The YELI Ensemble is named after the word 'Yeli', also called Griot in French. A Yeli is a 'living archive' of West African people's traditions. It is someone who has learned their art form from the youngest age, initially from their parents and then from their community and different masters of the art form.

Both Ibrahima Dioubat and Sekouna Conte are born into the Yeli tradition. They are masters of their craft and are celebrated internationally for sharing the rich and amazing culture of Guinea Conakry, a culture that dates back as far as the Mali Empire. Ibrahima is a djembefola, specializing in the solo instrument the djembe, the 'star' of West African percussions. Sekouna plays Kora. Both musicians also play n'goni ( ancestor to the banjo), balafon and all other Guinea percussion.

The Yeli Ensemble is a collective of artists invited from West Africa sometimes combined with local artists. We rotate artists in order to represent the wealth of art forms on the African continent. We are very excited to have Sekouna join us from Mexico City where he now resides, performs and teaches percussion and dance.

Windship Boyd was born in France and raised in the US. Trained at UNCSA as a ballet dancer, she danced professionally then moved to London and France where she lived for 25 years. She created a company, choreographed for Lyon’s bi-annual dance parade 7 times. She has taught, trained and choreographed in West Africa since 2004 when she received a scholarship from UNESCO to create a work in Senegal. Enamored by West African dance, she has returned to Senegal, Guinea Conakry or Burkina Faso every year.

In 2016 she moved back to Nashville. Between teaching, inviting artists from abroad and accompanying students to West Africa, her objectives are to promote African and multicultural art and help foster cultural exchanges and the creation of artistic works. She enjoys mixing professional and community work, particularly involving highly qualified artists working in a community setting, both in the studio and on stage. In 2022 she co-founded AfricaNashville with the saxophone player Jeff Coffin. Today she manages the company, teaches and performs with them.

M’Power Rhythm, brainchild of master veteran drummer Tripp Bratton and educator Leslie Stamatis, is all about youth empowerment, building community, and honoring culture through ensemble African drumming. A Lexington-based performing arts nonprofit, M’Power Rhythm works with youth ages 8 to 18 from diverse backgrounds with an emphasis on making programs accessible to under-resourced youth.

Participants receive a comprehensive introduction to rhythm, improvisation, and music theory in an immersive group environment – while learning the cultural origins of the rhythms they are practicing. The M’Power Rhythm All-Stars is the organization’s performing ensemble which showcases student drummers’ accomplishments and puts joyful noise out into the world!

Yapa is a musical journey inspired by many rich cultures. From indigenous melodies of the Andes Mountains to the traditional and popular dance musics of the world, Yapa always brings a little "extra gift" for your ears...and your heart!

Yapa! features musicians from Ecuador, El Salvador, Canary Islands, and the US.

Yapa! members: Fernando Moya, Angela Scharfenberger, Caleb Leiva, Gregory Acker, Beatriz Perez, Joe Watts, with special guests Blakeley Burger, Ivo Farigra Proano