Young, Gifted and Classical: The Making of a Maestro

'Here is Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

'17 years old.

'A cellist from Nottingham.

'He's played a piece by Shostakovich in every single round of this

'competition so far, so there was really only one choice for tonight.

'The Cello Concerto No. 1.'

Quite simply,

he's the best young cellist around at the moment in the world.

Sheku has something just that little bit different.

He just touches you.

He just projects this incredible aura when he plays.

He and his cello are one.

There's a fierce side of that boy...

..that we don't see away from the cello.

He encompasses a massive range

of emotions and feelings.

He tells that story through the cello.

It's very significant that he's the first black winner

of Young Musician of the Year.

He has to realise the power of one moment,

the power of one action, the power of one individual.

If you choose to step into that role,

one person can be extremely powerful.

APPLAUSE

The winner of the BBC Young Musician 2016

is Sheku Kanneh-Mason.

CHEERING

The moment my name was called out was an amazing feeling.

I've always wanted to win Young Musician,

I've always wanted to be the best at what I do.

I knew, obviously, if I work really hard, then anything's possible.

Erm, and so, yeah...

I worked hard.

Sheku is one of seven incredibly talented siblings

who all share a love of classical music.

My family are very big and very loud

and take up all my waking hours.

And they are a source of incredible joy.

I think other people were probably fascinated by the fact

they all play music.

The fact that they all have the same interest

is probably a surprise.

They are very individual, all the children,

but they are passionate about the same thing.

The Kanneh-Masons' house is always alive with music.

They have four pianos, four violins,

three cellos and a viola.

But, luckily, no close neighbours.

This is the hallway where, erm, we use as our whole practice,

if we're playing on our sextet or trios or quartets.

And here's the play room.

And then this is, like, the sofa.

And then we've just got a piano, which is like, I think,

this is the piano I like practising on because it's got a nice touch.

They all practise anywhere they can, in bizarre spaces.

I practise in there. The green bathroom.

I think because I can play in front of the mirror.

They practise in the kitchen, in the play room,

in the lounge.

Here's the lounge.

Sheku usually likes to practise in here.

And he always tightens the music stands low

so you can never wind them up again to play the violin,

so sometimes you have to play the violin sitting down.

They'll practise anywhere. In the bedrooms, in the landing - anywhere.

If you practise the violin in here, it echoes around

so it makes the violin sound really nice and loud.

I stop them practising in the bathrooms as much as I can

because with stringed instruments

it all sounds wonderful and it's effortless.

So I try and make them practise in places like the hallway,

where you have to work a bit harder.

I was given piano lessons from the age of eight.

Erm, it was very basic.

And I didn't have the musical opportunities that the children do,

but I absolutely loved it.

Other people are probably intrigued as to how it's all happened

and I think there's lots of theories.

I think people probably think we whip our children nightly.

And I think they're probably intrigued to see,

is it a joyful thing that they all play

or is it a painful, hard-working thing?

Isata, their eldest child, began to play the piano aged six.

I think we first realised the talent with Isata

when she was very young.

She excelled at school and excelled a bit too fast,

so we really started her with music as something to fill up her mind

and to stop her being bored.

By age 11, she had achieved the highest marks in the country

for Grade 7 and Grade 8 piano.

There were just a few pieces that I used to listen to

and I used to love them and I just really enjoyed performing.

It just kind of went from there.

By the time she was 18, she had been awarded the prestigious

Elton John Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music,

where she will soon be followed by her brother Braimah.

When Braimah started the violin,

we were really struck by how musical he was.

And then it just went on from there.

Well, I start at the Royal Academy in September.

So, today, I'll probably do... wherever my Bach is,

I'll probably do some... probably do some Bach, I think.

And then...and then call it a day.

Sheku was the first child to decide to play the cello.

The moment he picked up the cello, you could see that this was

something that he was always going to do

and his focus and his passion

and his seriousness about it was incredible.

He could put the cello down and be a normal boy,

come back to the cello and he would transform.

It is similar with the rest of the children,

but I think Sheku goes into a completely different world

when he plays music

and it's as though he becomes a completely different person.

That is quite magical and quite special.

When he won BBC Young Musician,

I think the other children felt as if they've won.

Because I think when someone in your family achieves well,

you know, essentially, they're not that different from you.

