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Posts Tagged "Western Oregon University"

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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Vendor Information and Applications

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

A new Zimfest 2015 web site is online at https://2015.zimfest.org. Marketplace vendor information and applications are now available there.

The 2015 Zimbabwean Music Festival will take place August 13-16 on the campus of Western Oregon University in Monmouth. The full festival schedule and online registration will be available in May.

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Zimfest 2015 Applications Close Soon

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Online applications to perform and teach at Zimfest 2015 close Sunday March 15. If you have been thinking about applying, now is the time for action! Log in at 2015.zimfest.org and do it – tell us what you’d like to teach, or who your band is. We are especially looking for dance, drumming, language, karimba (nyunga nyunga) and cultural presentation workshops.

Zimfest 2015: Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony
The Zimfest 2015 Organizing Committee

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Zimfest Applications due March 15

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival Details

Beware, the Ides of March cometh! Online applications to perform and teach at Zimfest 2015 are due March 15! This year’s festival runs from August 13 to 16 and will take place at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, just west of Salem. We are hoping to see lots of performing groups from Portland and Eugene this year, and teachers from all over. Submit your applications now, don’t wait until the last minute! Please address any questions to or .

Apply Online at https://2015.zimfest.org

On behalf of the Zimfest Association,
—Zimfest Coordinator Claire Jones

(P.S. — Don’t forget Zimfest Association is now registered to receive donations when people shop at AmazonSmile. You can support the festival by choosing Zimfest Association as the organization you would like to receive 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases at AmazonSmile.)

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Zimfest 2015 Teacher and Performer Applications

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

It’s time to submit your Zimfest 2015 applications online! Teacher and performer applications are available now at https://2015.zimfest.org. The due date for applications is March 15, 2015.

Please be advised that we are using Google accounts for login this year; When you log in, you will be prompted to sign in using a Google account, and we recommend that you use a Gmail account if you already have one.  Alternatively, you may register a Google account for an email address of your choice (including third-party providers such as Yahoo) by following these directions: https://accounts.google.com/SignUp.

Be sure to mark your calendars for the 2015 Zimbabwean Music Festival August 13-16th at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR. The theme for this year’s festival is “Enduring Rhythms ~ Gathering in Harmony.”

If you are artistically inclined, there is still time to submit designs and artwork to be used on Zimfest promotional material. For more info, see our previous blog post Zimfest 2015 Theme and Call for Artwork Submissions.

Please remember that the festival needs your volunteer help! If you are interested in volunteering, please write

Best regards on behalf of the 2015 Organizing Committee,
Claire Jones
2015 Zimfest Coordinator

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ZIMFEST – It Takes a Village

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

The Zimfest Association Board and I recently made the announcement that the 2015 Zimbabwean Music Festival will be held at Western Oregon University in Monmouth OR, August 13-16, 2015. I am happy to say that the Tech Committee has been working hard to improve the website and online registration system; we are targeting mid-January for online applications to open on the festival website at https://2015.zimfest.org. There is much to do before that date, and I have been recruiting team members to work on the Zimfest Organizing Committee for the past month. It really does take a village—we are in desperate need of people who can give up some time and energy to make the next Zimfest a great one! Helping out with the annual festival is a great way to give back for all the joy and enrichment you have experienced through this wonderful music.

What You Can Do To Help

If you have the time and commitment, volunteer for the core organizing committee, members of which meet regularly via skype and take responsibility for major areas of the festival: Teacher and Workshop Scheduling, Concert planning and production, Marketplace and Vendors Coordination, Volunteer Coordinator.

If you have small chunks of time, there are many other tasks that you can do leading up to (as well as at) the festival: publicity and marketing; festival guide article and ad solicitation, proofreading, editing and production; website content proofing and updating; T-shirt production and sales; airport pickups/drop-offs.

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If you are a group that would like to work on a project together, I envision several opportunities: work party to put together registration packets; festival decorations; festival signage; festival site cleanup crew.

Please let me know if and how you can help: e-mail claire [at] zimfest {dot} org
Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator
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Announcing Zimfest 2015 Location and Dates

Posted on by Claire Jones Posted in Festival News

Dear Zimfest Community,

The Zimfest Board and I are pleased to announce the dates and location for next year’s festival. Zimfest 2015 will be held August 13-16, 2015 at Western Oregon University. WOU is a campus of about 6,000 located in Monmouth, OR, 20 minutes west of the capital, Salem. We are happy to return the festival to Oregon, in a location that is nearly equidistant from Portland and Eugene—an easy 75 minute drive from either city. Monmouth is in the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley, wine country, with easy access to the Oregon coast.

The Grove at WOU, Potential Zimfest Marketplace Site

The Grove at WOU, Potential Zimfest Marketplace Site

We realize that we are somewhat late in announcing these dates to you, and want to let you know that we have been researching potential Zimfest sites not only for 2015 but for future festivals as well. It has become more and more difficult to find the facilities we require for a full festival at affordable rates and desirable dates. For this reason the need to settle on one or more semi-permanent sites has become more urgent. We are hoping Western Oregon University might work for our community as a home. As always, we ask for your feedback.

I am also late to form an organizing committee! If you would like to be involved in planning and organizing Zimfest 2015 in any way or form, please e-mail me: claire-at-zimfest-dot-org.

Best regards,
Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator

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