Experience the West African Kora with Sean Gaskell, ALL AGES

Hear the sound – and the history of – the kora a 21 stringed West African harp.  Sean Gaskell studied under the instruction of Moriba Kuyateh and the late Malamini Jobarteh at their home in Brikama, Gambia, over three extensive visits between 2008-2018. In 2023, he made his first visit to Senegal to study with Youssoupha Cissokho and his son Mamadou Cissokho in the town of Saly.

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 350 libraries and a multitude of k-12 schools, colleges, universities and assisted living facilities in the United States and Canada. He is from Tacoma, Washington.