Master drummer and balafon artist to offer workshops/concert

Made possible through the Carnahan Jackson Fund for the Humanities, which was established with the Fredonia College Foundation, drummer and balafon artist N'Camara Abou Sylla will bring his talent and expertise to SUNY Fredonia on Oct. 26 to 28.

Mr. Sylla will give an open drumming workshop, as well as work with students enrolled in Fredonia drumming classes. The Open Drumming Workshop is slated for Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 4:00 to 4:50 p.m.; workshops reserved for students enrolled in drumming classes will be held the same day from 5 to 5:50 and 6 to 6:50 p.m. All sessions will be held in Mason Hall Room 1051.

Sylla will also give balafon workshops and a concert on Friday, Oct. 28. The Open Balafon Workshop is slated for 3:00 to 3:50 p.m.; workshops for students enrolled in the Percussion Ensemble will be held 4:00 to  4:50 and 5:00 to 5:50 p.m., again, all in Mason Hall Room 1051.

The concert is slated for 8 p.m. Friday in Rosch Recital Hall.

Sylla is a master musician from Guinea, West Africa. Sylla is a "Djeli” (or “Griot”), born into a clan of oral historians who use the balafon, a 21-key xylophone, and their voices, to maintain and transfer the family lineages and historical deeds of community members. From a young age, Sylla learned scores of songs and musical patterns known only to the Djeli. Organizers note that his workshops and concert will introduce the Fredonia community to an 800-year-old musical legacy.