Zimfest News Blog

Posts Tagged "Zimfest organizing committee"

Announcing Zimfest 2025: August 7-10 at CWU

Dear Zimfest community,

At long last, the ZA board and I are happy to announce the dates and location for Zimfest 2025: August 7-10, 2025, at Central Washington University (CWU) in Ellensburg, WA. Mark your calendars! Be forewarned that Zimfest has been allocated a single dorm with only 80% of the number of beds we usually require on-campus, so you may wish to look into nearby motels, Air BnB’s and campgrounds well in advance. More info on these options coming soon!

The Search

We are so sorry that it took us this long to confirm a date, having begun an exhaustive WA State venue search late last year. After contacting many institutions, we have learned that college conference organizers and the administrations that oversee them have been as disturbed by the COVID epidemic as have many other for-profit and not-for-profit entities.

  • Conference service fees are higher all around; be prepared to pay more when registering for  Zimfest 2025 and future festivals to help us balance the budget.
  • Disturbingly, at least two institutions that hosted Zimfest in the past do not want us back for reasons traceable to participant (mis)behavior. This made our search more difficult, and we remind Zimfest-goers that we owe respect and gratitude to our institutional hosts and their efforts, as well their rules (especially regarding alcohol and marijuana use!).

Volunteers Needed

Finally, we will be re-forming our Organizing Committee (OC) to begin work on Zimfest 2025, starting with teacher and performer applications to open in January. As always, we need volunteer help. Here are some needs we know of right now:

  • Volunteer Coordinator—active member of the OC, with duties leading up to and during the festival
  • Local Arrangements—does not need to meet with the OC, carries out tasks as needed in concert with Festival Coordinator
  • Grant Writing and other Fund-Raising—works independently on behalf of the ZA Board
  • Other Ongoing Volunteer Needs: see How and Why to Volunteer on the website

You can fill out the Volunteer Contact Form on the website or write directly to claire[at]zimfest[dot]org for info or to put your hand up!

Thanks for reading (apologies for the lengthy post)!
Claire Jones, Zimfest Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

(PS – We limited our site research and evaluation to Washington state this year with the vision of alternating years between Oregon and Washington sites. See here if you are interested in the venues we have researched.

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Zimfest Registration Update

Dear Zimfest community, some updates for you:

  • Registration for Zimfest workshops is going briskly, and a number of workshops have filled up. The Teachers and Workshops team will be taking a look next week to adjust and possibly add to the schedule of offerings.
  • On the other hand, all performers and teachers have been sent their official letters of acceptance and contract agreements, yet very few have been signed and returned. If you are a teacher or band contact person, please check your spam and junk folders for these important notices from Zimfest and respond asap!
  • For those who are asking whether workshop groups may go outside (rather than stay inside with masks on), we have now received confirmation that there is adequate space outside Community Hall, so singing classes in that building may go outside if the teacher and students wish. Mbira workshop groups may go outside as well, and hosho classes will meet at registration and then go outside.
  • We are happy to report that all our invited Zimbabwean guests resident in Zimbabwe now have their appointments for visa interviews, which has been a major hurdle this year. Send good vibes (play mbira for them!) so that they all get approved!
  • We have a need for a job that does not appear in the volunteer signup list. If you are experienced in desktop publishing or page layout and are available in July to help put together the Festival Handout (sorry, no Festival Guide this year), please contact claire{at}zimfest{dot}org.
  • The Volunteer Coordinators have been pleased to see a steady flow of people signing up for volunteer tasks–keep ’em coming as there are still many jobs to be filled. 

Many thanks, enjoy the Memorial Day Weekend!
Claire and the 2023 OC

 

  Music Dancing Across Borders

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Announcing Zimbabwean Artists at Zimfest 2023

Dear Zimfest community,

The Zimfest OC is excited to announce the Zimbabwean guests for 2023, including five performing and teaching artists new to Zimfest: Othnell Mangoma Moyo, Joyce Warikandwa Chihera, Mudavanhu Magaya, Innocent Musafare Mutero, and Tendayi Kusaya. Read more about them and returning friends on the Festival Overview page. Also check out planned Festival Events, including a tribute in song to the recently deceased Ambuya Stella Chiweshe among the Festival Highlights on Sunday afternoon.

