Sean Gaskell to perform West African harp at The Dalles Library

Sean Gaskell will give a performance and educational demonstration on the kora, an ancient 21-stringed harp from West Africa, at 6 p.m. on July 13. His performance will feature traditional songs that are the heart and soul of the kora’s musical repertoire.  

Gaskell first heard the kora performed live in 2006. That performance by Kane Mathis, who would become his first kora teacher, inspired him to immerse himself in music of the kora and travel to its homeland in West Africa. Visits to Brikama and Gambia provided Gaskell the opportunity to study the kora under the instruction of Moriba Kuyateh and his father, the late Malamini Jobarteh.