Virtuoso balafon player and oral historian of Mandé culture, Balla Kouyaté carries on the centuries-old role of a Djeli. Living in North America, he disseminates tradition and fuses his practice with music of other genres. He is a 2019 NEA National Heritage Fellow and a guest artist with the Silk Road Ensemble. He joins us virtually to share the music of the balafon as well as to celebrate the traditions of his family and Mandé culture.