Every year, Rochester Public Music brings a music artist to engage with children in the local schools. The week-long tour finishes with a concert that is open to the public.
Sound School is designed to spark an interest in music and to provide the community access to new cultures, instruments, and experiences.
Stay tuned for information about our 2025 Sound School artist.
Intro Text
Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba ecstatically explore the spiritual songs, stories, and rhythms of Senegal’s millennia-old Mandé culture. Cissokho comes from a long line of prominent griots who are entrusted to maintain a West African village’s genealogies and important ceremonial affairs through song. Cissokho and his band, Kaira Ba, effortlessly integrate the traditional sounds of the kora with a modern rush of electric guitar and an exuberant rhythm section.
Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba ecstatically explore the spiritual songs, stories, and rhythms of Senegal’s millennia-old Mandé culture. Cissokho comes from a long line of prominent griots who are entrusted to maintain a West African village’s genealogies and important ceremonial affairs through song. Cissokho and his band, Kaira Ba, effortlessly integrate the traditional sounds of the kora with a modern rush of electric guitar and an exuberant rhythm section.
When Cissokho immigrated from Senegal to North Carolina, he initiated a collaboration that he hoped might bridge the Atlantic, connecting worlds thousands of miles apart but bound by a shared history. Over the past eight years, Kaira Ba has done just that, producing three full-length albums, touring extensively in the United States, and voyaging twice as a band to Senegal to collaborate with Diali’s extended family and community. In 2014, the band was nominated for the prestigious continent-wide All Africa Music Award (AFRIMA) in the category “Best African Group” for their album The Great Peace. In 2018 the band released Routes, its most ambitious album to date. Recorded in both North Carolina and Senegal, the album was met with critical acclaim. Songlines hailed the album as “up there with the groundbreaking recordings of Thione Seck, Baaba Maal and Youssou N’Dour.”
This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
TICKETS GO ON SALE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 AT 9AM.
Tickets available at Rochester Civic Music in City Hall (walk-in or by phone, no handling fees), the Mayo Civic Center Box Office (walk-in, no handling fees), and Ticketmaster (online). Order by phone at 507-328-2200 or 800-657-3980 or in person at 201 4th St. SE, Suite 170 (City Hall). Group rates available. More information at rochestermn.gov/civicmusic.
The Rochester Civic Music Box Office hours are 9 AM - 4 PM (M-F). We are open through the noon hour. Cash, Check, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover are accepted.
Current City of Rochester COVID-19 guidelines require the use of facial coverings in all City buildings including the Mayo Civic Center and Rochester Civic Theatre.
Six Appeal is an a cappella ensemble and two-time global champion after competing against nearly 200 groups from 16 countries. They have spent over a decade in the industry and have collaborated with artists such as Andy Grammer, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, and Thundercat.
2023: The Reminders
Sound School 2023 featured hip-hop duo The Reminders. Watch highlights below!
Additional Information:
About
Established in 1990, Sound School is designed to spark children's interest in music and to provide the community with access to new cultures, instruments, and experiences.
The Sound School program is an annual week-long residency that brings stellar musicians to our local community to engage with children in the public schools. The week-long tour finishes with a indoor concert that is open to the public.
When
School outreach events will take place in spring 2025, and are not open to the public. If you are are affiliated with a school that is interested in participating in the Sound School program, please contact us.
Cost
School outreach events are free, but not open to the public.
The public concert is a ticketed event. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for teens, and free for kids 12 and under.
Surveys
Public Music staff will be at the events with surveys. Please help us improve our events by completing one!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