When Sheku won, I cried a lot.

Erm, I cried through, like, his whole performance.

And when he won, it was like being in a dream.

You've seen it on TV so many times, people holding that trophy,

but it's very different when it's your brother.

It's an amazing feeling.

This is, like, Sheku's trophies for winning BBC Musician.

I've never won a trophy.

I mean, I won one for acting, but I'm still just, you know,

not doing anything much.

But it's not only Sheku's family who are delighted by his win.

A concert has been organised in his hometown of Nottingham

to celebrate the cellist's recent success.

I'm very excited for this concert because my school are bringing

about 30 or 40 kids down, so that should be really exciting,

purely because in these kind of concerts you don't tend to see

a large number of young people. And so it's great to have

so many people my age coming to the concert.

When we saw Sheku had won live, it was just overwhelming.

We felt really proud and very emotional.

But, since then, he's returned, done his exams, carried on as normal.

It's just really nice to see that although he's had

this potentially life-changing event,

he's stayed incredibly grounded.

Children need support from their parents or family,

key family members,

so we've always tried to make sure that one or other of us

is there at a concert,

because I always think that whenever you're performing,

when you look out in the audience,

it feels real if you see somebody there that you love.

So we'll move heaven and earth to get somebody at a concert.

APPLAUSE

Performing on stage with Sheku today are some people very special to him.

I'm playing with former winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year,

Guy Johnston, my current teacher, Ben Davies,

my first teacher, Sarah Huson, and my sister, Jeneba.

So I first met Sheku in Nottingham. He must have been nine years old.

His teacher Sarah invited me to come and give a class

to some young, talented students and there was Sheku playing.

I was just kind of blown away.

I just thought, "Wow, what a naturally gifted musician."

When we were rehearsing, my hairs were standing up on end.

It's just a quality to his playing and his aura and his being.

He's all-inclusive. Even when he's not playing, he's listening

to the others and sharing ideas and playing with colour,

playing with sound and just full of imagination.

I started teaching Sheku at age six

and I taught him up until the age of nine,

at which point he took his Grade 8

and received the highest marks in the UK for Grade 8 cello.

So, erm, I rang him, I think, to tell him the news

and he very shyly and modestly just said thank you.

He's a very quiet boy.

I'd love to know what the magic has been on his part.

It's going to be really fascinating to see where he goes from here.

LAUGHTER

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Weekdays for the Kanneh-Masons begin early.

With Stuart working away Monday to Friday, it's up to Kadie

to get all the children up and off to school.

It's very sleepy, I've got lots of grumpy teenagers to get up.

-Sheku?

-Yeah?

-OK, just reminding you of the time.

Everyone takes breakfast very seriously.

They're always hungry. They eat a lot.

Erm, and then it's just getting them out of the door in time.

Sheku's the worst. He's always the one who hasn't got his shoes on,

he hasn't got his clothes on, he's lost his comb.

These two are always practising in the morning.

They leave later, so they have more time in the morning.

Fingering.

We should leave, like, now.

If Braimah's ready.

Now Braimah has passed his driving test,

he gives Sheku and his precious cello a lift to school.

I'm driving very safely this morning. Checking my mirrors.

Trinity was definitely the choice we made very early on

for them to go to a school where everybody understands

what music means or should mean.

And it's in the school curriculum,

it's understood as something that's valuable.

Sheku has just taken his music, maths and physics AS-levels.

This ball is further away from the magnet.

It's easier to be released than this ball. Yeah.

'I got two As and a B in my maths, physics.

'It was OK. I mean, considering that the maths exam was pretty soon after

'my Young Musician final.'

He doesn't want to leave school yet.

He wants to finish his school work, he wants to finish his A levels,

he wants to be at home for another year, so he's being very sensible.

I think that's the right thing to do.

If you're suddenly thrown into the limelight, you need time

to get used to it and you need to know what you're doing.

Most of the people at Trinity know that the Kanneh-Masons

are, like, the prodigies in music - like, these amazing people.

My Nana lives in Wales and she knows all about the Kanneh-Masons.

In school, the Kanneh-Masons are just like any other children

in one respect.

People know who they are, perhaps, because they've seen them play,

but they just get on with things as any other child would do.

