Kanneh-Mason duo forced to cancel sold-out concert after Air Canada deny boarding with cello

16 December 2024, 16:51

After ‘nine anxious hours’ at the airport, Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason realised their journey to Toronto was not going to be possible.

Brother and sister duo Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason were forced to cancel their sold-out concert in Toronto after Air Canada refused to allow them to board their flight with Sheku’s 300-year-old cello.

The cellist and pianist, who are two of classical music’s brightest young stars, had to call off their performance at Toronto’s famed concert venue on Wednesday after they were denied boarding, despite having already purchased a seat for the instrument.

“We were deeply saddened not to be able to perform for you at Koerner Hall last night,” Sheku and Isata said in a statement on social media. “We had severe misfortune with the flights and tried our very best to reach you.

“First we had delays, then a cancellation, and the day concluded by being denied boarding with the cello – despite having a confirmed seat for it – on a new, final flight into Toronto. After nine anxious hours at the airport, we realised our journey wasn’t going to be possible.”

Sheku was barred from boarding a British Airways flight last year with his 1700 Matteo Gofriller cello, which is worth more than €3 million. The star cellist called for better airline protocol in the aftermath, saying, “It’s as simple as having a more efficient and consistent approach.”

Read more: Sheku Kanneh-Mason calls for better airline protocol

The Kanneh-Mason family react to their very first viral video

In their most recent social post, Isata and Sheku said: “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.”

Air Canada’s policy states that an extra seat must be purchased for a musical instrument that doesn’t fit in the overhead bin or under the seat and that the instrument must not exceed 162.5 centimetres in height or length or 36 kilograms in weight. It also states that “the number of musical instruments that can be accommodated on each flight is limited”.

The brother-sister duo added: “In the meantime, we are working hard to find a new date to come to Toronto next year and we both look forward to seeing you then.”

Wednesday’s concert was set to include Mendelssohn cello sonatas, music by Fauré and Poulenc, and the Canadian premiere of a piece by British violinist and composer Natalie Klouda.

Isata Kanneh-Mason performs Clara Schumann’s Scherzo No.2 in C Minor

A spokesperson for Air Canada emailed CBC News – a division of Canada’s broadcasting corporation – that the airline has a policy of accepting cellos in the cabin when a separate seat has been booked.

“In this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being cancelled,” the spokesperson said. “We are still reviewing what happened including why the cello was not successfully rebooked.”

Classic FM has contacted Air Canada for an additional comment.