Sona Jobarteh
Changemakers Series
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Doors:6 PM | Show: 8 PM – opening act TBA
Brooklyn Bowl – 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
Tickets: Advance – $32.50 | Day of Show – $35
member benefits apply!
Member prices: Advance – $26 | Day of Show – $28
Standing room only
21+
Co-presented with Brooklyn Bowl
Preserving her musical heritage, Sona Jobarteh embraces innovation to foster a more humanitarian future. Her musical journey is deeply rooted in the rich West African Griot tradition, making her a living repository of Gambian culture. With one ear tuned to her family’s historic legacy and the other focused on what’s ahead, she is carving out a space for the next generation, and the BBC World Service hails her as “a griot for a new generation of West Africans”. Her singing and kora performances, showcased with her band, are direct expressions of this tradition.
Sona Jobarteh has captivated audiences from the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles to Symphony Space in New York, and has sold out prestigious venues like the Barbican in London, Philharmonie in Cologne, and Seine Musicale in Paris. These performances are complemented by her talents as a composer, honed during her formative years at London’s Royal College of Music and the Purcell School of Music. The breadth of her recognition is highlighted by over 23 million views on YouTube and a significant following on various digital platforms.
She has scored films including Motherland and Beast, starring Idris Elba. She co-wrote a song on LL Cool J’s latest album The Force, produced by Q Tip, and filmed several live performances for CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Beyond her musical achievements, Sona is committed to conveying powerful humanitarian themes through her songs and performances, and acts as a catalyst for social change, leading by her own example. She founded The Gambia Academy, a groundbreaking institution aimed at educational reform across Africa. This Academy is the first of its kind to offer a high-level mainstream academic curriculum while prominently incorporating the culture, traditions, and history that are relevant to the students. Her vital work has led to invitations to speak at esteemed global events, including summits for the UN, World Trade Organization, and UNICEF.
“Sona Jobarteh is Africa’s first female griot kora virtuoso, and also a fine singer and composer, blending traditional music, blues and Afropop to impressive effect” – Robin Denselow, The Guardian
The CHANGEMAKERS series highlights artists who, aside from enriching lives through the arts, positively impact society and their communities via their philanthropic, advocacy, and/or educational contributions and activism.