They've got homework and they've got to get on in lessons,

and in that respect, they're just the same.

They really shine when there's opportunities for them

to do their thing.

I find I can focus very well here,

despite being the place that I study physics and play football.

I think everyone here understands music, and when someone

walks through when I'm practising, they're always very quiet.

They don't interrupt or anything,

and I think that's really great for me when I'm practising.

Now, just remember...

Just be calm and enjoy it, OK?

There's no need to be nervous.

This morning, mum Kadie is taking ten-year-old Aminata to school

to do her Grade 5 piano exam.

Just think about the music and you'll be absolutely fine.

A bit nervous, but I hope I'll do as well as last time.

I might not get the same this time. I hope to get higher.

Aminata wants to keep up with the rest of the family.

I want to be as good as them,

otherwise I'll feel like I haven't made it,

so I can be as good as them and then I'll be happy.

Do you want to go in there for a bit? You're next.

Yesterday, she was really nervous, making a hundred mistakes a minute.

But this morning, she's much happier.

I think she's glad it's going to be over really soon.

'When your child wants something and is working incredibly hard for it,

'you just want it to work for them.'

Well done. Really, really well done.

-How was today?

-Good.

Good, good, good.

'As soon as they come home from school,

'the children, in their heads, think, the first thing is food.'

'Then it's music and they go straight to it.

'I never have to ask them to do it.'

That's just part of the structure of their lives.

The older ones are probably doing a couple of hours,

and at the weekends, they'll be doing three hours.

It's about managing time.

Three hours on a Sunday sounds like a lot of practice,

but if you manage your day, a waking day might be 12 hours,

so if you do three hours' practice,

you've got nine hours where you can do whatever you want.

On the weekends, sometimes I just want to read and relax.

But most of the days I want to practise for an exam or a lesson

to show that I can do the effort.

My siblings motivate me in a way, and it's just how I was brought up.

I've just always wanted to improve and always wanted to do well.

Isata makes the biggest sound.

But Konya's also quite loud.

Jeneba's the softest player.

When Jeneba's on there,

it's a better day than if anyone else were on there.

Me and Jeneba go on a rota.

There are two other pianos and we go on a rota,

so one piano's better, the other's worse, and then we switch around,

so we all get time on a better piano.

It's more the result of practice that I enjoy,

as opposed to the actual practice,

because I love the feeling of being able to perform to an audience.

That motivates me to do my practice.

We always come in to each other's practice rooms

and give each other comments.

With our sisters as well.

I think also, because we're siblings, it's easier to say,

"That wasn't very good. You should do that again,"

as opposed to saying that to a friend.

SHE PLAYS CELLO

My little sister, Mariatu, I guess she probably looks up to me

because, you know, she's just starting the cello and to see

an older brother do quite well must be quite nice for her.

Shall we do one more? Oh, sorry.

-That looks...

-It's that finger.

If you look at my wrist,

and see the bow is parallel and this wrist is also...

These knuckles are also parallel. You're doing this.

You just need to bring it forward.

-And then imagine there's something in there...

-Yes.

Just a bit of air there, a little mast,

remember this finger has to be curved, not tense, just loose.

There you go, there you go.

MARIATU PLAYS

Thanks, Sheku.

That's better already.

The Kanneh-Masons put in hours of practice at home during the week,

but it's on Saturdays when the lessons and intensive work really begins.

Morning, Sheku.

Sheku?

It's 4.30am, and Kadie wakes Sheku and two of his sisters

to take them to the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Morning, Sheku.

It's a 200-mile journey from Nottingham to London.

Kadie has been accompanying her children on this train ride

every Saturday for the past ten years.

We do sacrifice a lot for Saturdays and for going to the Academy,

but the children would not be without it,

so it doesn't feel like a sacrifice.

I mean, you're usually asleep

for the entire journey down just because it's

so early in the morning. I'm not a morning person.

So it's quite a commitment, but it's definitely always been worth it.

Music gives a huge amount of joy. They love it.

I think it gives them a huge amount of self-confidence,

it gives them some discipline.

Sheku, you can't walk with your eyes shut. You can't sleep and walk.

Founded in 1822, the Royal Academy of Music in London is one of

the finest musical conservatoires in the world.

-Morning.

-Morning!

