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Posts by Zimfest Organizing Committee

Zimfest Registration and Memberships

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We have had a tremendous response since Zimfest registration went live last week! Some of our marimba workshops are already filling up and we have added a second session of one at the Advanced beginner level. We would love to see more people enrolling in classes on other instruments besides marimba, and have added a guitar workshop to be taught by Matt Gordon. We also have many tremendous offerings in dance and cultural presentations. You can find announcements of these and all future workshop changes at the Festival Updates and Workshop Changes page.

For those of you who have been frustrated trying to purchase a Zimfest membership, the link to the Membership and Donations page has been repaired! Membership in the Zimfest Association gives you a waiver on the festival registration fee and helps support the Association and festival itself. We are grateful for any donations (all tax-deductible) above the cost of membership.

Join us at Zimfest 2015
Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony

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Zimfest 2015 Registration Is Open

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

Registration is now live for the 24th Annual Zimbabwean Music Festival in Monmouth, OR, August 13-16, 2015.

The festival offers three days of workshops on diverse aspects of Zimbabwean culture, free afternoon concerts, an African Marketplace and ticketed evening concerts.

Go to zimfest.org for the festival program and register for workshops, housing, meals and concert tickets. Performance schedules, still being determined, will be available soon.

Valuing education as well as performance, Zimfest attracts Zimbabwean music and culture experts from around the world to teach festival participants. Workshops are available on everything from basic Shona drumming to traditional dance to the ancient sounds of mbira and the irresistible, effervescent marimba.

Featured Zimbabweans: Master mbira players Patience Munjeri and Vitalis Botsa; marimba specialists Patience Musandirire and Paul Mataruse; multi-instrumentalist Kurai Blessings Mubaiwa; the electric duo Mbira Spirit; dancer Rujeko Dumbutshena and guitarist extraordinaire Zivanai Masango.

North American Performers: Anzanga Marimba Ensemble; Erica Azim; Chris Berry; Boka Marimba; Mahonyera Mbira Ensemble; Pachi Pamwe (mbira and guitar); Ruzivo; ZiMBira and many more.

Zimfest 2015 celebrates the theme “Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony.” Experience the power of African music and dance to bring people together in a full three and a half days of Zimbabwean-inflected music, dance, song, culture and fun!

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Zimfest 2015 Theme and Call for Artwork Submissions

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival News

Greetings Zimfest Community,

Zimfest 2015 will celebrate the theme “Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony.” In choosing this theme, the 2015 organizing committee has been inspired by the power of Zimbabwean music and dance to bring people together and build community. We are inviting you to submit designs and artwork related to this theme for use on the Zimfest 2015 poster, Festival Guide, t-shirts and other promotional material. Your design should also reference Zimbabwean performing art in one or more of its many manifestations (marimba, mbira, dance, etc.).

Please submit your designs electronically to by March 1, 2015. The organizing committee will make its selections by March 15, 2015. Send your artwork via e-mail as a high-resolution image in digital format (JPG preferred); do not embed the image into a Power Point or PDF. Please include your full name and telephone number with your submission. If your image is chosen as the principal design for this year’s festival, you will receive an honorarium of $100 and a Zimfest 2015 t-shirt. The winning artist will be featured in the Festival guide. In addition, full credit will be given to other artists whose submissions are used elsewhere.

The artwork will be judged on the following criteria:

  1. It meets all specifications in this call for artwork
  2. It is considered the best representation of the theme “Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony”

Legal Considerations:
By submitting your work to the 2015 Organizing Committee, you grant the Zimfest Association an irrevocable, perpetual license to reproduce the submitted work in whole or in part in any medium, electronic, physical or otherwise. You must be willing to modify or allow a graphic artist to alter the winning entry for use on our printed materials. The original work will become the property of Zimfest Association, who will assume all rights to future reproduction of the work for promotional and fundraising purposes.

See you in Monmouth, OR in August!
Zimfest 2015 Organizing Committee

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Final Pre-Zimfest Message

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Hello all,

Well the Zimfest Organizing Committee has done its job, the musicians are gathering and we’ll see each other in a few short days. Some reminders to those coming to Zimfest 2014:

Looking forward to a wonderful three days of dance and music!

—Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

 

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Zimfest Reminders

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Zimfest Participants,

Friday July 18th is the last day to drop Zimfest workshops. The deadline for signing up for Zimfest housing and meals has already passed, but there may be a limited number of rooms and meals available at onsite registration starting Thursday July 24.

Are you aware of the Panel Discussion taking place at Zimfest Saturday July 26? The panel topic, “Implications and Ethics of an Online Zimbabwean Music Database,” is an offshoot of a rich exchange that took place in November 2013 on the Dandemutande.org email list. We encourage all members of the Zimfest community to attend this free special session, as it represents a unique opportunity to discuss some important issues together with our panelists in real time. There is no need to register for the Discussion as it will take place in the Schneebeck Concert Hall. For more information, see https://2014.zimfest.org/festival-events/.

See you soon!
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Update

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Zimfest Participants,

We are sorry to inform you that Julia Chigamba and the Chinyakare Dance Ensemble will not be with us this year. We will miss them and hope to have them at Zimfest in the next year or so. Zimfest is very lucky, however, that some old friends are in the area and will be available to take Chinyakare’s performance spot. We are happy to announce the return of Bongo Love to the Zimfest Stage! The group has added two new performers to their lineup and have been wowing audiences up and down the West Coast, so we look forward to having them.

It is now less than two weeks before the start of Zimfest 2014, and we have had to cancel workshops with enrollments of less than two. Please check the webpage at https://2014.zimfest.org/news/ for a list of workshop changes and cancellations. Without Julia Chigamba, we have had to cancel the Mauya Mauya workshop—that will have to wait until Julia returns to Zimfest. The Dinhe Dance workshop she was going to teach is now in the capable hands (and feet) of Jimu Makurumbandi. If you were registered for a workshop that has been canceled, your account will be credited with the cost of the workshop. You may apply the credit towards another workshop. If you do not use the credit by the end of the festival, you may request a refund, or choose to donate the money to the Zimfest Association.

See you very soon,
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Countdown

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Hello folks,

Don’t delay registering for Zimfest any longer; July 9 (Wednesday) is the deadline for signing up for UPS housing and meals at the festival! On July 11th we have to take a hard look at the workshop schedule and cancel classes with low enrollment. Support your favorite teachers–and ones you may not know–by signing up for their workshops. https://2014.zimfest.org/teachers/

A reminder about Prefest: Before Zimfest kicks off in earnest, there is time on Thursday July 24th between 9 AM and 3 PM to set up private lessons and workshops with teachers who will be onsite. A list of teachers available can be found here: https://2014.zimfest.org/festival-events/. Email us at  if you would like to set up a Prefest workshop.

Enjoy the sun this week!
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Update

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival News

Hello Zimfest community,

The 2014 Zimfest Concert Schedule has been posted on the website! An innovation this year is the introduction of featured lunchtime performances Friday through Sunday from 11:45 to 12:45 AM, scheduled so that there are no conflicts with workshops. Eat your lunch outside while enjoying some of your favorite groups: Yeukai Marimba from Boulder launches on Friday, Nhapitapi Mbira rocks out on Saturday and Kurai Mubaiwa and Friends entertains on Sunday. As always, the concert schedule is subject to change, so do not be surprised to see some adjustments in the lineups.

As promised, we have some new workshop titles for you to choose from: by popular demand, Dr. Sheasby Matiure will be teaching Zimbabwean and Southern African choral and makwayera singing; new Zimfest teacher Jimu Makurumbandi offers muchongoyo dance and mbira singing techniques; and MyLinda King and Jesse Larson offer tasty new marimba tidbits! Check the News and Updates page for all workshop changes.

Don’t delay registering for Zimfest: July 9 is the last day to purchase housing and meals, and we will start to cancel workshops with low enrollment on July 11.
See you at the festival!

Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimbabwean Guests at Zimfest

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Dear Zimfest community,

We regretfully announce that Selmor Mtukudzi and her Trio will not be with us at Zimfest 2014. We look forward to hosting them another year. We are happy to confirm that Jimu Makurumbandi will be performing as well as teaching at the festival in their place. Jimu, a multi-talented musician and dance specialist from Mbare, is currently in Seattle on a one-year dance residency.

We will be adding new workshops taught by Jimu and others very soon – check the News and Updates section of the Zimfest website for updates.

Don’t forget that June 23 is the last day to register for guaranteed housing at Zimfest 2014!

Thank you,
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Volunteer at Zimfest

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Greetings Zimfest Community,

My name is Elisha and I am your volunteer coordinator for this year’s Zimfest! I am also a member of Anzanga Marimba. Most importantly I’m writing to urge you to volunteer if you are planning to come to Zimfest 2014. This year we are actively trying to cultivate a culture of volunteering and give back to our volunteers who give so much to the festival. Come see what is in store for you—the amount we give back to you directly affects how good we are able to make the festival.

Volunteering not only helps Zimfest run smoothly but it also makes the festival your own. It’s a great way to rub shoulders with many of the musicians you see performing on stage and get to know them as well. Meet other members of the community who love this music too and make new friends! We are all coming together from many parts of the world. I can’t think of a greater way to foster a sense of community than to add volunteering as part of your festival experience.

Volunteer shifts run from Wednesday July 23-Monday July 28th and are as short as 1-2 hours of your time. We have something that will suit every need and desire. If you want to be creative come and help decorate for the festival. Or if you are looking to get in a little exercise come help move marimbas! Spend an hour while listening at the afternoon concert or evening concert and help staff the green tent or Zimfest booth/table. If you are unsure what you want to do drop us a line at  and we will help you find a shift that works for you.

Pambile nga Masiko! Forward with the Past! Pamberi neChinyakare!
—Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Important Dates

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Greetings Zimfest Community,

We are pleased to report that registrations for Zimfest 2014 are steadily increasing; the excitement is building! The good news this week is that our dear friend Dr. Sheasby Matiure has arrived in the U.S. We are still waiting to hear about the visa status for Selmor Mtukudzi however.

Don’t put off too long registering for Zimfest! Here are some important dates and bits of information you should be aware of:

  • The last date to register for and purchase a guaranteed room at the University of Puget Sound during Zimfest is June 23. Housing registration will remain open, and UPS will work with us to provide rooms registered for after this date, but cannot guarantee their availability.
  • The last date to purchase UPS meals and rooms is July 9. You may be able to purchase meals at onsite registration, but UPS cannot guarantee their availability.
  • Marketplace vendor applications are due June 30. See https://2014.zimfest.org/marketplace/ for information and applications.

We are sad to hear that Erica Azim will not be coming to Zimfest 2014. Fortunately we have many excellent mbira instructors lined up for this year’s festival, and there are still plenty of interesting and fun workshops to choose from. Stay tuned for additions to the workshop schedule, as several marimba classes have already filled up.

Pambile nga Masiko! Forward with the Past! Pamberi neChinyakare!

—Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest 2014 Updates

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

We have had a tremendous response since Zimfest registration went live May 17! Some of our workshops are already filling up, and we are pleased to announce that Patience Musandirire has agreed to teach a second session of one of his marimba workshops; see announcements of this and all future changes at https://2014.zimfest.org/news/. The good news from Zimbabwe is that Patience has been granted his US visa, as has Sheasby Matiure.

Unfortunately, Bulawayo dancer Caroline Mangwiro will not be joining us for Zimfest 2014 as her visa application has been denied. We have cancelled Caroline’s dance workshops, and will let you know in the coming weeks if we add any additional dance classes.

Our new Zimfest PASS is proving to be popular. We apologize for any registration quirks regarding the PASS – thanks for your patience! If you would like to purchase the all-inclusive Zimfest PASS, our advice is to register for it first, as soon as you add yourself as a participant. You do not need to sign up for concert tickets as they are included, but you do need to sign up for your chosen workshops.

Pamberi neChinyakare! Forward with the Past!
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

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