Sona Jobarteh in Concert

Sona Jobarteh is a world-renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer from the Gambia whose lineage carries a formidable reputation for distinguished Kora masters of the West African Griot tradition.

After years of training on the Kora starting at the age of three, Jobarteh has developed her unique sound, seamlessly blending traditional Mande music, blues, Afro pop,and rock while fronting her four-piece music ensemble.

She has performed to crowds from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to Symphony Space in New York and has sold out the Barbican in London, Cologne’s Philharmonie, and the Seine Musicale in Paris. These performances are underpinned by her skills as a composer arising from her early days at London’s RCM and Purcell School of Music.

Jobarteh scored the films Motherland in 2010, and the Hollywood blockbuster Beast,starring Idris Elba, in 2022. She co-wrote a track on LL Cool J’s latest with QTip and was recently featured on CBS’s 60 Minutes news magazine.

Jobarteh and her music have touched audiences from all backgrounds and cultures. Her captivating live performances radiate with a distinctive voice, singing and playing infectious melodies on Kora and acoustic guitar with a graceful onstage presence that has propelled her rise to international acclaim.