Every Saturday, 200 of the best young musicians from all over

the country come to the junior academy

to improve on their musical ability.

MUSIC ECHOES

It's very rare to see a family like this. They're here because

of their excellent talents, their outstanding talent.

The moment I heard Sheku the first time... And, you know,

I can remember it very well - just sitting there, thinking,

"Wow, this is something special."

SHEKU PLAYS THE CELLO

Ben Davies has been teaching Sheku since the age of 11.

He stands out.

I think it's his ability to communicate

and make the music his own.

As a teacher, I was always clear right from the beginning

that there was something very special he had and it was my

job to help him with that, not get in the way of it.

And that's what I've tried to do, and it's been great fun.

It's been a real adventure.

Not a great talker, but when he gets on the cello, he speaks to you.

I've been with my teacher for about six or seven years,

so he's a great friend as well as a great teacher,

and so that relationship's really important.

Oh.

BEN LAUGHS

I hopefully, kind of, with the cello, want to perform around

the world and share the music that I love with audiences

around the world, so hopefully I'll be able to do that.

Do the shift up to it, have a bit of a break and then play with

the sound you'd ideally want on that top note.

Anyone who thinks that...

how Sheku performed in the BBC Young Musician sort of just happens,

well, we know that's not the case. It doesn't just happen.

Hours and hours every week of hard, serious, focused practice.

You can have your money back - that didn't work, did it?

Sheku is very much on the road to being an international

concert soloist, I have no doubt about that.

Well, he's getting a lot more attention,

a lot more offers of concerts.

What's exciting about it is you, overnight, get a very big profile.

My life has definitely changed a lot since the competition

in terms of the concerts.

I'm just so much more busy and I think,

although it's kind of...winning the competition was an amazing

achievement, I also have to realise that it's now the start of

so much more and now I have to work even harder.

Three, and...

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

-JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER:

-Traditionally, there aren't that many

solo cellists at any one time in the world,

so the ones that succeed have to be very focused.

The life of a soloist is tough.

People think it's very glamorous, but it isn't.

To stay at the highest level, you have to be one tough cookie.

Sheku's next goal is to get better at the cello.

He has to keep improving,

he has to keep working with Ben, he has to keep listening.

You have to be very careful about what things you accept

and what things you turn down and about timing.

So, he will have to just remain very grounded, very focused.

He's very young, I mean, he's still only 17.

We just need to make sure that he doesn't get lonely during

that period of transitioning from a boy to man.

-Wait, you actually won BBC?!

-Oh, my God!

-That's so cool.

-Well done, Sheku!

THEY LAUGH

-Thank you very much.

-We're proud of you anyway.

-We're just his posse.

-We're his fan club!

THEY LAUGH

If I do the packing tonight...

Otherwise, it'll be a bit too hectic on Friday...

Running Sheku's diary has become

an increasingly big job for mum, Kadie.

Got to go to Adams Row or something, so we've got to work that out.

The sheer amount of things that he's being offered are just

unmanageable by an ordinary person like me.

We'll probably sit on the train and work that out, but the...

The family have recently signed with agent Kathryn Enticott

to help manage Sheku's schedule and his burgeoning career.

I heard and saw the final, but having heard that performance,

I just... I thought, "I HAVE to work with this guy."

The itinerary is on a different e-mail.

I'm going to have to draw it inside because there's not much space.

-I haven't even sorted it out.

-I think I've got an e-mail.

He spoke to me musically in a way not many artists do.

And I just see the potential in the coming years for him to become

a very, very important artist.

OK. So...

Hang on!

-So, 10.30. We've got there for 10.30.

-Easy.

So it gives us nearly an hour to get there.

That interview finishes at 12, so you've got 10.30 to 12,

you've got an interview.

We will be responsible for every aspect of Sheku's career.

We need to be thinking about 2018, 2019, potential recording repertoire

and releases going forward... It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle.

Sheku doesn't actually know his life, he just leaves

everything in the hand of mum and dad and his agent

and just kind of... They're like,

"You got a concert next week, Sheku." He's like, "Oh, OK."

My job is to play cello, not organise my life.

MUSIC: Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley

I've grown up listening to a lot of Bob Marley

and that kind of thing, so...

After classical music, of course, he's my favourite artist.

