【明報專訊】Age:19. Nationality: British.

Musical upbringing

Sheku is a cellist from Nottingham, England. He was the first African to win the BBC Young Musician competition. At the age of 9, not only did he attain the highest marks in his Grade 8 cello examination, but he also won a scholarship to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music's junior section. He became the BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2016 and was featured in a BBC documentary named Young, Gifted and Classical: The Making of a Maestro. He then collaborated with Decca Classics and produced his first track (曲目).

World performance

In May 2018, Sheku performed for the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He described the wedding day as "just really amazing".

■Photo story

Sheku's debut EP (精選) is titled Inspiration. It includes the concerto (協奏曲) with which he won the BBC Young Musician contest. The Observer, a British newspaper, hailed the work as "astounding" and a challenge to "classical stereotypes in one joyful swoop". (photo.3)

Sheku's siblings also play classical music. In 2015, Sheku (first from the right) competed on Britain's Got Talent and performed a medley with his brothers and sisters. (photo.4)

■English highway﹕describe something as something

You say what something is like when you describe something. It is sometimes followed by "as".

e.g. Benedict described Carl as a liar.

■Glossary

upbringing (n) 教養

hail (v) 稱許

astounding (adj) 使人震驚的

stereotype (n) 刻板印象

[Smarties' Power English 第227期]