About
What to expect
Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female kora virtuoso to emerge from any of West Africa's five Griot dynasties, and she is a singer, composer and bandleader.
Her latest album, Badinyaa Kumoo, was named one of the best albums of its year by Songlines Magazine.
On October 11 she received the Silicon Valley African Film Festival's 2026 Icon Award for her contributions to African music, scholarship and cultural promotion.
In 2026 she sold out the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, played Munich's Prinzregententheater, and played the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival.
She has performed more than a hundred shows across Europe, Africa, the United States and beyond, with sell-outs at London's Barbican, Cologne's Philharmonie and the Seine Musicale in Paris.
She has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, Symphony Space in New York, and WOMAD Australia and New Zealand.
Her single "Gambia" has passed 32 million YouTube views.
Questions
When does Sona Jobarteh start and end?
Sona Jobarteh runs Wednesday, 12 May 2027, 19:30 until 23:00.
Where is Sona Jobarteh?
Sona Jobarteh takes place at Band on the Wall, 25 Swan St, The Northern Quarter, Manchester, Manchester.
How much are tickets for Sona Jobarteh?
Tickets for Sona Jobarteh cost £35.60 on the official ticket shop.
What is her background?
She was born in London into a Gambian griot lineage of seven centuries.
She began learning the kora at age three with her brother Tunde Jegede and father Sanjally Jobarteh.
Her cousin was the late Toumani Diabaté.
What are her recent collaborations?
She is featured on LL Cool J's album The FORCE, on the song "Black Code Suite".
She makes a guest appearance on "Se a Vida Pede" from the Brazilian group Gilsons' latest album.
Find more gigs
Getting there
Band on the Wall, 25 Swan St, The Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 5JZ Manchester, England, GB
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