| 
| 
| 
| 
In this family-friendly performance, Sean Gaskell will play the kora, a 21-string harp that is native to the Mandinka people of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea and Guinea Bissau.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Bridgewater Library.
Limited space available - first come, first served. Doors will open at 6:45 pm.
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. 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.
At the conclusion of the program please feel free to take a brief online survey here:
[Insert Project Outcome link here]
