Around the World with the Kora

»I was born as a Kora player. That is my identity! Without the Kora, I don't know who I am in the society.«

– Momi Maiga

Momi Maiga travels the world with his instrument – he performs on the major international concert hall stages and has already played in the studio with the Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour. However, his mission to bring music to people did not begin with his international success. Rather, it is deeply rooted in the tradition of his family, the griots. For over 70 generations, they have been using the kora to tell uplifting stories of faith, heritage and peace. Maiga’s cousin, Seckou Keita, is also a well-known kora player.

At Beethovenfest, Maiga will be performing in no fewer than four concerts as a Fellowship artist. We visited him in Hamburg to film him during rehearsals for his project with the Ensemble Resonanz. Together with these classically trained musicians, he will blend classical music with his own soundscapes over two evenings: as a journey through the stages of his musical life in the concert Momi Maiga & Friends, and as a crossover project with the entire Ensemble Resonanz, who will juxtapose his music with Beethoven’s Fifth.