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Festival Details

COUNTDOWN TO ZIMFEST 2018

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details — 2 Comments ↓

Hello all,

It’s 23 days until we meet again in Monmouth!

If you are arriving on Thursday, August 9, WE NEED YOU to help us transform WOU campus into Zimfest 2018. We build stages and decorate them, we move instruments into classrooms, we put signs around campus, and so much more…

We literally build the festival!  Let’s do this!  Sign up on the Volunteers page.
This is a great way to get a head start on connecting with old friends and making new ones.

– Volunteers Intern Heron Stombock

Some other tidbits from the OC:

  • Housing and dining registration ends this Friday, July 20 at midnight. Tell your friends who’ve been putting it off to do it now before it’s too late! (Sorry, camping and RV spots have sold out.)
  • There’s a new chef in charge of WOU dining, offering a greater variety of options. Check out the weekly Valsetz menu.
  • We need some coolers for the indoor and outdoor Green Rooms. Please write to claire{at}zimfest{dot}org if you can bring one – especially one with wheels!

See you  there!
– Festival Coordinator Claire Jones

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Calling All Drums

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details — 8 Comments ↓

Greetings Zimfest community,
A few quick messages from your Zimfest 2018 organizing committee:

  • As always, we are in need of hand drums – Zimbabwean style ngoma, congas or similar ones – for our drumming classes. Please let us know whether you can lend one or more by writing teachers{at}zimfest{dot}org or just bring them to the Registration desk Thursday Aug. 9 at the festival. We promise to take good care of them for the weekend!
  • For several years we have been racking our brains over how to organize the seating in the concert hall to provide both a dancing space and a sitting space with a view of the performers. It has been difficult during prior festivals for those who want to sit during the performances to actually see them, and we want to do better about this. Please spend a few minutes thinking about the problem and respond to this post with any creative ideas: write 2018{at}zimfest{dot}org.
  • Did you know Zimfest is run mostly by volunteers?  Yes!  It’s folks like you and me, lovers of Zimbabwean music, who share the experience of both ‘working’ the festival and ‘attending’! How can you help? Sign up NOW at the Volunteer Signup page to help with festival tasks!

Tatenda! Thank you! 
Zimfest 2018 OC

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Festival Reminders

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details — 1 Comment ↓

Hello Zimfest Folks,

Happy Father’s Day! We still have another month to go before registration for Zimfest housing and meals closes on July 20th. While meals may be purchased in person by commuters, there is no guarantee that there will be any dorm rooms available to rent onsite, so be sure to sign up before the deadline. I can see that there are few camping/RV sites left, and once they are gone, no more can be made available. For those who are hoping for single rooms designated as ‘quiet’ in Ackerman Hall, we will be adding some 4th floor rooms to the registration menu very soon.
Some miscellaneous reminders:

    • To Teachers and Performers: the Organizing Committee reports that only one third of you have signed and returned your contracts or agreements. Please people, the new electronic contract is so convenient and easy, you can complete it on your smart phone! We need one of these signed by everyone who is teaching or performing before the festival. If you didn’t receive or cannot find your official acceptance email with the link to the contract/agreement, please write to teachers(at)zimfest(dot)org or performers(at)zimfest(dot)org as appropriate and ask for a replacement email to be sent.
    • Are any of you associated with non-profit organizations or for-profit businesses who would like to advertise in the 2018 Festival Guide? If so, please write to chatbetty(at)gmail(dot)com for information. Our prices are very reasonable – you can immortalize your business by placing an ad in the guide! Ads must be submitted to us by July 4.
    • Speaking of deadlines, Marketplace Vendor applications close July 16th. We would love to hear from you, vendors. Go to the Vendor Information and Application page to apply.

Enjoy the summer weather!

