Shropshire school tuning up to host renowned pianist

Wrekin College will be hosting a performance by critically acclaimed pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason this Friday, September 30.

Isata has performed at the Royal Variety Performance, and earlier this year sold out the 600-seat Zankel space at New York's famous Carnegie Hall. Her debut album entered the UK classical charts at number one when it was released in 2019.

The young pianist was unveiled more than two years ago as one of the stars of the school’s Sounds of the Future series. A programme of events was organised to celebrate the opening of Wrekin’s new music school in January 2020.

Unfortunately, the series was put on hold at the start of the pandemic.

Now the school is about to host one of the highlights of the ambitious programme of performances which was relaunched earlier this year.

Director of music Simon Platford said every effort had been made to ensure the series went ahead with an enviable list of musicians making waves in the world of classical music.

Mr Platford said: "We are thrilled to be welcoming Isata to perform here at Wrekin, a musician who has performed at some of the world's most famous venues.

"It is very special for us all to see this series of concerts go ahead and we are grateful to all the musicians involved who have worked with us to find new dates and honour those commitments.

"The Music School was a significant investment for Wrekin in the hope of encouraging children to play a musical instrument and also see the possibilities of where music might take them and how much there is to be gained from performing together as a group.

"This event on Friday I have no doubt will be an unforgettable experience for all who attend and inspire those youngsters in the audience to aim high in all that they do but also to engage with classical music in an accessible way."

Tickets for Friday's concert are available at ticketsource.co.uk/wrekinarts or on the door and start from £15.