I just love his music and his lyrics and the relaxed feel in his songs.

It's just cool.

But I also think it's important to celebrate the music of black

musicians because it's amazing, kind of, what they've achieved and to

appreciate that is really important.

But, obviously, I am aware that...

of the lack of diversity in classical music

and how it's portrayed.

# Stolen from Africa... #

Currently, just 5% of classical music professionals

working in the UK identify as black and minority ethnic.

But there is one person who is taking steps to change this.

Double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku has set up

Europe's first professional orchestra

made up entirely of black and ethnic minority musicians.

I'm the founder of Chineke! Foundation,

which is an orchestra set up

specifically to address the status quo in classical music.

The thing with the Chineke! Orchestra is that it's creating

a platform for more people who don't otherwise get to play

in some of these orchestras.

The Kanneh-Mason siblings have performed onstage numerous times.

But the forthcoming Chineke! concert is something they are all

looking forward to being part of.

I hope that me and my family can be an image where we can be seen

as a group of people who have proved that it's possible for

people of our race to play classical music just as well

as any other person.

It's that sound!

'It's quite a weird feeling to think that what we're doing

'is not very normal. Just growing up in that environment

'has always been normal to us.'

Being a black family breaking into the classical world,

we do feel in a way that it's been a struggle to get this far.

There's definitely a cultural struggle

and a struggle about expectation.

When they go and perform, people don't expect them to be good.

There is definitely that, but in some ways, that's a driver.

The children, when they play, feel that if they play badly,

then people think that black people play badly.

They've always felt they've had to be ten times better than everybody else.

All of us have been kind of aware of being one of the few people

in classical music and being black, and it's been something

that we've always wanted to kind of change and make, you know,

being young, black and playing classical music a bit more normal.

APPLAUSE

One of the promises I made about Chineke! is that everyone was equal,

that there was not going to be a soloist coming on

being the bee's knees.

That we, or all the musicians on stage, were important

and playing a role in the mission, the job, that Chineke! has to do.

When Sheku won BBC Young Musician and became the first black winner

of the competition, Chi-chi changed her rules.

There's a list of people who can solo with the Chineke! Orchestra.

But Sheku has made history.

At the end of the summer, Sheku will make his Royal Festival Hall

debut playing Haydn's Cello Concerto in C.

Sheku, are you ready for your Haydn?

I will be ready for my Haydn, yes. I'm very much on track.

THEY LAUGH

THEY PRACTISE CELLO

With school now finished for summer, the Kanneh-Masons are taking

a well-earned holiday to Snowdonia in Wales,

and everybody has their own idea of what to pack.

We've got tennis rackets, we've got balls... Have we got balls?

-No, not yet.

-Buckets and spades...

We haven't got balls? OK, we'll get balls.

Of course, clothes, pyjamas, raincoats, hoodies...

I don't even know what all this stuff is.

Bubble bath, we got bubble bath.

Awww...

-You know, you wish you hadn't emptied something out...

-One sec.

I'm looking for the swimming caps.

SHE LAUGHS

Oh... Oh! Hang on. Yes!

Mariatu, I've found them.

And the goggles, because the goggles look really pretty.

You won't need goggles on a beach.

No, but trust me, it'd look so cool.

You might not even get to a beach, it might just rain every day.

Oh, outside looks really nice. Or does it actually look like this?

The holidays to Wales are very important because it's...

We step outside of everything, the work, the pressure...

Perhaps we could...

Perhaps, the cellos, we can just put on people's laps, just...

No, one cello, we've got to have permanently in.

The other one could be... Because it's temporary.

-It could just go in there?

-OK.

Actually, Braimah, can you stop that? It's horrible, please!

It's vile! Vile!

THEY LAUGH

This is, like, too much.

But even on holiday, the Kanneh-Masons' instruments come too.

You're squashing my toys!

Why don't you play the flute or something?

But finding space for them all is a struggle.

Now, a violin on my lap!

-Dad!

-Has it gone?

For the Kanneh-Masons, the summer holidays are one of the few

opportunities they get to all spend together.

The fact that Stuart's with us for the whole time is

a big thing as well, cos he's usually away at work.

So just being together as a family with nothing interrupting that,

that's fantastic.

