Popular musical artist compelled to scrap performance after Air Canada declined to assign a seat for their valuable cello on the aircraft.
Kanneh-Mason is right now on a winter expedition in North America alongside his sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, and they were lined up to perform in Toronto on a Wednesday.
They expressed their disappointment in not being able to entertain the audience at Koerner Hall the previous night. The duo encountered series of setbacks with their flights and went to great lengths to connect with their fans, expressing their feelings in a joint statement posted on Thursday on social media.
"Initially, we faced delays, then a cancellation, and the day ended with us being refused boarding for the cello - despite having a confirmed seat for it - on the final flight into Toronto. After spending nine restless hours at the airport, we had to accept that our journey was not feasible," the statement read.
The pair dream of a future where all airlines adopt a uniform, international, and well-thought-out policy towards carrying valuable instruments in the cabin. CNN reached out to Air Canada for comment.
As per his website, Kanneh-Mason's cello, on a perpetual loan to him, is a 1700 creation from renowned Venetian luthier Matteo Goffriller. The cello is valued at €3 million ($3.15 million), according to a short film about the instrument.
The siblings are making plans to schedule a new concert for the next year. They tagged Air Canada's social media handle in the post.
Air Canada's website states that passengers are allowed to purchase a seat for their musical instrument, provided it doesn't exceed 162.5 centimeters (64 inches) in height/length or 36 kilograms (80 pounds) in weight. However, the number of instruments each flight can accommodate is limited.
"This is a recurring and exasperating experience for Sheku and numerous professional musicians with instruments that need to travel in the cabin of an aircraft," Kanneh-Mason's management at EMM Ltd/IMG Artists stated to CNN on Friday.
"Despite obtaining all the necessary tickets, required cello bookings, visas, and proof of engagements, we experience an inconsistency in the booking systems and airport ground staff frequently," it continued.
"We would appreciate engaging in some constructive dialogue with the airline industry body. Although Air Canada has now refunded all the tickets, we are yet to receive any form of apology for the mistake that led to the cancellation of over a thousand concert tickets the same evening," it added.
Sheku started playing the cello at the age of six and gained recognition after delivering an extraordinary performance at the wedding of Harry and Meghan in 2018, when he was only 19 years old.
Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason are part of a musical family of seven siblings from Nottingham, England, who excel in piano, cello, or violin.
Despite the travel disruptions, the duo still hopes to perform in Toronto at a later date. Engineered by the inconveniences faced during their journey, they strive for improved instrument handling policies in airlines.
