Kora & Song Workshop @ Fylingdales Village Hall

About the Activity

Gather with Suntou Susso, The Gambian Superstars and Rebecca Robinson for an afternoon of song at Fylingdales Village Hall.

The workshop runs in two parts. The first session brings you into the room with Suntou and his musicians to learn and sing songs from the West African griot tradition; the songs that have been passed down orally across seven centuries, carried in the voice long before they were ever written down. Suntou teaches by ear, by feel and by doing. You will be singing before you realise you have started.

The second session is led by Rebecca Robinson, who brings a set of English songs into the room and teaches them the same way; by ear, by voice, by doing. By the end of the afternoon the group has been inside two very different musical traditions and found, between them, more common ground than expected.

No singing experience is needed. You do not need to read music. You do not need to think of yourself as a singer. You just need to show up.

The workshop runs 13:00–16:00 with a short break in the middle. Tea and coffee are provided.

Every participant receives a free ticket to the Evening Concert at 19:00, where Suntou Susso and The Gambian Superstars headline the closing night of Whitby Gathers 2026. There will also be the chance to join Suntou on stage during the concert. Entirely optional. Entirely worth considering.

Part of Whitby Gathers, a free summer arts programme across Whitby and surrounding villages, supported by Arts Council England. Spaces are limited. This workshop is open to participants aged 14 and over.

What to Bring

Just your voice. Tea and coffee are provided; bring a snack if you'd like one.

About the Facilitators

Suntou Susso is an award-winning kora player, percussionist, singer and composer from The Gambia, now based in the UK. Born into the 700-year-old Griot tradition of the Mandinka people, he has performed at Glastonbury, WOMAD and Green Man and won the 2026 International Songwriting Competition in the World Music category. He has a gift for making a room feel like it has always known the music.

Rebecca Robinson has spent nearly twenty years singing in and helping to lead community choirs. She teaches songs by ear; short, simple and genuinely beautiful pieces chosen for the particular pleasure of a roomful of people making something together. What she knows better than most is that the experience of singing collectively — with strangers, without scores, without pressure — is one that tends to surprise people. She is here for exactly that.