Renowned British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, known for his performance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, was forced to cancel a Toronto concert after Air Canada denied his cello a pre-booked seat. Kanneh-Mason and his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, were on a North American tour and scheduled to perform at Koerner Hall on Wednesday. In a joint statement, the siblings apologized to fans, explaining they experienced flight delays, a cancellation, and ultimately, were denied boarding for their final flight to Toronto because of the cello, despite having a confirmed seat for the instrument. They spent nine hours at the airport before realizing they wouldn’t make it.
The musicians expressed their hope for standardized airline policies regarding the carriage of instruments in cabins. Kanneh-Masonโs cello, a 1700 Matteo Goffriller worth โฌ3 million ($3.15 million), is on indefinite loan to him. The siblings are working to reschedule the concert for next year and tagged Air Canada in their social media post. Air Canadaโs website states that passengers can purchase a seat for musical instruments that meet specific size and weight restrictions, but warns that the number of instruments allowed per flight is limited.
Kanneh-Masonโs management at EMM Ltd/IMG Artists described this as a frequent and frustrating issue for professional musicians traveling with instruments. They cited inconsistencies in booking systems and training among airport ground staff, despite providing all necessary documentation. While Air Canada has refunded the tickets, Kanneh-Masonโs management stated they have yet to receive an apology for the error that led to the concert cancellation, impacting over a thousand ticket holders. Kanneh-Mason began playing cello at age six and gained international recognition for his performance at the royal wedding in 2018. He and Isata are part of a family of seven musical siblings from Nottingham, England, who play piano, cello, or violin.
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