Sheku Kanneh-Mason said he was "bowled over" to be invited to play.
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason was supposed to perform with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra this weekend... but then he got another call.
The 19-year-old British musician gave a breathtakingly beautiful cello performance at the royal wedding in Windsor Saturday, and Twitter users took notice, dubbing him "Cello Bae."
Kanneh-Mason was initially expected to be the guest soloist with the L.A. Chamber Orchestra during a performance in Glendale this weekend.
But after Prince Harry saw him perform in London last summer, the couple asked him to play at the wedding. The orchestra's executive director, Scott Harrison, said they were disappointed but understood, calling Kanneh-Mason "a wonderful musician," the L.A. Times reported.
Kanneh-Mason shared his joy on Twitter in April.
"I was bowled over when Ms. Markle called me to ask if I would play during the ceremony, and of course I immediately said yes," Kanneh-Mason said. "What a privilege to be able to play the cello at such a wonderful event. I can’t wait!"
The teenager, who studies at the Royal Academy of Music, shared snaps of his journey to playing at the wedding.
He first played "Sicilienne" and "Apres un Rêve," both by Gabriel Fauré, as Prince Harry and his new wife, Meghan Markle, signed their wedding register out of the view of the public.
Kanneh-Mason competed on "Britain's Got Talent" in 2015 with his siblings in a group called The Kanneh-Masons.
In 2016, he was named the BBC's Young Musician of the Year, becoming the first black musician to win the award in its 38-year history.
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