Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason Appointed New York Philharmonic Artist-in-Residence 

As part of the role, Kanneh-Mason will perform on two orchestral programs with the NY Phil and give a recital as part of the Artist Spotlight series

Alongside its 2024/25 concert season announcement, the New York Philharmonic has named cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason as its new Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence. This role was held by violinist Hilary Hahn in the previous season.

Kanneh-Mason will perform on two orchestral programs with the NY Phil including Bloch’s Schelomo, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel from April 30–May 2, 2026, and Elgar’s Cello Concerto with conductor Elim Chan, from May 27–30, 2026.

Additionally, he will give a recital as part of the Artist Spotlight series on March 24, 2026, with pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, his sister, in works by Felix Mendelssohn, Nadia Boulanger, Robert Schumann, and Rebecca Clarke.

In 2021, he made his NY Phil debut performing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, conducted by Simone Young. He later performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 on a subscription program led by Esa-Pekka Salonen and on a Young People’s Concert conducted by Kwamé Ryan.

Kanneh-Mason will also be joining solo artists returning to the NY Phil including Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti, Yefim Bronfman, Karen Gomyo, Hélène Grimaud, Augustin Hadelich, Leonidas Kavakos, Evgeny Kissin, Yunchan Lim, Sir András Schiff, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Yuja Wang, and more.

His current season highlights include serving as the Konzerthaus Berlin’s artist-in-residence and Lucerne Festival’s 2024 artiste étoile. More projects include concerts and tours with the Czech Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, WDR Symphony Cologne, Orchestre National de Lyon, Sinfonia of London, SWR Symphony Stuttgart, Camerata Salzburg, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and City of Birmingham Symphony.

As a Decca Classics recording artist, he has recorded Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, his 2022 album Song, and the 2020 album Elgar, which reached No. 8 in the Official UK Album Chart. Additionally, Faber publishes sheet music collections of his performance repertoire plus his own arrangements and compositions.

Since graduating from London’s Royal Academy of Music (RAM), he has been awarded an MBE and was appointed as RAM’s first Menuhin Visiting Professor of Performance Mentoring in 2022. After winning the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, his performance at the 2018 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle was viewed by two billion people. He plays a 1700 Matteo Goffriller cello — on indefinite loan to him.

“I’m honoured to be named The Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence for the 2025–26 season with the New York Philharmonic,” Kanneh-Mason posted on Instagram, “working with esteemed conductors Gustavo Dudamel and Elim Chan and also giving a spotlight recital with my sister Isata Kanneh-Mason.”

Kanneh-Mason is a Larsen Artist, playing a 1700 Matteo Goffriller cello with Larsen Il Cannone strings - on indefinite loan to him.