St. Charles Public Library to host West African concert

St. Charles residents are invited to the St. Charles Public Library for a special concert featuring the music of the West African kora with Sean Gaskell.

The concert will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Carnegie Community Room, located on the second floor of the library at 1 S. Sixth Ave.

Gaskell will perform traditional songs on the kora, a 21-stringed West African harp. As a student of the instrument, he studied under the instruction of two musicians at their home in Brikama, Gambia, over many lengthy visits.

The kora traditionally is played by oral historians known as Griots. The songs performed on the kora preserve an 800-year history dating to the founding of the Mande Empire, according to a news release from the St. Charles Public Library.

Gaskell has presented adult, youth and family programs at more than 350 libraries and many schools, colleges, universities and assisted living facilities throughout North America. He recently was awarded an Artist Support Grant through the North Carolina Arts Council, which will support his further learning of the kora to take place in Mali, West Africa, later this year.

The concert is free and open to the public, but seats are limited. Those who wish to attend should register on the concert’s event page.

For more information, visit the library’s website or call 630-584-0076.