This April Carnegie Hall brings to the stage world actress, singer-songwriter, Fatoumata Diawara. The concert will be held on Friday, Apr. 10 at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy food and beverage before the show in the Mainstage Lounge. The Lounge, hosted by TLP of WV, Inc., will be open from 6:45-7:25 p.m. and will reopen at intermission. Tickets for the Lounge may be purchased at the door or in advance.
Perpetuating Mali’s rich musical tradition, Fatoumata Diawara presents a joyous mix of the vibrant and understated, combining songs about love, politics and empowerment. With arresting melodies soaring over intricate guitar and drum arrangements. Inspired by Wassoulou tradition, jazz, and blues, Fatoumata has created her own unique contemporary folk sound, with a distinctly African spin to the concept of the female singer-songwriter.
At the center of the music is Diawara’s warm, affecting voice; spare, rhythmical guitar playing; and gorgeously melodic songs that draw powerfully on her own often troubled experience. Born in Côte d’Ivoire, raised in Mali, now based in Paris, Diawara has had a life covering a whole gamut of contemporary African experience: fighting parental opposition to her artistic ambitions and the cultural prejudice faced by women throughout Africa. After gaining success as an actress in film and theater, Diawara delved into the medium she was always destined to make her own: music.
Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabaté, Herbie Hancock, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones are just a few of the major players who have fallen for Diawara’s effortless musical charm, as her presence has lit up shows in Europe by Africa Express, AfroCubism, and Hancock’s “Imagine” project. Her debut, released in North America on Nonesuch Records in 2012, is almost entirely her own work: self-composed and arranged, with her own backing vocals and percussion. It breathes with the natural warmth, confidence, and spontaneity that are the essence of Diawara herself.
The performance by Fatoumata Diawara is the 2014-2015 Mainstage members’ show. As such, each current member of Carnegie Hall is entitled to one free ticket per membership. Please call the Box Office to claim your free ticket. Valid for this show only.
Lewisburg is a sweet place to be this April 10th and 11th. Catch a show at Carnegie Hall on Friday then indulge your senses at the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival in historic, downtown Lewisburg, WV on Saturday. To purchase concert tickets, call 304-645-7917 or visit www.carnegiehallwv.org. Ticket prices for this performance range from $25-$35 with discounts available for members, seniors, students and military. For more information on the 9th Annual Lewisburg Chocolate Festival, visit www.lewisburgchocolatefestival.com.
Carnegie Hall’s 2014-15 arts programming is presented with financial assistance from the WV Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the WV Commission on the Arts.
