Braimah Kanneh Mason with Plinio Fernandanes

Braimah Kanneh-Mason:

Braimah Kanneh-Mason is a dynamic and versatile young violinist. He has performed throughout the UK, Europe, USA and Australia, appearing as a soloist with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

An avid chamber musician, Braimah is a member of the Kanneh-Mason Piano Trio, Festival Academy Budapest Ensemble and Kaleidoscope Collective. He has performed at the BBC Proms, Wigmore, Barbican and Melbourne Symphony Halls, Highgate and Leicester International Chamber Music Festivals.

Braimah has played in and presented an episode of the BBC series, ‘In the Studio’, and co-presented a programme for Classic fm. Braimah is a passionate advocate for equal opportunity and diversity in music education and is a Cultural Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda and a Junior Ambassador for Music in Secondary Schools Trust. He has been a mentor at Sistema England, Junior Music Works and for the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Orchestra.

Braimah is a student of Barnabás Kelemen and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music where he was a scholarship student with Mateja Marinkovic and Jack Liebeck, winning the Harold Craxton, the John McAslan and the Dame Ruth Railton Chamber Music Prizes.

Plínio Fernandes:

Born and raised in São Paulo, Plínio Fernandes fuses the tradition of classical guitar with Brazilian folk music. An exclusive Decca Gold recording artist, Plínio released his debut album, Saudade, in 2022, which hit Number One on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums Chart. His second album, Bacheando, released in September 2023, explores Bach’s influence on Brazilian music and contrasts to his recently released EP, Cinema.

Following recent debuts at the BBC Proms and Lucerne Festival, the 2024/25 season sees Plínio perform solo recitals at St Martin in the Fields and Temple Music Church, as well as making debuts at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Canterbury Festival and Newbury Spring Festival. He will also debut with the BBC Concert Orchestra, performing Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’, and Britten Sinfonia later this season.

Plínio performers regularly with a number of musicians, including Lang Lang and brothers Braimah and Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Last season saw Sheku and Plinio give a five-date recital tour of the UK which included a sold-out performance at Wigmore Hall.

Plínio was named on Forbes Brazil’s Under 30 list, a Rising Star by Classic FM, and recently received the Revelação Award at the 30th Annual Prêmio da Música Brasileira. A passionate advocate for music education, Plínio was invited to join London Music Masters as an ambassador, and is involved with performing, teaching and guiding young musicians in schools.