Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa. He will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora's musical repertoire in addition to some of his own personal compositions.

The performance will take place at the Silver City Public Library, 515 W. College Ave. in Silver City, NM on Friday, March 3rd at 6:00 p.m. All ages are welcome.

This event is free and open to the public thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Library. Doors open 30 minutes before performance time. Space is limited and will be a on a first come, first seated basis. Contact the library at 575-538-3672 or ref@silvercitymail.com for more information.

Sean Gaskell features traditional songs on the 21 stringed West African Kora. The Kora is native to the Mande peoples who live within the countries of Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Guinea, and Guinea Bissau. The music is traditionally played by oral and musical historians known as Griots (Gree-ohs). The Kora 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 commonly played songs can be traced back 800 years to the Mande empires' founding. Gaskell has studied extensively under the instruction of Malamini Jobarteh and Moriba Kuyateh of Brikama, The Gambia, and Kane Mathis of Brooklyn, NY. Gaskell has been featured at numerous festivals in the US, Gambia, and Senegal.

LINKS:
Sean Gaskell- www.seangaskell.com
Video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxkfcUeToiI

Event Contact: Lillian Galloway, lgalloway@silvercitymail.com