World class musicianship on display at the Apex

Harpist Catrin Finch and kora player Seckou Keita will appear at The Apex in a stunning exhibition of world-class musicianship on November 28.

Celebrating the remarkable affinities between the Welsh harp and the West African kora, the duo have built a formidable reputation for extraordinary performances.

Catrin, a celebrated classical harpist, has won accolades for her virtuosic performances with some of the world’s finest orchestras. A fearless performer, she has also worked with Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté and Colombian band Cimarrón and switches from Bach’s Goldberg Variations to traditional folk or Colombian joropo music with apparent ease.

Born into the world-famous royal Keita and griot Cissokho families, Seckou, from Senegal, has earned worldwide acclaim for his ground-breaking kora playing, and recently won Songlines Best Africa and Middle East category for his solo album ’22 Strings’.

Seckou has played with Youssou N’Dour and alongside Paul Weller and Damon Albarn on the Africa Express ‘Orchestra of Syrian Musicians’ tour.

Despite Catrin coming from a classical background and Seckou unable to read music, they’ve found a huge amount of common ground and draw on their diverse traditions, transforming them with remarkable synergy; Mandinka rhythms mix effortlessly with Welsh tunes, with improvisations from both in a set which is at once exhilarating and mesmerising.

Their second album ‘SOAR’ takes inspiration from the osprey, which makes its annual 3,000-mile migration from the coasts of West Africa to the estuaries of Wales, in an epic journey of endurance. ‘SOAR’ explores themes of migration and journeys and continues the duo’s intrepid exploration and celebration of the parallels and differences between their two instruments and cultures.