All library locations will be closed on Sep 1 & 2 for the Labor Day holiday. More details »
Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon experiencing an instrument you may have never heard of—the West African kora. Registration is required.
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 350 libraries and a multitude of K–12 schools, colleges, universities, and assisted living facilities throughout the United States and Canada.