Published: 19 August 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Folk musician MIRIAM LIEBERMAN tells STEVE MEACHAM the story of her love affair with the sacred West African kora, which she will play at this weekend’s Sydney Folk Festival.
In West Africa, “the kora is a sacred instrument,” Sydney-born Miriam Lieberman explains. “It has 21 strings made of fishing line.”
It’s built from a large calabash - a West African gourd cut in half and covered in cow or buffalo skin - with each string sounding a different note and played (unlike most instruments) with the strings facing the body.
“Playing the kora is a bit like weaving a basket,” she says. “The melody, counter melody and solo parts all run through each other. The sound is flowing and hypnotic.”
Western classical musicians say the sound is somewhere between a harp and a lute.
When we speak, Lieberman is in Katherine on a solo tour of the Top End before performing at the Sydney Folk Festival this weekend with her eponymous trio.
The trio usually consists of violinist/vocalist Lara Goodridge (best known for being a half of cabaret duo Baby et Lulu and a quarter of Fourplay, the “indie rock band” consisting of four classically-trained string musicians) and fellow violinist/vocalist Susie Bishop.
However, Susie has a reasonable excuse to miss the trio’s two gigs at the Sydney Folk Festival on Saturday and Sunday. “She’s heavy with child,” Miriam explains, suddenly turning all Biblical. “So Lara Norman is helping us out.”
The 320km drive down from Darwin has been more exhausting than “solo mum” Miriam had anticipated, so our chat is slightly delayed.
But once this interview is completed the ocean-lover (“I usually swim in the sea every day”) will be taking four-year old son Lior and nine-month-old daughter Ashira to the hot springs on the banks of the Katherine River.
