Kadiatu and Mariatu Kanneh-Mason: To Be Young, Gifted and Black

Kadiatu and Mariatu Kanneh-Mason: To Be Young, Gifted and Black

What does it mean – and how does it feel – to grow up as a Black artist today?

Join Misfits Music Institute for an inspiring evening at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with the award-winning Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason in conversation with Anton Clarke-Butler (freelance clarinettist) as they reflect on the challenges and celebrations of creating art as Black musicians. This fascinating discussion will be provoked by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason’s highly reviewed book To Be Young, Gifted and Black.

'[Kanneh-Mason's] perceptive new book about the complexities of what it is to live – and excel – in contemporary Britain as a Black artist... a series of essays that deftly weave together personal accounts with broader political commentary. As a former academic, Kanneh-Mason’s analysis is sharp and nuanced, while her writing often zings with poetry. A powerful, commendable book.' —BBC Music Magazine, ★★★★

Hear their personal stories, insights, and experiences navigating the world of music, creativity, and identity. The evening will include a special performance by Mariatu Kanneh-Mason, showcasing her extraordinary talent.

Afterwards there is an opportunity to stay for a book signing, with The Heath Bookshop (Independent Bookshop of The Year 2025) of Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason’s latest book, To be Young, Gifted and Black. You can purchase your copy of the book at the event too.

‘This exceptional book, written with a mother’s love for her seven creative children, sensitively offers profound and original insights and perspectives that enrich our culture. I feel so much wiser for reading it.’ —Bernardine Evaristo

The Kanneh-Mason’s are the UK’s most well-known musical family, whose astounding achievements include countless awards, highly regarded recordings and performances internationally both as soloists, and as family ensembles.

Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason lives in Nottingham and is a former lecturer in English at The University of Birmingham.  Her memoir, House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons, won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Storytelling Award in November 2021 where it was described as ‘a fresh, moving account of raising children and nurturing their creativity.  It captures what’s sincerely human in classical music-making.’ It then went on to win the the Non-Fiction prize in the 2022 Indie Book Awards, noted as ‘a joyous celebration of the musical talents of the Kanneh-Mason family, which also serves as a window into issues of race and class in twenty-first century Britain.’  Her second book, To Be Young, Gifted and Black was released in May 2025 and focuses on what it means – and how it feels – to grow up as a Black artist in today’s turbulent times.  Via conversations with her family, Kadiatu searches for a hopeful way through.

Mariatu Kanneh-Mason is sixteen years old and attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham. She studies cello with Ben Davies, and piano with Fiona Harris at Junior Royal Academy of Music. At age 10, she gained Grade 8 distinction on the cello and holds a piano diploma distinction (ARSM).

She has performed with the Kanneh-Masons in a series of concerts around the UK, Europe, Australia, USA, Canada and in Antigua and Barbuda. With the Kanneh-Masons, Mariatu performed at The Royal Albert Hall for the 2021 BBC Proms, and with her siblings for The (then) Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall in March 2017, at St Johns Smith Square in 2018, at Cheltenham Literary Festival and the Barbican in 2020. She recently joined her family at the Barbican to perform a concert including Carnival of the Animals with Michael Morpurgo.

Mariatu has appeared on several television and radio programmes with her siblings, including BBC World Service, Al Jazeera TV, Channel 4, BBC 1 The One Show (in 2016 and 2025), Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, and the BBC4 documentary, Young, Gifted and Classical. She has featured, with the Kanneh-Masons, in a documentary for Sunday Morning CBS Television (USA), Royal Variety Performance (ITV), Strictly Come Dancing (BBC1), The BBC Proms (BBC2 and BBC4), and the Imagine documentary for BBC1, This House is Full of Music.She has acted as co-presenter as part of The Kanneh-Mason Family Takeover series on Classic fm. She has also recorded for the Decca Classics album, Carnival, and  on the new family album, River of Music.

British Clarinetist Anton Clarke-Butler is a graduate from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, having achieved an honours degree in music performance followed by a Masters with Distinction.

Since graduating, he has performed and toured with a number of UK professional ensembles such as BBC National Orchestra of Wales, English Touring Opera, Ulster Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and regularly at the Proms with Chineke! Orchestra. He has also performed chamber works with the London Symphony Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Anton has performed in many contemporary music projects, for the BBC Radio 3 New Music Show and the Beijing Modern Music Festival.

Misfits Music Institute is an ambitious Birmingham based arts organisation and charity that runs high quality yet accessible musical groups for adults, helping to improve mental health and wellbeing.

Founded in 2018 by professional musicians Rob and Reuben, the organisation has since grown to become a core part of Birmingham’s thriving music and arts scene, running seven weekly groups including massed rock bands, community orchestras, and a drum battery. They regularly perform across the city, with previous venues including Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and Midlands Arts Centre, and are strong believers that music making has the power to bring people to new heights. Their musical projects and events have been featured in The Guardian, BBC News, ITV News and they were Highly Commended in the BBC Radio WM Make a Difference Awards in 2024.

They are grateful to all their funders and supporters, and especially to the National Lottery Community Fund as their main funder until 2027. For more information and to get in touch, head to their website at: https://misfitsmusic.org.uk/.

Running time approx. two hours.