On Sunday, March 1, discover an exceptional concert where tradition meets innovation, centred on the mesmerizing sounds of the kora.
What to expect
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Featuring Zal Sissokho and Senny Camara on kora and vocals, this performance takes you on a unique musical journey.
On stage, the two artists weave a subtle and moving dialogue. Their voices and koras blend to create a vibrant music, exploring love and uniqueness.
Senny Camara, one of the few women in the world to play the kora, brings an inspiring artistic presence, pushing the boundaries of a tradition long dominated by men. Alongside her, Zal Sissokho, a master kora player from a great griot family, brings the full richness of the Mandinka tradition.
Together, they deliver a powerful performance, driven by deep listening and great musical generosity.
About Zal Sissokho
Not every musician who comes from Africa is a griot. These bearers of oral traditions are from the Kouyaté, Diabaté or Sissokho castes; the only three great families who peddle the memory of the Mandinka people. Zal Idrissa Sissokho doesn't just have the name, he has the background and this incredible ability to improvise.
Arriving in Montreal in 1999 and receiving grants from the Canada and Quebec Councils for the Arts on several occasions since 2001, Zal Idrissa Sissokho quickly took his place in the Montreal soundscape.
A prolific, generous artist with a desire to take the kora and Afro-Mandingo music ever further, he has accumulated recognition, prizes and exchanges with many artists from all continents.
The kora, his instrument, this 21-string African harp blends wonderfully well with contemporary Western music.
By addressing current and primordial themes of society, Zal Sissokho highlights the unique sound of his instrument and invites discovery and travel.
His music with Afro-Mandingo accents, his mixed compositions, his warm and rooted voice and his committed words are highlighted in each of his 5 albums, all rich in multiple collaborations and focused on sharing.
About Senny Camara
The Kora in feminine hands heals the pains of the soul of a fragile world. For Senny Camara, music is above all a story of strings. The strings of her kora—traditionally reserved for men—have become her ally, allowing her to fulfill herself both as an artist and as a woman.
Rebellious, free, and tenacious, Senny Camara shares many traits with her totemic women: Nina Simone, Fatou Diome, Chimamanda, Vandana Shiva, as well as the Senegalese-Guinean diva Mahawa Kouyaté, who remains a true source of inspiration for her.
The woman she owes the most to is undoubtedly her grandmother, who raised her in the purest traditions of the Serer people, in Tataguine, southern Senegal.
Thanks to her, Senny also discovered her father’s Mandingue culture—her father, a former Senegalese soldier, whose unwavering love for France greatly inspired her.
Today, she is one of the few women in the world to play the Kora. Her music, her lyrics, her voice convey a subtle struggle of love and unity—a sacred harmony recognized and supported by the elder brothers and master players of the Kora.
About Alliance Français of Calgary
Founded in in 1947, the Alliance Française of Calgary offers French classes to all ages, promotes French culture as well as the diversity of Francophone cultures, and creates an inclusive community for all to enjoy.
Serving each of the 1,200 students that come every year to learn and have a good time in their classes and cultural events, as well as borrow books from the largest fully-French library in Western Canada.
If you are interested in learning more, visit the AF Canada website.