Yacouba Sissoko and Mehrnam Rastegari in Concert

Experience West African and Persian string traditions in an intimate setting as master kora player Yacouba Sissoko and kamancheh player Mehrnam Rastegari perform at Bridgehampton Museum on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 4 PM.

Yacouba Sissoko is a Mali born musician rooted in the djely tradition of West Africa, a lineage centered on oral history, music, and storytelling. He began learning the kora from his grandfather at the age of nine and has since built a career dedicated to both traditional Mandé repertoire and contemporary performance contexts. Based in New York, Sissoko has performed extensively throughout the United States at museums, concert halls, and major festivals, and is known for presenting the kora both as a solo instrument and in collaborative settings.

Mehrnam Rastegari is an Iranian composer and kamancheh player based in New York. Her work draws from Persian classical music while engaging with contemporary composition and cross cultural collaboration. She performs internationally as a soloist and ensemble musician, and her practice emphasizes both the historical role of the kamancheh and its evolving place in modern performance.

This concert brings together two artists working within distinct but historically rich musical traditions. Through solo pieces and shared performances, the program highlights the kora and kamancheh as instruments of cultural transmission, offering audiences at the Bridgehampton Museum a close and focused listening experience shaped by centuries of musical practice.

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