Nexus Tribe Meet the Kanneh-Mason Family at Bold Tendencies’ House of Music

Last month, we teamed up with our friends at Bold Tendencies to offer Nexus Tribe - our vibrant inclusive group for 16-to-25-year-olds – an inspiring cultural live music outing as part of our summer programme.  

 

‘The House of Music’ event, held in Bold Tendencies’ Concrete Concert Hall in the former multi-storey car park which towers above Peckham’s bustling Rye Lane, presented a specially selected programme of classical music performed by all seven siblings from the Kanneh-Mason family.  

The Kanneh-Masons are a remarkably talented family of musicians from Nottingham. Aged between 15 and 28 years of age, they are Isata (28, piano), Braimah (26, violin), Sheku (25, cello), Konya (24, piano), Jeneba (21, piano), Aminata (18, violin and piano) & Mariatu (15, cello).  

Our group were lucky enough to attend a special ‘Backstage Pass’ session, which is more of a relaxed, intimate session than a formal concert. We even had the pleasure of meeting Kadiatu – the siblings’ mother – and Konya personally.  

The session began with a video showcasing the family’s musical journey, followed by Konya playing a beautiful piano piece. We were encouraged to draw what the music made us feel. Konya shared that she envisions a flowing river when playing, which helped inspire our drawings.  

 

It was a unique and lovely experience, especially when we shared our interpretations afterwards. While many of us drew rivers, one of our group depicted a park, explaining that he finds parks peaceful. Hearing his interpretation was a particularly special moment as he usually doesn’t share much, but the music and setting seemed to encourage him to open up.

Overall it was a truly memorable experience. Meeting the Kanneh-Masons in such a relaxed setting was inspiring. They emphasised the importance of engaging in creative activities like music, highlighting how it can serve as a powerful emotional outlet. We also appreciated the representation – seeing a Black family excelling in the arts was significant for the boys in our group, especially when Konya shared her own experiences with us.

Nexus Tribe will restart on Wednesday 24th September from 6:30 – 9:00pm at Bethwin Adventure Playground (4 Bethwin Rd, London SE5 0YF). We hope you can join us! 

Read more about the Kanneh-Mason family in Kadiata’s inspiring memoir House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons ^{(affiliate link)}.