THEY SHOUT OVER ONE ANOTHER

It's after dark, and the family get the chance to embrace

their competitive spirit.

Chugging! Chugging! I said chugging!

-What was the word, Kadie?

-Guzzling.

-Nobody said guzzling.

CELLO MUSIC PLAYS

But even on holiday, the siblings find time for their music.

Braimah, just so you know, Sheku's back soon.

Sheku needs to practise his solo for the upcoming Chineke! concert

and wants input from his elder brother, Braimah.

THEY LAUGH

Play the Haydn. Go from "doo-do-doo-do-doo-do-doo".

SHEKU PLAYS

Yes, just make sure that the first note of that sounds...

That bow change could be slightly smoother.

Yeah...

I'd say, Chineke! is definitely, you know,

the most important thing that we've ever been a part of.

And we believe passionately in the message that it brings.

And I think, because of that, you know,

Sheku's going to prepare for this concerto like nothing else.

To play in the concerto and being the first to perform

in a concerto with the orchestra is like...

I'm kind of representing quite a lot in this one performance.

But, you know,

it's always inspiring being the majority as opposed to the minority.

You've got quite a lot of responsibility on your shoulders

because you're kind of standing for...

or what it means to be a young black musician.

You're kind of representing that, so make it exemplary.

THEY LAUGH

Exactly.

Yeah, it's a lot of pressure, but I think at the same time,

-it's a pretty exciting opportunity, so...

-It's an honour, really.

-It's an honour, yeah. It is an honour.

-It is an honour.

Today, Kadie and Sheku have travelled to London to meet with his

agent, Kathryn, to discuss the demands of his new-found popularity.

The next steps are very difficult to work out,

because I'm not a musician, I don't have experience about where

to go next, and so Kathryn's very good at giving advice

and saying to us, "These are the things we need think about."

We all feel, on the back of the Young Musician win,

there's a buzz about Sheku, there's a real interest.

So it is important that probably late next year he make a recording

so he remains in the public eye as he continues to develop.

Even before the final, Sheku had been approached by one major

record company, and subsequently, I was approached by three other

labels and they're all very interested in working with him.

So, what do you think, on reflection, about the Decca meeting?

I was quite reassured by the fact that they seem really

prepared to take a long-term view and not to rush you and to

understand how important it is that you find time to study.

-Yeah.

-It felt like a very personal fit, I felt.

It was about you, not just an artist in general.

They clearly see potential for Sheku to reach out to

a different sort of audience

to the normal classical-buying consumer.

It's critical that he stays grounded, and I feel it's my

responsibility to ensure that it doesn't go to his head

and things don't happen too quickly in the wrong way.

You could be exceptionally talented and your career can plummet

after a year or two if it's not carefully managed

and handled in the right way.

I think Sheku's suddenly going to find that

he has to cope with lots of things he's never experienced before.

Sheku's got to shut out all the noise, all the hype,

he's just got to dedicate himself to the music and he's got to be

his own man, and he must not do things that

he doesn't feel is right for him to do.

One thing Sheku is committed to is trying to get bring classical

music to a younger audience.

We're coming for an interview for iCoolKid.

We've had a lot of requests for interviews, and we've had

approaches from youth internet channels

because they think he's exactly the kind of person and artist who

can engage with their audience. It's very exciting.

Boys and girls, please welcome...

DRUMROLL

..Sheku!

Do you hang out with people like Mick Jagger?

Yes, of course. I'll say hi to them.

And the great thing about Sheku is that young people

do think that he's hip and cool, and so they will listen to him

in a way that they might not with some of his older colleagues.

I'm definitely getting better at interviews

and speaking in front of cameras.

Hopefully, I'm doing very well at the moment.

I wouldn't say I'm a pro yet, but I'm getting there.

Somebody who understands the pressures of being a successful musician

and living life in the spotlight is international violinist

and fellow BBC Young Musician winner Nicola Benedetti.

'OK, I'm coming down to get you.'

Sorry. My door is just so annoying sometimes. It's so good to see you.

How are you doing? Congratulations.

Having watched from the sidelines since his win, I can see a lot

of parallels between what I went through and what he's going through.

One of the difficulties he will find,

because he will not be short of engagements,

is balancing development with live performance,

with a professional life, a professional career.

That can be a difficult thing.