We are hard at work getting registration ready to go, targeted to open on May 1 for members and May 4 for all others; the workshop schedule will be published soon. We have had unexpected news from OSU University Housing services, in that many of the rooms for rent in McNary Hall are triples. This is a mixed blessing as the triple rooms will be great for participants coming in groups, but not all the beds will be at floor level as we requested. See On-Campus Housing for room rates and configurations.

Friendly reminder to those wishing to renew Memberships: If you are a long-time member but have not paid for a membership since November 2021 (when we introduced a new membership system), you cannot renew your old membership. You must take out a new membership in the new system. If you take out or renew a membership in April, you will be able to access the registration system on May 1 before the general public.

Claire Jones, Festival Coordinator

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Call for volunteers for Zimfest 2023

Dear Zimfest community,

Now that the ZA Board has identified a host institution (Oregon State University in Corvallis) for an in-person Zimfest from July 21-23, 2023, it’s past time to get to work on it!

What you can do to help

Online applications are scheduled to open in early January. We are actively recruiting volunteers and team members to work on the Zimfest Organizing Committee (OC). Many of the current OC members are willing to continue on and may be able to mentor inexperienced or young volunteers who want to learn on the job as interns.

Volunteer for the OC – members take responsibility for major areas of the festival, meet regularly via Zoom, and share files on Zimfest’s Google Drive. Thus, OC members must be technologically capable of working remotely and using Google Drive. (But don’t worry, there are many non-OC tasks that can be done without needing to meet regularly or use Google Drive!). We need people to work on the following:

  • Concert Production – line up sound person and equipment, handle logistics of concert production on outdoor and indoor stages. The main concert hall at OSU will not be available to us in the summer of 2023, and we will be using a ballroom in the Student Union with little space backstage for storage and/or sound desk.
  • Volunteer Co-Coordinator– this could be an intern position
  • Marketplace Coordination-this job could be split into two: one person to deal with applications and another to coordinate booths onsite
  • Site Coordinator and Local Arrangements- (preferably local Oregonians): work with Festival Coordinator to interface with host institution; research third party vendors to procure any needs that OSU cannot provide

Other jobs take up varying lengths of time leading up to and at the festival, but do not require you to meet regularly with the OC:

  • Graphics person to work with image files for publicity, etc.
  • T-shirt and merchandise production
  • Publicity and Marketing
  • Festival Guide layout (required if we are to produce a printed guide this year)
  • Assisting Zim Guest Coordination – arranging shuttles and airport pickups/drop-offs, etc.

Call for Festival Artwork coming soon!

Thanks in advance for your help and support,
Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator

MUSIC DANCING ACROSS BORDERS

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Zimfest Applications Close in Five Weeks

Dear Zimfest Community,

A reminder that applications for Zimfest 2022 close on February 28, a month away!

The OC feels the uncertainty as the Omicron variant continues to rage, but sees hope on the horizon as data shows the infections starting to decrease, and there are predictions that the peak will be past by mid-February. 

We welcome your applications now to teach and/or perform despite the uncertainty. Dreaming into summer by applying for Zimfest can be an expression of hope and resilience.

Information and the application button for (live) performers is here
Information and the application button for those wishing to submit pre-recorded performances or presentations is here
Information and the application button for teachers is here.         

Keep track of Zimfest Covid Safety requirements here.
Stay well,

Claire and the Zimfest Organizers

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2021 Zimfest Message from the OC

Hi Zimfest Fans,

As I am sure most of you are aware, the Zimfest Organizing Committee has been busy putting together an awesome show for this year, with some great favorite players like mbira master Musekiwa Chingodza, and some totally new folks to Zimfest, like dancer Ndomupeishe Chipendo.

