Isata Kanneh-Mason returns solo, with adventurous program and electrifying playing, to Vancouver Recital Society, March 6

The stylish sibling of famed cellist Sheku is deservedly making her Canadian solo recital debut

 
 

Vancouver Recital Society presents Isata Kanneh-Mason on March 6 at the Vancouver Playhouse, 3 pm

 

THE LAST time Vancouverites saw pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, she was accompanying her more famous brother, U.K. cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, at a packed Orpheum Theatre in a Vancouver Recital Society show in 2019.

Back then, the two siblings more than lived up to sky-high expectations with a gutsy and unexpected program that wowed the crowd. Several standing-O curtain calls ensued.

Now Isata is, more than deservedly, back in town with the VRS on her own (it’s her Canadian solo recital debut) with a program that looks equally adventurous: think finger-pummelling Rachmaninoff alongside Mozart, Eleanor Alberga, and more.

If her last appearance here was any indication, the older Kanneh-Mason will hand in an electrifying performance: she has a way of finding all the romantic textures of Chopin and Rachmaninoff, sometimes lifting right off her bench for the climaxes. And, TBH, we can’t wait to see what she’s wearing: the 2019 outing featured a glimmering white-gold-sequinned jumpsuit, her then-braids often flailing around her shoulders.  

 
 
 
Featured
Janet Smith
Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

 
 

Related Articles

Articles
Rising German piano star Julius Asal makes his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society, February 8
Rising German piano star Julius Asal makes his Canadian debut with the Vancouver Recital Society, February 8

Among the 28-year-old’s recent achievements is winning the Terence Judd-Hallé Award for young pianists on the cusp of international fame

Cosí fan tutte gets a vintage-Canadian refresh under director Robert Herriot at Vancouver Opera
Cosí fan tutte gets a vintage-Canadian refresh under director Robert Herriot at Vancouver Opera

The Winnipeg artist brings experience as a tenor to a Mozart opera reimagined in a 1930s Rockies resort, complete with Mounties and log drivers

Shadbolt Centre hosts Burnaby Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville this February
Shadbolt Centre hosts Burnaby Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville this February

Romance, deception, and mistaken identities abound in Gioachino Rossini’s beloved comic masterpiece

Theatre review: You’re Just a Place That I Know is a moving musical reflection on family and memory
Theatre review: You’re Just a Place That I Know is a moving musical reflection on family and memory

Based on Adrian Glynn McMorran’s album of the same name, the show at the Arts Club’s BMO Theatre Centre is more than just a concert

Cellist Henry Shapard plays Prokofiev with the VSO at Beethoven’s Eroica, February 20 to 22
Cellist Henry Shapard plays Prokofiev with the VSO at Beethoven’s Eroica, February 20 to 22

Han-Na Chang conducts Beethoven’s revolutionary Third Symphony

Corey Payette spotlights songs from his acclaimed musicals at Closest Thing to Home, January 28
Corey Payette spotlights songs from his acclaimed musicals at Closest Thing to Home, January 28

The renowned theatre artist and composer offers a stirring collection of tunes from acclaimed shows such as Children of God and Starwalker

Ghanaian music scholar Kofi Gbolonyo leads upbeat Celebrate Africa! event at BlueShore at CapU, January 30
Ghanaian music scholar Kofi Gbolonyo leads upbeat Celebrate Africa! event at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Long-time UBC and CapU faculty member puts on a show featuring dozens of local musicians, plus vocalists Dawn Pemberton and Khari McClelland

Collaboration opens new sonic horizons for jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould
Collaboration opens new sonic horizons for jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould

The Winnipeg-based artist looks forward to onstage exchanges with diverse musical peers on International Guitar Night

You're the Top! brings the songs of Cole Porter to the Anvil Theatre, February 14
You're the Top! brings the songs of Cole Porter to the Anvil Theatre, February 14

Event hosted by Michael van den Bos features Hollywood film projections and live music by the Laura Crema Sextet

Vancouver New Music hosts Artifacts I: Zero Input Enclosure Movement, February 14
Vancouver New Music hosts Artifacts I: Zero Input Enclosure Movement, February 14

Sonic architecture of Winnipeg’s AO Roberts explores the interplay of performance, installation, and layered auditory experiences

MUSICJanet SmithIsata Kanneh-Mason, VRS, Vancouver Recital Society, SPRING