Best regards,
Claire and the 2018 Zimfest OC

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest 2016 Survey

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival Details

Another fabulous festival is over; Zimfest 2016 is now history. If you were there, please take the Zimfest 2016 Survey at https://goo.gl/forms/lF7glY8e5a0R4aC83

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Calling all Zimfest Old Timers

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Greetings,
The Zimfest Association Board of Directors is very interested in hearing how future Zimfests can better meet the needs and desires of experienced musicians and long-time Zimfest participants. At this year’s festival, The Board will be hosting a discussion on Saturday August 13 at 11:45 a.m.in the Backstage Room in Valsetz Dining Center to hear your feedback on this topic. Please join us, bring your lunch, bring your ideas, and help contribute to stronger Zimfests in the future! This is a lunch meeting, so get your food in the cafeteria at Valsetz and then come back out towards the entrance and turn left into the Backstage Room.

Hope to see you there!
Zimfest Association Board of Directors

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Drums and Mbira Needed for Zimfest Workshops

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Hi all,

Zimfest needs loaner drums and mavembe/gandanga mbira for workshops.
 
If you have either a conga/djembe drum, or a mavembe/gandanga mbira that you are willing to loan, please bring it to the registration desk Thursday or Friday morning.  We will check it in, label it with your name, and treat it as if it were our own.
Thanks!
Zimfest 2016 Organizing Committee
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Zimfest Tips

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Greetings Zimfest Participants,

There are now six days remaining before Zimfest 2016 launches! We have a few tips and reminders for Zimfest participants, whether you are new to the festival or an old hand:

  • The weather forecast for Monmouth OR is for continued sunny and warm weather,  likely to be in the 80s during the festival. Be sure to put on sunscreen and bring fans for your rooms. Like most colleges, Western Oregon University has no air conditioning in the dorms.
  • Zimfest supplies (borrowed) marimbas and hosho for workshops, but it can be challenging procuring enough instruments for the many types of workshops we offer. If you have or can borrow a mbira in the tuning a workshop will be taught in, please bring it; otherwise the teacher or Zimfest will provide one. The same goes for drumming workshops; if you own or can borrow a drum for a workshop you are taking, please bring it.  If you are taking a guitar workshop and have a guitar amp, please bring it as Zimfest cannot provide amps.
  • Zimfest online registration for housing, dining and workshops is now closed, but you can still sign up for volunteer shifts here. Onsite registration will open at the festival at noon on Thursday August 11. You will then be able to enroll in workshops that still have space in them by going to the Registration Desk.
  • Workshop registrations will close 15 minutes before the session starting time in order for staff to print final workshop rosters.  In some cases latecomers may request a “golden ticket” to sign up for an open workshop up until the start time of the workshop.
  • Very often bands performing at Zimfest like to sell their CDs after their shows. If you are performing on the evening concert stage, Zimfest can provide table space in the WUC West Lobby outside the Pacific Room concert hall. Please provide your own CD salespeople, as Zimfest volunteers cannot sell CDs for you.

Thanks for reading, and see you at the festival!

Zimfest 2016 Organizing Committee

Sing-Dance-Play! Tambai Tambai! Dlala-Dlala!

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Less Than 1 Week To Go

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Less Than 1 Week To Go

Marimba … Mbira … Dance … Song … Drum
Hosho … Guitar … Chipendani … Presentations

drumming workshopLast day for online workshop registration is August 3rd

Marimba … Mbira … Dance … Song … Drum
Hosho … Guitar … Chipendani … Presentations

marimba workshopmarimba workshop

Marimba … Mbira … Dance … Song … Drum
Hosho … Guitar … Chipendani … Presentations

mbira workshopmbira workshop

Marimba … Mbira … Dance … Song … Drum
Hosho … Guitar … Chipendani … Presentations

Last day for online workshop registration is August 3rddance workshop

Marimba … Mbira … Dance … Song … Drum
Hosho … Guitar … Chipendani … Presentations

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Volunteer Request

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Zimfest is just two weeks away! The Organizing Committee is eagerly watching volunteer sign-ups to learn who can help pull final festival details together on Wednesday and Thursday, August 10 and 11.

Are you arriving in Monmouth on Wednesday or Thursday? If so, we can use your help setting up – particularly WORKSHOP INSTRUMENT SETUP, GENERAL FESTIVAL SETUP, SIGNAGE SETUP and COMPUTER ASSIST (at registration). If you do not have a task preference, sign up for a shift at the VOLUNTEER TABLE. Every task scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday is our first priority to fill.