The OC has been hearing from folks that they would much prefer a live event instead of the online show that is being presented.  We get it and completely agree that seeing folks up close and personal would be the best, and we would much rather have a live event as well.  However, it was obvious that we would not be able to get anyone into this country from Zimbabwe by July.  Sadly, the situation is getting worse now, very few Zimbabweans have been vaccinated and Covid is spreading rapidly through Zimbabwe, so our crystal ball was correct.  We also did not know what the situation would be like in July in America either, and the Covid cases have been climbing here as well. 

However, we equally know that our Zimbabwean friends could really use a cash infusion, so let’s support them in any way that we can, which in this case is supporting their efforts to provide us with some great performances and workshops.  On the bright side, this year we are able to present some folks that we have not been able to bring to Zimfest due to cost constraints, but we are able to include them in our online presentation.  So check out our great program schedule for the weekend of July 30 – August 1 and join us.  If that weekend does not work for you, the concerts will be available on demand and you can view them later at a time of your convenience. 

The full schedule and concert lineups have now been published on our website and on our Facebook page.

So let’s enjoy this awesome show and see you all in person in 2022!

Thanks,
Jim Levine and the Zimfest Organizing Committee

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Zimfest 2021 – How to Create Your Square of the Quilt

Zimfest 2021 - A Quilt of Local Events... Stiched Together

Dear Zimfest Family,

We hope our previous blog post has sparked some creative thoughts on how to participate in Zimfest 2021, taking place July 30-August 1 online. This post will give additional structure to our Quilt theme and answer some logistical questions.

Types of Squares: The Organizing Committee (OC) is looking for three types of Squares that we can stitch into a Zimfest 2021 Quilt.

  • Live Participatory Workshop or Presentation – Involves realtime interaction between teacher/presenter and students. Hosted on Zoom, only North American and European residents please. Duration of 30, 60, or 90 min.
  • Prerecorded Performance or Presentation – One or more songs or talks from individuals or groups. Hosted on YouTube and/or Facebook with interactive chat. Applicants may propose a cluster of performances, but each video file should be no longer than 30 min to allow the OC some flexibility in the stitching process.
  • Livestreamed Performance – One or more songs from individuals or groups, no longer than 60 min total. Hosted on Facebook Live (Zoom often fails to deliver high quality video of live music). This option should only be used by experienced hosts of livestreaming events and it would be wise to submit a prerecorded video as a backup.

These guidelines are not meant to be rigid limits, so let the OC know (oc{at}zimfest{dot}org) if you have an idea that doesn’t quite fit within them.

Focus on Supporting Zimbabweans and Expanding Participation: The online emphasis of Zimfest 2021 is an opportunity to involve more Zimbabweans than we can typically host at an in-person festival, as well as others who cannot normally travel to the festival. In the spirit of inclusiveness, we encourage proposals from all over North America as well as Zimbabweans throughout the global diaspora!

Applications and Content Submission: An online application where individuals or communities can describe their proposed Square(s) is available here, with a deadline of June 30. The Zimfest OC will select from these Squares as we do each year for an in-person festival and send successful applicants upload instructions. Videos should have a minimum resolution of 720p (1280 x 720 pixels) and be in .mp4 format. We will notify successful applicants no later than July 10 and we must receive videos no later than July 23 to allow for testing before we present the overall Quilt.

Suggestions for Teachers or Performers in Zimbabwe: Internet connections in Africa are not reliable enough for livestreaming, so we request that video from there be prerecorded. For accepted proposals requiring recording facilities in Africa and video file upload, Zimfest will cover reasonable studio and data expenses. Jennifer Kyker and Musekiwa Chingodza demonstrated in 2020 that co-teaching with one teacher live and the other providing recorded material can be quite successful, so we suggest that proposals may be based on this model.

Reduce Screen Fatigue: After 2020, we all know how our attention can wander during an online event. To avoid this during Zimfest 2021, consider having a ‘watch party’ where you gather (in a pandemic-safe way) to watch together.

