Moussa Diallo to take children’s concert series on tour across China

The tour, running from 22 July to 22 August, will see Diallo joined by Preben Carlsen on guitar and Salieu Diba on percussion as they perform in major theatres across several Chinese cities.

A long-time advocate of live music for children, Diallo has spent many years touring schools, libraries, theatres and outdoor venues across Denmark and the Nordic region. In 2019, he composed the original soundtrack for Danish filmmaker Jannik Hastrup’s animated film Cirkeline, Coco and The Wild Rhino, which follows the adventures of the much-loved elf, Cirkeline. That same year, Diallo released a companion album featuring songs inspired by the film and began performing the music live.

The project gained international attention when a Chinese delegation visited Denmark in 2019 to observe how Levende Musik i Skolen (LMS), a Danish school touring network, introduces live music to young audiences. The group attended one of Diallo’s performances and subsequently booked his band for a China tour in 2020 and 2021. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.

Undeterred, Diallo and Chinese education officials maintained their collaboration. Together, they developed a new version of the show with translated lyrics performed by young Chinese musicians, resulting in around 30 performances across China during the pandemic years.

Thanks to Diallo’s producer and agent Jasmine Wang, in collaboration with the Danish Cultural Centre in Beijing, the original trio will now perform 15 concerts in large venues, some with capacities exceeding 1 000 seats.

Following the tour, Diallo and Diba will take part in a week-long children’s camp where they will lead music workshops for Chinese teachers, helping them teach Diallo’s songs to local children.

Beyond his work with Cirkeline, Diallo has released over ten solo albums and authored a series of children’s books featuring African stories and music in Danish, French and English.