Musician forced to cancel sold-out Toronto concert after Air Canada refused a seat for his cello | CBC Music

Famed British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his pianist sister Isata were set to perform for a sold-out crowd at Koerner Hall in Toronto on Dec. 11, until he was denied boarding with his cello on an Air Canada flight from Cincinnati to Toronto, forcing the concert to be postponed. This was despite him purchasing a seat for the more than 300-year-old instrument. 

The siblings took to Instagram on Dec. 12 to share their dismay about missing the concert and disappointing their fans: “We were deeply saddened not to be able to perform for you at Koerner Hall last night. We had severe misfortune with the flights and tried our very best to reach you.”

Toronto was meant to be the second show of their winter tour through North America, with stops in Philadelphia and New York to follow. 

They say they confirmed a seat for Kanneh-Mason’s cello, but when they arrived the airline refused boarding. According to their website, Air Canada allows for instruments no larger than 162.5 cm in height/length or 36 kg in weight to be brought on board, as long as they can fit in an overhead compartment or under a seat, or if a seat is purchased for them. They also flag that the number of instruments that can be accommodated on each flight is limited. 

In an interview with CNN, Kanneh-Mason’s management confirmed that the airline has issued a refund for the tickets but “we have yet to receive any form of apology for their error which led to over a thousand people having their concert tickets cancelled that evening.”

The 25-year-old Kanneh-Mason plays a Matteo Gofriller cello from 1700, which is on indefinite loan to him. Gofriller was a Venetian luthier who died in 1742, and his cellos are renowned worldwide. 

The siblings’ Instagram statement continued with thoughts on travelling with irreplaceable instruments such as his: “We can only dream of a time when all airlines have a standardised, global and carefully considered approach to the carriage of precious instruments that are booked to travel in the cabin.”

The performance has now been postponed to June 3, 2025. The Royal Conservatory of Music shared in a press release that the program will remain unchanged, with cello sonatas by Fauré, Mendelssohn and Poulenc, as well as the Canadian premiere of Natalie Klouda’s “Tor Mordôn.” 

WATCH | Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs at the royal wedding in 2018:  

Kanneh-Mason is a graduate of the London Royal Academy of Music and in 2016 he won the BBC Young Musician competition at 17 years old, becoming the first Black musician to win the award since its inception in 1978. That achievement led him to perform at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, which was watched by two billion people around the world.