Calling Virtual Volunteers: As with an in-person festival, the OC needs your help to make Zimfest 2021 a success. We need MCs to introduce videos, video editors to add captions where needed, viewers to screen submitted for quality, etc. Please write to volunteers{at}zimfest{dot}org to learn how you can help.

Newly-revised Homepage: Check out the Quilt-themed artwork and other updates at https://zimfest.org/.

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Zimfest Online News

Dear Zimfest community,
As disappointed as we are not to be able to physically gather this summer, the Zimfest Board and OC want you to know we are working on ways to virtually engage with you all.

  • Go to the Kutandara (Boulder, CO) website to learn about their many online activities. Randy and Amy have instituted the #KutandaraPlaysMarimba project offering free song-of-the-month marimba lessons on YouTube to get everyone playing “together.”
  • The Zimfest Organizing Committee will be offering the Cultural Presentations that the festival is known for on an online basis. Stay tuned!
  • Calling for a Digital Media Curator for Zimfest. We have a need for a digitally-minded volunteer to help us out as we work on putting more music and media online. This individual(s) would lead the way for Zimfest in the sourcing, collection, adjustment, inventory, and presentation of media types including audio, video, and photos.
  • Our call for designs for Zimfest this year has resulted in an updated logo – see below! Thanks to Penny Martindale for her creative eye!

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Virtual Marimba Opportunity

Greetings Zimbabwean Music Community,

We hope you are faring well during these uncertain times. As we mentioned in the Zimfest Association post announcing the cancellation of Zimfest 2020, we have been brainstorming ways to sustain our community and celebrate Zimbabwean music and culture while remaining physically distant. In the meantime, a member of the community has shared with us an opportunity to perform marimba together virtually that we’d like to pass on to you.

Michael Smith, a Portland marimba teacher (and vendor at Zimfest 2016), has been working with his students on a Virtual MarimbaLab Project using their arrangement of the song “Lean On Me” in the key of C so that everyone (especially Zimbabwean-style marimba players) can participate.  He had just launched the project on his website when the news came out that composer and 1970s soul music icon Bill Withers had passed away, making the project more timely and poignant as a video tribute.

Go to Michael’s MarimbaLab website to learn more about the project and join in if you wish. Marimba players, drummers, hosho (shaker) players and hand-clappers are all welcome!

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention other Zimfest musicians who are finding ways to share their music online, Check out our favorite guitarist Zivanai Masango’s Facebook page and Youtube channel; the ZiMBiRA leader has so much to share! Those who are on Facebook will find lots of mbira music shared by–among many others–Zimfest teachers new (Taffie Matiure) and old (Joel Laviolette, hosting a weekly mbira session).  

Stay safe and healthy,
Zimfest Organizing Committee

Music Dancing Across Borders

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Announcing the Cancellation of Zimfest 2020

Dear Zimfest Community,

After much discussion by the Zimfest Association Board and the Organizing Committee, we have decided to cancel Zimfest 2020. In lieu of holding the festival this year, we will begin to plan for Zimfest 2021, and also explore alternative opportunities for celebrating and supporting Zimbabwean music.

The health and safety of Zimfest teachers, performers and participants have been our paramount concern.

Although there is no way to predict what the status of the COVID-19 pandemic will be in late July, we must consider the possibility that restrictions will still be in place regarding large group activities that would require a last-minute cancellation of the festival.

