British Airways dump royal wedding cellist
NewsSheku Kanneh-Mason is having his first encounter with the unresponsive face of international airlines (see Twitter stream below).
Given Sheku’s 15 minutes of TV fame, this may get some attention from BA, but don’t bet on it.
At least the buses are cello friendly.
Dear @British_Airways
Please can you explain your approach to customer service? I was booked on the 08:20 BA885 from Bucharest to LHR this morning. I arrived early at the airport with my cello, with my two confirmed tickets, one for me and one for the cello. The bookings were— Sheku Kanneh-Mason (@ShekuKM) September 20, 2023
15 minutes of fame? That’s rather offensive.
I believe he means the Royal Wedding, not the young man’s regular musical career.
Indeed it is, he is a successful young talent.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If he still has a major career in a few years, well, we will see.
Sheku comes from a wonderful talented family. All of his siblings are amazing musicians. Their parents must be so proud of them.
Maybe BA think he’s too overexposed and want to give other cellists a chance to travel and perform?
Austerity hits us all
“15 of fame” – really? Sheku has a thriving international career – his website lists 20 forthcoming concerts in the US, Canada, Japan, France, Korea etc as well as the UK during the remainder of 2023. Can’t work out why you are being so patronising.
I think the time has now come for me to stop visiting this site.
Sheku is in very august company. Similar descriptions have been applied to Simon Rattle by Slipped Disc.
Google News keeps recommending stories from this website to me. No question that it’s the snarky headlines/stories that grab my attention.
So where else will you go for news and gossip?
Mind me harp!
15 minutes of fame. Would you care to amplify and explain that comment Norman?
Not quite the first encounter: same problems with Delta and AmericanAir in May this year.
I turst the classist/racist undertones of “he should go back on the buses” were unintentional.
Thank you for modifying the phrase.
I see that NL has modified that sentence; better late than never. The comment about buses, however, is odd, as I’m unaware of a bus route from Bucharest to London — unless the bus uses a ferry or train across the Channel.
“Racist undertones”? Really? We’re not playing Caravaggio with prejudice, there’s hardly any nuance to a racist person. The comment in question is supposed to say how fruitless it can be for a musician to try and find a musician-friendly airline, and a company that respects our craft and doesn’t see us as inconvenient. Norman is, in my opinion, even too politically correct sometimes. Stop chasing ghosts, and have some real opinions next time.
Every time a new AA classical musician gets signed, some deep or not so deep scream is heard in the ivory towers of the self anointed enlightened stewards of culture.
Its enjoyable to see their bile spew from ears as they do their best to conceal biases – some not so concealed in many comments of this site.
To that, one wishes there continue to come more and more and more and more “virtuosos” who “happen” to be of African descent.
Its great business for the makers of Xanax.
Oh the fun one can have.
Sheku is a phenomenally talented 24 year old musician who will only get better with age. He is charismatic, personable but also humble.
His and his family’s fame is introducing young people of color to classical music.
Why the hate?
“15 minutes of fame….”
“Back on the buses…”
Really, Norman? Is thinking for 10 seconds about what you write so much to ask for?
He’s a decent player but extremely overrated. Owes his career to playing a royal wedding. LOL
Rubbish, he owes his career to his brilliance and talent. It stands to reason that if someone is playing an instrument worth 100’s of thousands they will not want to be parted from it, why airlines behave like this is astounding.
Slipped Disk should have a permanent column devoted to airline denials of boarding of musicians with large instruments. There could be sub-headings according to airline, thus supplying reader-musicians to know whom(which?) not to fly.
He’s more famous than you’ll ever be, Norm.
“15 minutes of fame”? Can I remind you of your own rules please Norman?
Rules When Posting on Slippedisc
Please observe the following simple rules:
No abuse
No defamation
No personal attacks
If there ever was the need for a LOL button, this was it.
Since when does this site follow rules? Its more like:
– Alt-right/Wagner loving/conservative/QAn*n dog whistle? Please comment at will
– All other opinions may be perhaps cancelled if I feel like it.
This is a bit like calling Kiri Te Kanawa the Royal Wedding soloist in 1986. Sheku Kanneh-Mason was invited because he was already gaining a reputation (and, yes, probably because he was a rising black classical music star). But the Royal wedding he played at was 5½ years ago. He has had rather a lot of work since — I heard him last week on Last Night of the Proms for one thing. Is he the whipping boy du jour?
Yes, there may be better and more important cellists out there, but there are not so many that there is not room for him (except on this plane, apparently). I find it a little distasteful when certain individuals appear to be on a “to be sneered at” list.
Kiri was at Charles’s wedding in 1981!
He’s had much more than 15 minutes of fame, and it is well deserved.