Dear Zimfest Community,
Zimfest celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, come celebrate with us! We thank Musekiwa Chingodza and Lucky Moyo (yes, both are planning to come this year!) for help in choosing the theme for this year’s festival.
Sing-Dance-Play! Tambai Tambai! Dlala-Dlala!
In Zimbabwe you only need one word to say “Play (music)” or “Dance” or “Play (have fun)”: Tambai if you speak chiShona, or Dlala in isiNdebele. What could be more appropriate to describe the three and a half days of Zimbabwean-inflected music, dance, song, culture and fun that is the Zimbabwean Music Festival? Come sing-dance-play with us at the 25th annual Zimfest at Western Oregon University, Monmouth OR, August 11-14, 2016. Tambai! Dlala!
Applications Closing Soon
The deadline for submitting your online applications to perform and/or teach at Zimfest 2016 is this weekend, March 12, 2016. We want your ideas! Don’t forget that this year’s emphasis is on Cultural Presentations. We encourage you (especially Zimbabwean instructors!) to propose workshops on a variety of cultural topics of interest to American students and fans of Zimbabwean music. Teachers of workshops with 20 or more participants will receive a higher pay rate. We’d love to see Presentation topics that attract large groups! All performer and teacher applications are available online at https://apply.zimfest.org.
As always, keep in mind that the festival can’t happen without your help! If you are interested in volunteering, please write volunteers {at} zimfest (dot) org.
Best regards on behalf of the 2016 Organizing Committee,
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator
Had an idea which I am not sure how to format this for a dedicated space/time. I would like to propose that mbira players who have been getting together with another person or two on a regular basis, come together and take turns playing songs they have been focusing on for each other. I would love to hear what others are doing and would love to play a song or two that Nathan Beck and I have been playing. And folks could join in with song, dance, etc. What do you say to that?
Interesting and fun idea Marian, I like it.
A nice idea, yes, but I’m thinking better organized by people who want to do it, rather than making it an official Zimfest event. The OC gets so many requests from people wanting rehearsal space, a place to jam, etc. etc.