Sign up here: https://zimfest.org/vol/volunteer-tasks/. With your assistance, we look forward to preparing the space for another fabulous Zimfest!

“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” —Oscar Wilde

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Registration Deadline Reminder

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Greetings Zimfest community,

Registration is going well and the excitement is building – Zimfest 2016 is only three weeks away! We wanted to remind you that there will be no housing available at the festival unless you book it in advance, and you must make your reservations online as soon as possible. Here are the important deadlines to be aware of:

  • July 25 (Monday): Sign up and pay for all housing by this date.
  • July 28 (Thursday): Workshops with enrollments of less than three (marimba) or two (all other workshops) will be canceled.
  • August 3 (Wednesday): Last day to drop workshops

See Registration Deadlines on the website for more information. To register for housing, meals, workshops, and concert tickets, go to https://register.zimfest.org.

Keep up with workshop changes: https://zimfest.org/news/festival-updates/

Sing-Dance-Play! Tambai Tambai! Dlala-Dlala!

See you soon,
Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator
On behalf of the Zimfest 2016 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest 2015 Survey

Posted on by Zimfest Association Board Posted in Festival Details

We hope you were able to attend Zimfest this year. (If not, we look forward to seeing you at a later Zimfest!)

Thank you for coming to Zimfest 2015! We all hope you had a wonderful time. As we have done in past years, we would like to hear about your experiences so that we can make Zimfest better in the years to come. And to make that easier for you, this year’s survey is much simpler than in the past. Please take a few moments to share your thoughts about what works and what can be better. You are also welcome to share any other thoughts you have about Zimfest or Zimfest Association. We welcome your input!

https://zimfest.org/overview/survey/

Thank you!

2015 Zimfest Organizing Committee
Zimfest Association Board of Directors

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Final Announcement Before Zimfest 2015

Posted on by Zimfest Organizing Committee Posted in Festival Details

Dear Zimfest Community,

This will be our final announcement before Zimfest 2015 launches on Thursday August 13. The excitement is building, but there is still much to do! We have a few comments and reminders for Zimfest participants, whether you are new to the festival or an old hand:

  • The weather forecast for Monmouth OR is for temperatures in the high 70s on Thursday, increasing to the 80s next weekend. Be sure to put on sunscreen and bring fans for your rooms. Like most colleges, Western Oregon University has no air conditioning in the dorms or most of the classrooms.
  • Zimfest supplies (borrowed) marimbas and hosho for workshops, but it can be challenging procuring enough instruments for the many types of workshops we offer. If you have or can borrow a mbira in the tuning a workshop will be taught in, please bring it; otherwise the teacher or Zimfest will provide one. The same goes for drumming workshops; if you own or can borrow a drum for a workshop you are taking, please bring it. We are also requesting those can lend drums for our workshops to please do so. If you are taking a guitar workshop and have a guitar amp, please bring it as Zimfest cannot provide amps.
  • Zimfest online registration for housing, dining and workshops is now closed, but you may still sign up for volunteer shifts at https://zimfest.org/volunteer/list/. Onsite registration will open at the festival at noon on Thursday. You will be able at that point to rent rooms or additional nights in your already-reserved rooms, purchase camping passes and/or enroll in workshops that still have space in them. You can no longer drop workshops that you have signed up and paid for; see rules about workshops and cancellations at https://zimfest.org/wksps/about-workshops/ (scroll down to the bottom).
  • Very often bands performing at Zimfest like to sell their CDs after their shows. If you are on the outdoor stage in the afternoon, the Kutsinhira people may be able to sell your CD for you; inquire at the Kutsinhira Booth in the marketplace. If you are performing on the Evening concert stage, Zimfest can provide table space in the WUC West Lobby outside the Pacific Room concert hall. Please provide your own CD salespeople, as Zimfest volunteers have other tasks to carry out and cannot sell CDs for you.

Thanks for reading, and see you at the festival!

Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony

Zimfest 2015 Organizing Committee

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