and we also had many records and CDs that were always on in the house or in the car. So I think when anyone grows up surrounded by that much music, you would naturally be musical.
I'm one of seven siblings, and I play quite a bit with all of them from time to time, but particularly with my brother, who's a cellist. But I play with all of them sometimes, and I'm the eldest. Not everyone wants to be a professional musician, but everyone plays.
James: Isata’s family wowed the crowd in 2015 when they performed for the television program Britain’s Got Talent.
Isata: It was something that we did very much for fun. That wasn't something that we did to launch our careers, and that was more to kind of as a family bring classical music to a wider audience.
James: In the following years, Isata and her cellist brother Sheku started performing concerts together.
Isata: …and then I recorded my first album of Clara Schumann's music, and I started doing more solo concerts after that.
James: Her solo concerts have taken her around the world, especially in this past year.
Isata: I had a long tour of the US in January and then also was with the Cleveland Orchestra in February. I also went to Antigua in March with my family because we worked with a youth orchestra there and also gave some concerts on the island. I’ve also been a lot around Europe, so it's definitely been a busy year of lots of traveling.
James: But this performance with the UVM Lane Series will mark Isata’s first time in Vermont.
Isata: It'll be nice to, you know, add a new place to where I've traveled. And I'm very excited as well. I've always wanted to go to Vermont. I've always wanted to play in this series. So, I was very happy to kind of get the call saying, you know, it's been organized.
James: Isata has an exciting and varied repertoire of pieces planned for this program.
Isata: I'll be starting with a Haydn Sonata no. 50 in C major. And then I'm also going to be playing two chaconnes by two very different composers that aren't played very often, actually. One is a Chaconne of Sofia Gubaidulina and then I'll be playing the Chaconne of Carl Nielsen, both great pieces. And I'm also going to be playing the Chopin Sonata no. 3.
There's something in this performance for everyone. I mean, pieces like the Chopin are very well known and very accessible. And then there's also new, exciting pieces to discover. I mean, the two chaconnes are just fantastic pieces. Even if you don't know them. They're very exciting, very dynamic works, and it might be nice to discover something new. And then the Haydn is also very light and kind of joyful to listen to. So I think there's quite a range, and so hopefully there'll be something to enjoy, no matter what your taste is.
James: Don’t miss pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in concert as part of the UVM Lane Series. The performance is Saturday, October 12 at 8pm at the UVM Recital Hall. For tickets head to UVM.edu/laneseries.
