Sona Jobarteh readies for career retrospective at the Roundhouse

This April, Sona Jobarteh, the world’s first professional female kora player, will be joined by her son, father and brother for a symphonic show with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Roundhouse to celebrate her career.

Sona studied classical music at the Royal College of Music before returning to the kora and the music of her home country, The Gambia. The tension and confusion of having to choose between traditional and classical music as she was learning the instrument forms a framework for the upcoming performance. “[The show will] draw on some of the tradition and some of the melodies from some of the very old songs from the repertoire,” she explains. “In fact, the first album that I made, Fasiya, was named after a very old song which talks about the heritage of the Jobarteh family, so I’ve used those themes as the starting point of the piece. Then it goes through a few other important moments of the tradition, and it moves into the classical influence that was another major moment in that journey, and then how those two elements started to bond, but [they were] very much in separation throughout a long period of time and in most ways fighting one another.”

Sona’s work in film was essential in bringing these worlds together. “The first time that I was able to bridge those two things without any overtones or undertones of complexity was when I started to get into film music because it was very much a neutral space. I just love the fact that there were no rules… It was like a celebration of exploration.” Sona worked on the music for films including Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) and Beast (2022), both of which starred Idris Elba, and the documentary Motherland (2010). “I was baffled [by it before]”, says Sona about straddling the folk and classical worlds. “I had to be one or the other; there was no in-between.” Na Baluwo (My Life) – which will get its world premiere at the Roundhouse show – is her first work free of those constrictions.

In West African griot traditions, it’s the men who play the instruments. Sona has invited her kora-playing brother and father to be part of this show, paying tribute to a family who allowed her to transcend tradition. “My older brother is the first person who taught me the kora, before my dad. So, to get those two [performing together] is pretty momentous… they have literally not shared a stage since I was a child. And coming together under the story of, what I would say is their impact, their legacy… these are the people that brought me to this place.”

Sona Jobarteh & the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform at the Roundhouse, London, on April 16. Click here to find out more.