What would you say are the worries

about being exposed by a competition like that?

The feeling of all eyes on you.

That's not going to dissipate.

That only intensifies.

The main thing that I can say is for you to try to understand

as seriously as possible who you are inside, what you want to say,

what you want to do with the platform you've been given.

So start to deal with your life philosophy at this stage.

First of all, it will strengthen your playing and your musicianship,

but it will act as something of a barrier

and like a protective barrier around you

against people that may seem like they're doing things

that are for you, but they're not really for you.

If you could look into the next two years

and say your biggest apprehension is X, what would it be?

Does anything stress you out?

Not really. Not really.

I mean, I guess school exams probably more than performances, to be honest.

I love it! Oh, God, yeah.

I mean, fair enough. They stressed me out a lot.

You need to get stressed about something.

You need to have a level of anxiety

and angst about something, because...

Maybe you'll get your heart broken. That will do the trick.

Because the music demands that of you.

So you just have to...

That's the challenge I'm setting you.

With his big solo performance fast approaching,

the Kanneh-Masons still have one important task to focus on.

OK, so we need to try and find a good cello because you need

something that's just going to project through the whole room.

If you're going to play at the Royal Festival Hall,

you need a big concert cello.

We just have to carry on searching because obviously we can't buy one.

The costs just build.

The lessons, the instruments, the maintaining of the instruments.

For example, rehairing cello or a violin bow costs about £60.

If a string breaks, it costs £85 a string for the cello.

It's had a massive impact on maintaining the house

and I always feel embarrassed inviting people round

because I think they're going to notice the wallpaper peeling,

things that we can't fix.

So if some plumbing's not working, we will deal with that leak

for much longer than we should with a bucket!

It's seven days before the Chineke! Orchestra's concert.

Sheku has been given the news that he is to be reunited

with the cello he played at the BBC Young Musician final.

Yeah, I've definitely missed it.

Have you named it?

-I haven't named it, no.

-Will you name it?

-It's not mine, so I feel...

-Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

It's not mine to name.

-And I get too attached, and then...

-Yeah, yeah. Heartbreak.

-Once it's got a name, then it's...

-Yeah, too much.

Festival Hall is a huge hall to fill.

It's my first time playing in that hall,

so it will be great to have an instrument that's going to help me.

As in Harry Potter, you know, the wand chooses the wizard.

Because, you know, some people love an instrument and then others,

it would sound completely terrible, so it's...

I mean, not to that extreme -

when an instrument's good, it's generally good for everyone,

but there's subtle things that each individual player

looks for in an instrument.

The cello is being looked after by Florian Leonhard,

a renowned string instrument dealership in Hampstead, London.

The instrument that we're going to be loaning Sheku

is a very special cello made by the Brothers Amati.

These cellos dated from between 1610 and 1625,

so one of the first cellos ever made.

And that's what makes it special - rarity.

We will obviously want to work with someone like Sheku.

He is such a good cellist.

We have this cello that we can work with someone with,

who's it going to be?

It's going to be this guy.

All right. Here we are.

-Looks the same?

-Yeah, yeah, definitely missed it.

For me, as a sort of geek of these things,

I do think that it is incredible that such an old instrument still...

-It looks incredible.

-Yeah, it still survives.

-It does look amazing.

-Yeah.

It has been through, you know, quite a number of players' hands

who've used it quite a lot,

and I just think it's an incredible thing to think that

we were not able to improve upon this.

Like, it's not like a car where we're just constantly improving.

We still go, "Oh, I need that thing that was made 400 years ago.

"That's going to be the one." It's very cool.

-Shall we take it down and try it?

-Yeah.

OK, let's go.

It looks like the cello is just an extension of your body

when you play that cello.

It's kind of like just carving out whatever you want.

It's great to have an instrument like this to play on, yeah.

Just out of interest,

how much would an instrument like this be worth?

It's currently insured for several hundred thousand pounds.

Quite scary to kind of walk with that on my back.

-See you.

-Take care.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

Definitely very sorted for the concert in terms of

got the right instrument, learnt the piece,

and now it's just for the rehearsals, so it should be good.

It's the day of the first rehearsal for Chineke.

The 72 members of the orchestra have six days to prepare

for the concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

This is the first time they have all met, let alone played together.

