The eldest of the Kanneh-Mason siblings and an Elton John Scholar at London’s Royal Academy of Music, Isata Kanneh-Mason makes her Australian debut performing Beethoven’s Moonlight and Waldstein Sonatas alongside Dobrinka Tabakova’s Nocturne and Halo. The program centrepiece, Ravel’s 1908 Gaspard de la nuit, draws on three poems by Aloysius Bertrand, whose fantastical nocturnal imagery inspired Ravel’s musical portraits of a water nymph, a hanged man and a mischievous goblin. Kanneh-Mason also performs at Adelaide’s Elder Hall on 11 October and the Sydney Opera House on 12 October.

Limelight Editor’s Choice

The future of classical piano arrives when Isata Kanneh-Mason brings her electrifying artistry to Melbourne Recital Centre. The eldest of the extraordinary Kanneh-Mason musical dynasty, Kanneh-Mason has carved her own brilliant path as one of the most compelling young pianists on the international stage today.

Showcasing technical mastery and profound musical intelligence, Isata opens with Ludwig van Beethoven’s ever-popular ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, demonstrating why she is proclaimed to be ‘the real deal’ (The Boston Music Intelligencer). The evening’s centrepiece, Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit demands nothing less than pianistic perfection; a challenge Isata meets with breathtaking clarity and emotional depth.

Contemporary Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Nocturne and Halo provide stunning modern voices in dialogue with the masters, before Beethoven’s triumphant ‘Waldstein’ Sonata closes the program with explosive energy.

Isata’s acclaimed debut album Romance, celebrating Clara Schumann’s music, topped UK classical charts and established her as a champion of underrepresented voices. An Elton John Scholar at London’s Royal Academy of Music, she combines rigorous classical training with a modern sensibility that makes every performance feel urgent and alive.

From moonlit introspection to thunderous triumph, this recital journeys through piano literature’s most captivating corners.