Zimfest News Blog

Posts Tagged "Zimfest registration"

Zimfest 2015 Registration Is Open

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!

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest 2015 Teacher and Performer Applications

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

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , , , , , ,
2 Comments

Final Pre-Zimfest Message

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

 

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest Update

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

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest Countdown

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

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest Update

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

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , , , ,
No Comments

Zimbabwean Guests at Zimfest

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

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest Important Dates

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

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , , , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest 2014 Updates

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

Posted In: Festival Details
Tagged With: , ,
No Comments

Zimfest 2014 Registration Open

Dear Zimfest community,

We are pleased to announce that online registration for the 2014 Zimbabwean Music Festival is now open at https://2014.zimfest.org. We apologize for the delay, but think you will find it worth the wait! This year we are introducing the all-inclusive Zimfest PASS, which covers all festival costs including room, meals, concerts and workshops. Read about the PASS and other exciting new features at Zimfest 2014 at https://2014.zimfest.org/whats-new/.

Thanks for your patience,
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: , , ,
No Comments

Zimfest 2014 Registration Coming Soon

Dear Zimfest community,

We had hoped to have the Zimfest 2014 online registration website live by May 1 but are experiencing delays. We look forward to making the announcement very soon that https://2014.zimfest.org is ready to accept registrations. In the meantime we appreciate your patience as we are working hard to get the system operational.

Thank you,
Zimfest 2014 Organizing Committee

Posted In: Festival News
Tagged With: ,
2 Comments