Music of West African Kora Coming to GIPL

Grand Island, Neb. — The Grand Island Public Library invites the community to experience the mesmerizing sounds of the West African kora during a special free concert and educational program on Saturday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m.

The event will feature internationally trained musician Sean Gaskell, who will perform traditional music and provide an engaging demonstration of the kora, a 21-stringed harp that is central to West African music and culture.This program is for all ages and is free and open to the public.

Gaskell has studied extensively under master kora players, including Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh in Gambia and Youssoupha Cissokho and Mamadou Cissokho in Senegal. The kora is traditionally played by Griots, oral historians who preserve the stories, music and history of the Mande people. Many of the pieces performed date back more than 800 years to the founding of the Mande Empire.

Gaskell has shared the music and cultural significance of the kora at more than 350 libraries, as well as at numerous schools, universities and assisted living communities across the United States and Canada.

For more information about Sean Gaskell or to schedule an interview, he can be reached at (828) 620-9718 or [email protected]. You can also learn more by visiting his website and social media pages below:

Website:                     https://www.seangaskell.com/
Facebook:                  https://www.facebook.com/seangaskellmusician/
Instagram:                  https://instagram.com/seangaskellmusic
YouTube:                    https://www.youtube.com/@seangaskellmusic