If this were the only barrier we faced, a final decision could potentially have been postponed until later in the year, but unfortunately we also face a number of challenges in the short term:

  • The availability of Conference Services staff at The Evergreen State College, our Zimfest 2020 host, is very limited during this time, as all campus services are on deferred operations through at least April 24 due to COVID-19. As a result, we have not yet received the letters of invitation we requested for our Zimbabwean guests—these are necessary documents supporting their B-1 visa applications. We also require data on room allotment by early April in order to set up our registration system. As long as the deferred operations are in place, we can expect further delays in other essential information on facilities, concert, and workshop venues, adversely affecting our ability to open registration.  There is currently no estimate for when Evergreen Conference Services will resume normal operations.
  • The U.S. Embassy in Harare, where Zimbabwean visa applicants must appear for mandatory in-person interviews, has cancelled routine non-immigrant visa appointments as of March 19, 2020.  It is unknown when this restriction will be lifted.
  • Due to an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, South African Airlines has cancelled international flights for the indefinite future. This carrier provides flights from Harare to Johannesburg SA that are often the first leg of the journey from Zimbabwe to the US. Many flights onward from Joburg are also being cancelled and their future availability cannot be predicted.
  • The United States has barred entry of citizens from many regions of the world, including Asia, Europe, Canada and Mexico. There is no indication when such bans may be lifted.
  • Another consideration is the severe economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Members of the Zimfest community will be affected financially by working reduced hours or losing their jobs, while others are beset by new challenges such as converting from in-person to remote working or teaching. These difficulties could suppress Zimfest attendance, even if COVID-19 transmission were no longer an issue at the end of July.

In short, because of conditions outside of our control, we are unable to put on a successful Zimbabwean Music Festival this year. We believe that announcing the cancellation now, rather than waiting, will reduce financial losses by Zimbabwean artists who need to pay for visa applications, airfare, etc.

In times of stress and uncertainty, gathering together in community to celebrate Zimbabwean music and each other could be an especially healing and uplifting experience. Members of the Board and Organizing Committee mourn along with you the loss of our event and the incredible line-up of teachers and performers who planned to attend this year. We are especially sad about the lost opportunity for Zimbabwean artists to come to the festival, teach and perform, make new connections, and earn income for their families. 

We wish you and yours good health during these unsettled times, and extend our sympathy to anyone who has lost family members or friends to the virus. To the healthcare personnel in our community, we deeply thank you for helping save the lives of others, despite the risks. Traditional music has provided strength and healing during many troubled times; may you continue to gain comfort from the music we love, even as we ride out this unprecedented worldwide calamity.

Sincerely,

Zimfest Association Board
2020 Zimfest Organizing Committee

Zimfest: Music Dancing Across Borders

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Zimfest 2020 Novel Coronavirus Update

Dear Zimfest Community,

The Zimfest Board is monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential impact on Zimfest 2020.

At this time, we plan to hold Zimfest 2020 from July 31st – August 2nd on the campus of The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. Registration is targeted to open on May 1.

Please be aware that this decision may change based on guidance from health agencies, travel restrictions, or if we feel that the risk posed to the Zimfest community is unacceptably high.  The board regularly reviews updates and guidance from local, state, and national public health agencies to inform our decisions.  We are also working closely with our host, The Evergreen State College, as we navigate these uncertain times.

The Board will provide regular updates about the situation and its impact on Zimfest 2020. We are all looking forward to the Festival  but your safety and health are our first concern. Please check the Zimfest blog regularly for updates. If you have questions or concerns about the impact of novel coronavirus on the festival, please write to our Board contact person, janis{at}zimfest{dot}org. Questions about the festival should be directed to oc{at}zimfest{dot}org. 

Sincerely,

Zimfest Association Board and Zimfest 2020 Organizing Committee

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Applications Wanted

Hello Zimfest people,

Just a reminder from the Organizing Committee that applications are open until February 29  for teachers and performers for Zimfest 2020! Please don’t wait until the last minute – your application will stand out from the crowd if you apply now!

And a message from the Tech committee: We are seeking a web graphic design volunteer who has knowledge and experience with WordPress. Help us to maintain and improve the Zimfest website!  Write to tech{at}zimfest{dot}org with your contact info and relevant skills.

Hoping to hear from you soon,
Zimfest Organizing Committee
Zimfest Tech Committee
Festival Coordinator Claire Jones

Zimfest: Music Dancing Across Borders

 

 

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