Crossings is an ongoing project exploring connections between traditional West African music and 20th-21st century African and Western piano repertoire, featuring collaborations between a diverse array of artists, concerts, lectures and commissions. The project launched on May 25, ‘23 at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, NY with kora master Malang Jobarteh, featuring traditional and new West African works for kora alongside piano pieces by John Cage, Nkeiru Okoye, Philip Glass, Joshua Uzoigwe and Fred Onovwerosuoke, and the world premiere of “Passage” for kora and piano, written by Jobarteh and Randall. The Crossings launch concert was supported by New Music USA’s ‘22-’23 Creator Fund.

EVENTS

Dialogues: Malang Jobarteh & Chelsea Randall
Friday, April 25th, 2025, 7pm
Intercultural Music Initiative, 4625 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63108

Chelsea joins kora master Malang Jobarteh for a duo concert exploring intersections between Western and African Music. Tickets here.

Juneteenth Celebration at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
Wednesday, June 19th, 2024, 5pm
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam AvenueNew York, NY, 10025

Malang Jobarteh and Chelsea Randall perform original works for kora and piano as part of St. John’s inaugural Juneteenth celebration. Curated by Jeanine Otis and Kent Tritle. Details.

Passages: Malang Jobarteh & Chelsea Randall
Sunday, June 16th, 2024, 4pm
St. Mark’s Church-in-the Bowery, 131 E 10th St, New York, NY 10003

St. Mark's Church-in-the Bowery presents “Passages,” curated by pianist Chelsea Randall as part of her Crossings Project exploring intersections between West African and Western music. Malang Jobarteh will perform traditional West African music and original compositions, followed by Randall’s and Jobarteh's performance of kora and piano duo pieces, co-written by the artists—“Passage” and the world premiere of “Flight.” Details.

Crossings: Project Launch Concert
Thursday, May 25, 2023, 7pm
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, 58 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Details

Program

Opening remarks

-Salieu Suso

Traditional West African music and original compositions for kora

-Malang Jobarteh, kora

Intermission

Metamorphosis Nos. I, 5 -Philip Glass

Twenty-Four Studies in African Rhythms, Nos. 1, 6, 5, 12 -Fred Onovwerosuoke

Metamorphosis I -John Cage

Ukom, from Talking Drums -Joshua Uzoigwe

Dusk -Nkeiru Okoye

-Chelsea Randall, piano

Passage -Malang Jobarteh and Chelsea Randall

-Jobarteh and Randall

Guest Artists

Hailing from a distinguished lineage of Gambian kora players, Malang Jobarteh carries on the tradition as a prolific kora performer and educator based in New York City. He has presented concerts at the Center for African Studies at Rutgers University, Wave Hill, Basilica Hudson, Northside Music Festival, Longwood Arts Gallery, Bronx Heritage Center, and many more. He has been awarded grants from the Bronx Council for the Arts and the Center for Traditional Music and Dance among others. Jobarteh is a recording artist and has been featured on albums with Boubacar Diebate, Bela Fleck and Dialy Kounda, among others. He is also the founder of Jalikunda, an organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the Mandig performing arts of West Africans in NYC. Jobarteh also serves in many cultural functions. As a Djeli he is personally responsible for maintaining an oral history of many generations before him, and he is called upon in countless social settings to bring people together, sometimes to resolve disputes, and other times to help leaders of the noble class make important decisions. His role is a complex one with many layers, with no direct parallel in American society.

Born into a family of traditional African jalis (musician-historians), Salieu Suso began training on the 21-stringed kora at the age of 8, and began his professional career by the age of fifteen. He has performed widely throughout the U.S., Africa and Europe, and is known for his diverse range of musical collaborations. In 2003 he ventured into an exciting exploration of African and Afro-Cuban rhythms with three master percussionists: Benny Arocho (bata, bugarabu, Thai klong yaw); Olympia Ward (chekere, conga, jembe); and John Ward (jembe). One of Salieu Suso’s songs, “Sidi Yellah” was featured on the album Badenya: Manden Jaliya in New York City, a compilation of Manden and Mandinka Music by musicians in New York City (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, 2001). Salieu composed Tootie’s Last Suit, the soundtrack to a documentary film.