Balla Kouyate

Balla Kouyaté is considered a balafon virtuoso. Born in Mali, he was raised in the Djeli
tradition with his father teaching him from the age of six. Balla was given the name of
his ancestor, Balla Fasseké Kouyaté, the first Djeli of the Mande Empire and owner of the
very, first balafon. He performed for the first time in Bamako, Mali at Palais de la Culture
with Malian singer Sanignai Kouyaté. In 1994, he was a member of the renowned
Ensemble Nationale du Mali. By 1997 he was granted the opportunity to play with singer
Ami Koita at the O.1.A. conference, which brought together 27 African presidents.

Joe Galeota

Joe Galeota is currently an associate professor of percussion at Berklee College of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as the owner of JAG Drums, (1984) a distinguished
West African percussion manufacturing company. Joe began studying classical percussion
under the direction of Alexander Lepak at the Hart School, University of Hartford. After
two years he transferred to Berklee to complete a bachelor of music degree. He then
pursued a master’s degree in ethnomusicology for one year at the University of Ghana
and completed his degree at Wesleyan University.

Joe has been a performer and educator throughout the United States, Europe, and
Africa since 1972. He has taught numerous workshops, clinics, and residencies for all age
groups. Joe has extensive experience in performance using both percussion and drum
set. Some highlights include the percussion for Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom,
and sampling sessions with Kurzweil and Sonic Implants, Terri Lyne Carrington, and AR
Rahman.