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Cello virtuoso Sheku Kanneh-Mason joins Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Jaime Martín, to perform Haydn’s iconic Cello Concerto in D Major in back-to-back concerts on Saturday, January 14, 8 pm, at UCLA’s Royce Hall, and Sunday, January 15, 2023, 7 pm, at Glendale’s Alex Theatre. Spotlighting the remarkable diversity of the classical era, LACO also performs Bologne’s Symphony No. 1 in G Major and the works of siblings Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, including Overture in C Major by Fanny (Hensel), one of the few surviving works by the beloved older sister of Felix, whose own Symphony No. 4 in A Major, “Italian,” caps the program.
Kanneh-Mason was initially slated to appear on LACO’s Orchestral Series in 2018 but the engagement was postponed after he was invited to perform the same weekend at the Royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, an event that drew nearly two billion television viewers globally and made him a household name. Kanneh-Mason first came to prominence as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, the first black musician to win the award since its launch in 1978. He has since performed in illustrious venues around the globe, drawing praise for his “bold, charismatic musical storytelling” (The New York Times). He previously appeared under LACO’s umbrella in 2019 in a concert co-produced with The Colburn School.
LACO recognizes the generous support of the Colburn Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Orchestra also receives public funding via grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. LACO gratefully acknowledges Hogan Lovells US LLP for generous pro bono support. Steinway is the official piano of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
Royce Hall is located at 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90095. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale, CA 91203. For tickets ($29 – $133) and information, please visit www.laco.org or call 213 221 3920.
SHEKU KANNEH-MASON, a Decca Classics recording artist, is already in great demand from major orchestras and concert halls worldwide. His latest album, Song, showcases his lyrical playing with a wide selection of arrangements and collaborations. His 2020 album Elgar reached No. 8 in the main UK Official Album Chart, making him the first ever cellist to reach the UK Top 10. Since his debut in 2017, Kanneh-Mason has performed every summer at the BBC Proms, including in 2020 when he gave a breath-taking recital performance with his sister, Isata, to an empty auditorium due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was selected to appear in the coveted role as guest soloist at the 2022 Last Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. A graduate of London’s Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Hannah Roberts, Kanneh-Mason was appointed in May 2022 as the Academy’s first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring. He is an ambassador for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Future Talent, and Music Masters. Kanneh-Mason was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year’s Honours List. He plays a Matteo Goffriller cello from 1700 which is on indefinite loan to him.
