Well Being Concert: Cissoko & Brotto

Music’s ability to bridge cultures, expand traditions, and connect individuals can be felt in this powerful, interactive Well-Being Concert with Senegalese kora master and djeli Ablaye Cissoko and French accordionist Cyrille Brotto. In an interview with the UK’s Songlines, Cissoko says, “Both the kora and accordion somehow carry a living tradition. They awaken all our senses and allow us to see humanity differently.”

 

Cissoko is one of his generation’s finest kora players – an 800-year-old instrument which combines the features of the lute and harp. It is used extensively in West Africa by djeli families - traditional historians, genealogists and storytellers - who pass their skills on to their descendants. He incorporates Mandinka griot traditions with contemporary musical creation, performing with artists across genres, including world music, jazz, classical and baroque. Brotto is an accomplished diatonic accordionist and multi-instrumentalist, with a distinguished performing and educational profile in France and across Europe. The rapport between these two artists is evident in their mesmerizing music. This intimate performance by the acclaimed duo aspires to foster new feelings of connection and leave a long-lasting, uplifting impression on audience members.