Music in the Library: West African Kora

Presented by Sean Gaskell

Sean Gaskell will give a performance on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. Gaskell’s performance will feature traditional songs and some of his own personal compositions.

Sean Gaskell features songs on the kora- a 21 stringed West African harp. He studied under the extensive instruction of Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh in Gambia, and both Youssoupha Cissokho and Mamadou Cissokho in Senegal. The kora is traditionally played by oral historians known as Griots. Many songs featured on the kora preserve an 800-year history dating back to the founding of the Mande empire. Gaskell has presented adult, youth and family programs at over 400 libraries and a multitude of k-12 schools, colleges, universities and assisted living facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

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