Royal wedding: 6 things to know about 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason

In this undated handout supplied by Kensington Palace, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who performed Saturday, May 19, 2018, at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, poses for a photograph.

Credit: Lars Borges/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

Credit: Lars Borges/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

In this undated handout supplied by Kensington Palace, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who performed Saturday, May 19, 2018, at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, poses for a photograph.

A 19-year-old British cellist wowed the crowd gathered in St. George's Chapel Saturday to watch Prince Harry wed American actress Meghan Markle.

Kensington Palace officials announced last month that Sheku Kanneh-Mason would perform at the wedding after Prince Harry saw him play at an event in London last year.

He stunned the 600 guests at Windsor Castle on Saturday with a rendition of Franz Schubert’s “Ave Maria” and other pieces of music.

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Here are 6 things to know about the young musician:

  1. Kanneh-Mason performs with his sister, 21-year-old piano player Isata, and his brother, 20-year-old violinist Braimah, as part of the Kanneh-Mason Trio. His four other siblings also play music. Konya Kanneh-Mason, 17, plays piano and violin, Janeba Kanneh-Mason, 15, plays piano and cello and Aminata Kanneh-Mason, 12, plays violin and piano.
  2. Kanneh-Mason has been studying cello for 13 years, starting when he was 6 years old, according to his official biography. He is currently a full-time student at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
  3. Kanneh-Mason was 17 in 2016 when he won the BBC's Young Musician competition. He was the first black musician to take top honors in the competition, according to BBC News.
  4. He released his debut album, "Inspiration," in January 2018. The album included his arrangement of Bob Marley's well-known hit "No Woman No Cry," which went viral on Spotify.
  5. Kanneh-Mason has performed with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the City of Birmingham Symphony and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. He has a number of upcoming performances scheduled, including performances with the Seattle Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.
  6. Kanneh-Mason said he was "bowled over" when Markle called to ask him whether he would play during her wedding to Prince Harry. "Of course I immediately said yes!" he said, according to Vanity Fair. "What a privilege to be able to play the cello at such a wonderful event."

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