Ensemble Connect Up Close: Fara Niokonkan, Coming Together

Описание: Trailblazing cellist Mike Block and Malian balafon player Balla Kouyaté lead this high-energy performance, showcasing the powerful exchange of musical traditions. Block and Kouyaté have taught Ensemble Connect fellows traditional Malian and American folk music by ear. Now, they come together onstage for a joyful, one-of-a-kind concert filled with virtuosic improvisation, soulful melodies, and electrifying rhythms.

This performance was filmed in Carnegie Hall’s Resnick Education Wing on Friday, May 9, 2025.

Ensemble Connect
Catherine Boyack, Flute
Anjali Shinde, Flute
Joe Jordan, Oboe
Marty Tung, Bassoon
Ryan Dresen, Horn
Oliver Xu, Percussion
Ramón Carrero-Martínez, Viola
Frankie Carr, Cello
Thapelo Masita, Cello
Maggie Cox, Bass

Balla Kouyaté & Mike Block Duo, Artistic Partner
Balla Kouyaté, Balafon and Vocals
Mike Block, Cello and Vocals

Connor Sale, Lighting Designer


00:00:00 Opening
00:00:45 TRADITIONAL MALIAN Yiriba (arr. Balla Kouyaté and Mike Block)
00:09:43 MIKE BLOCK Iniche Cosebe
00:17:54 TRADITIONAL MALIAN Gansan (arr. Balla Kouyaté and Mike Block)
00:23:24 TRADITIONAL AMERICAN “Shove the Pig’s Foot a Little Further into the Fire” (arr. Balla Kouyaté and Mike Block)
00:29:28 TRADITIONAL MALIAN “Bani” (arr. Balla Kouyaté)
00:35:41 MIKE BLOCK Tune for Tunde
00:44:29 TRADITIONAL MALIAN “Diaraby” (arr. Balla Kouyaté)
00:49:50 MIKE BLOCK Pompano
01:01:12 BALLA KOUYATÉ Democracy


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