Sona Jobarteh is a unique and pioneering musical icon of her time whose renown has been rapidly flourishing globally.

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female Kora virtuoso to come from any of the West African Griot dynasties. Her lineage carries a formidable reputation for renowned Kora masters, most notable amongst these are her grandfather Amadu Bansang Jobarteh and her cousin, the legendary Toumani Diabaté. Her music is uniquely poised between the preservation of her rich cultural heritage and an accessible, modern style that relates to the current era and to audiences from all over the world.

At the heart of her success as an artist is her dedication to humanitarian activism in the areas of social development and educational reform on the continent of Africa. She is the Founding Director of The Gambia Academy, an institution dedicated educational reform for Africans on the continent of Africa.

Sona is reputed for her skill as an instrumentalist, her distinctive voice, infectious melodies and her grace onstage, and she has rapidly achieved international success as a top class performer. 

The demand for Sona Jobarteh’s live performances has rocket in recent years, and 2019 saw her perform at some of the world’s most renowned festivals and venues such as the Hollywood Bowl in LA, WOMAD in Australia and New Zealand and Symphony Space in New York City, whilst also performing all over Europe, in China, Africa and Canada.

As a vocalist, Sona has featured in award-winning films such as the Hollywood movie Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and The First Grader – the latter winning the »Discovery of the Year« prize at the Hollywood World Soundtrack Awards in 2012.

Sona Jobarteh’s musical expertise is underpinned by her skills as composer. During her teenage years she majored in western classical composition at the Purcell School of Music in the UK, as well as studying cello, piano and harpsichord at the Royal College of Music. In 2010 she landed her first commission scoring the soundtrack for film Motherland. Here she cultivated a fresh sound-world in African cinematic music. The film went on to collect multiple awards around the world.

More recently, she was commissioned by PRS to compose a piece for Western and African instruments, exploring the meeting points between these two worlds through a dynamic, musical journey. In 2019, her composition, titled Innovation Through Preservation was premiered at the South Bank’s renowned Purcell Room, in London and was aired on the BBC.

Sona’s dedication to spreading powerful humanitarian messages through her songs and her stage performances makes her much more than a regular musician; she is in fact a compelling social activist, speaker, and change-maker who believes in leading by example. Her achievements in setting up a pioneering Academy in The Gambia, alongside her dedication to social change has gained her invitations to deliver speeches at high profile events around the world, including summits for the UN and the World Trade Organization.

Sona is also a unique academic within the field of Mande music, history and social anthropology. Her lectures are underpinned by critically challenging accepted perspectives on African studies. She has lectured and held residencies at universities and colleges in Africa, Asia, and across the United States and Europe.