Hi, how are you?

This is my first time in the Chineke! Orchestra.

It's strange to see so many black faces in an orchestra.

It's quite touching.

You know, I'm actually myself surprised to see

so many black people playing so well classical music.

Everybody can do it. Blacks can do it.

The Indians are doing it, the Chinese are doing it,

everybody should do it. Africa should do it.

Yeah, that's the point.

Wow, that's the most dramatic silence I've ever heard in my life.

I can't thank you enough for all being here.

I'm Chi-chi Nwanoku, by the way,

just for those of you that I haven't really met properly.

For me, this is my other family, and we've added to our...

Not only to our numbers, but we've added to our reach of countries.

We've got Kenya with us today, we've got Aboriginal with us,

we've got Egypt, we've got Mexico, we've got Portugal, we've got...

-Germany.

-Germany!

It's really, really crucial that the way that

the Chineke! Orchestra behaves has to be exemplary.

Of course, there's always going to be

a little bit of extra notice because of who we are and what we represent,

but there will be people who want to see us fall

through the cracks or not play very well or not behave very well,

so we just have to be on our guard.

Chineke! 2016, it's about to happen. Thank you.

What my family and young black musicians are starting to do now

is obviously very different to the general image of classical music,

but I think if we kind of do it to such a high level,

then it becomes something to look up to and to be inspired by.

ORCHESTRA TUNE UP

It's the day of the Chineke! concert.

The Kanneh-Masons have arrived in anticipation

of a huge night for their family.

The orchestra have one final rehearsal before their biggest performance to date.

Yeah, I'm excited, actually.

Yeah, it's a big place. I just... Yeah. It's a big hall.

I can't believe Sheku is here and then, of course,

you know, Braimah and Isata.

So, it's great. You know, it's fantastic.

I hope I don't get into floods of tears later on, but we'll see.

You never know, do you?

I'm really excited for the concert.

It feels really empowering to be amongst all these musicians, really.

It's a huge day and I'm feeling nervous and excited.

-Nervous first, then excited. You're the other way around.

-Yeah.

My cousin, you know, who has flown over especially from Antigua,

he's managed to get here by hook or by crook just to see...

-Via Barbados, I think.

-Via Barbados from Antigua just for this concert.

-So it's wonderful.

-You notice I put on my Antigua tie.

I'm representing all the Antiguan family who could not be here.

And I just had to come. Really looking forward to the performance.

With the classical music press out in force and a discerning audience

taking their seats, the nerves are affecting everyone.

I'm feeling in a sort of bubble, actually, slightly wrung out.

The tears happened all before I left the house this morning.

You know, I woke up and thought, "Gosh, today is the day."

It's definitely going to be an emotional moment.

It's like walking out with your family.

And because we've been working kind of

so closely together for the whole week and then now is the kind of

time to perform and to show it to the audience, it's quite a...

Yeah. It's going to be good.

There are a few things that can go wrong.

We've all come from different walks of life.

No two same people of us have worked together,

so we've all come from different styles, different ideas,

different attitudes, different training, and now...

But, you know, we're bringing people in from across the globe.

The work of Chineke! is not just for the benefit of black

and minority ethnic people,

the entire world will benefit from a more diverse inclusion

in classical music.

I think there will be a lot of expectation for my performance.

But, yes, it's playing...

Yeah, and just playing high to the Festival Hall.

-Playing a high standard.

-Yeah.

THEY PRACTISE

Me particularly,

I think I feel pressure because I'm sitting next to, you know,

people that have graduated from world-class conservatoires

and I haven't even had my conservatoire education.

I'm just a schoolboy, really.

If anyone can do it, it's you.

And you've brought so much to the whole project.

And just, you know, tonight's your night, really, and Chineke.

-So, enjoy.

-Thank you.

-Enjoy.

-Thank you.

-Thank you very much.

Right, on we go with a purposeful stride.

Toi, toi, everyone.

APPLAUSE

CHEERING

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I think there's nowhere Sheku can't go

if he puts his mind and his talent to it.

I think he has a fantastic opportunity

to be one of the great cellists.

There's absolutely no reason

why he will not be the next big international name.

His potential is endless.

It's really at this point just about what he chooses to do,

where his heart lies and where he wants to channel his energies.

CHEERING