Internationally renowned musician Sean Gaskell will perform at the New Lebanon Library on Friday, April 8 at 6:30 pm. The program, which is free and open to the public, will feature works for the Kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. Gaskell will perform traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the Kora’s musical repertoire in addition to some of his own personal compositions. The Library is at 550 State Route 20 in New Lebanon.
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The Kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is generally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs). It is a melodic and seemingly peaceful instrument, which is somewhat contrary to its musical repertoire. Many songs tell ancient stories of war and hardship, while others praise people of high political status and those who helped expand the Mande empire. While the Kora is only 300 years old, some songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mande empires’ founding.
Sean Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, NY. He relocated from Olympia, WA to Asheville, North Carolina in 2014. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the US, Gambia and Senegal.[/private]