African harp master appears on Whidbey Island

The acoustic world music duo Nomad and Cirque de Soleil vocalist Gina Sala will give an intimate concert at the Whidbey Institute in Clinton, March 10.

The acoustic world music duo Nomad and Cirque de Soleil vocalist Gina Sala will give an intimate concert at the Whidbey Institute in Clinton, March 10.

Nomad is Kinobe, a young master of the 26-string African harp known as the Kora, and Victoria-based virtuoso guitarist Michael Waters.

Kinobe has been playing music since the age of five, and began touring Europe with an African ensemble when he was 10. Based in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, he spends much of his time traveling to remote parts of the country to play with musicians still steeped in the tribal traditional styles.

After 33 years playing guitar as a spiritual practice, Waters found his artistic breakthrough working with the medicine ceremonies of the Peruvian Amazon. It triggered a five year wave of continuous composition.

Their sold-out performance last year carried the audience into high cultural virtuosity — combined, Sala and Kinobe can sing in 33 languages.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. March 10. Tickets are $20 at the door.