Music of the West African Kora with Sean Gaskell

Enjoy a unique concert experience featuring Sean Gaskell and the African Kora harp. Sean Gaskell features songs on the kora- a 21 stringed West African harp.

The West African kora is a 21-string harp that is native to the Mandinka people of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau. It dates back 300 years, although some of the music comes from the middle 13th century around the founding of the Mandinka empire. The kora, traditionally played by Griots (oral historians), features songs that encapsulate Mande society’s history, encompassing themes of war, love, and societal fabric. Gaskell studied with kora players Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh in Gambia over the course of multiple visits. Most recently, he studied in Senegal with Youssoupha Cissokho and his son Mamadou Cissokho in 2023.

Audience members will learn of the kora's origins, the people who play it, where it is played and how it is built. Gaskell will share some of his firsthand experiences of Gambia in addition, a short Q&A session will precede the final song.