Minutes from the February 11th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
Zimfest News Blog
Maharimba Instruments for Sale
Greetings friends,
The Maharimbas of Corvallis, OR have retired after 30 years of performing, and are selling their marimbas. The set consists of five instruments, all Padauk keys:
Bass from C (bottom note), D E F G A B C D E (top note)
Comes with a strong bench
Baritone from G (bottom note) to A B C D E F G A B C D E (top note)
Comes with a strong bench
Two tenors, one lead—all have three octaves, with no F#
There is also a set of Matador Timbales on a professional stand, and a set of percussion instruments on a professional stand—2 bells and 3 blocks, and room for more.
Finally, there are 2 sets of bass mallets, and 2 sets of baritone mallets. Everything is in good working order. PVC pipes underneath, keys, etc.
The Maharimbas
These instruments were made by Peter Bush in Estacada.
We are offering the full set for $1650, or any best offer over that! Will deliver to most places in Oregon for the cost of fuel. Please contact Sara Swanberg via email at saraswan (at) casco (dot) net.
This message is posted on behalf of Sara Swanberg and the Maharimbas while we wait for Dandemutande to come back online!
Fambai zvakanaka Maharimbas!
Posted In: Zimfest Association News
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Applications Deadline Looming
Hello Zimfest community,
With the winter holidays over, and Valentine’s Day behind us, it’s a perfect time to make summer plans. Join us as a teacher at Zimfest 2018!
The deadline for Zimfest applications is February 28, one short week. Make a difference to the festival by applying to share something you know – we especially need marimba teachers at Beginner, Novice and Intermediate levels.
Photo courtesy of YAAMBA
For information and the link to the applications, see https://zimfest.org/overview/teacher-application-information/
Zimfest 2018: Music Dancing Across Borders
Posted In: Festival News
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Benefit Concert for Zimfest!
Greetings Zimfest community,
Mylinda King is putting on her 23rd annual student marimba concert. Every year she and her students use the event to raise money for a good Zimbabwean cause. This year’s recipient is Zimfest!
The concert is free but all proceeds from the raffle and silent auction will benefit Zimfest. But wait, it gets better! We will also be raffling off an exquisite African-inspired quilt lovingly made by the Cama Beach Quilters All quilt proceeds will benefit Tariro, Ancient Ways and the Portland-Mutare Sister City Association.
When: March 3, 2018 Noon -3:00pm
Doors open 11:30am for an informative slideshow about Zimfest and Raffle preview
Where: Portland Foursquare Church, 2830 NE Flanders St. Portland, OR 97232
If you can’t make the concert but would still like to help out Zimfest you can donate a raffle or silent auction item. Gift certificates and other items can be purchased on your behalf and donated to the raffle.
For more info contact MyLinda at marimba[at]teleport[dot]com
Posted on behalf of Mylinda King
Zimfest 2018: Music Dancing Across Borders
Posted In: Zimfest Association News
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January Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the January 14th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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Submit Your Zimfest 2018 Applications
Greetings Zimfest community! Salibonani! Mhoroi!
We are waiting for your applications to teach and perform at Zimfest 2018. You have one short month before applications close on February 28, 2018.
Check out the fabulous Zimfest 2018 graphic by Rachel Edson on the 2018 webpage. Let us know if you would like a pile of these Save the Date cards to distribute in your community.
And as always, we’d love your help organizing and producing Zimfest 2018! Write volunteers[at]zimfest[dot]org to find out what you can do.
Best regards,
Claire and the 2018 Zimfest Organizing Committee
Posted In: Festival News
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In Loving Memory
Dear Zimfest Community,
The Zimfest Association Board regrets to announce the passing of our friend Karen Wolf. Karen was a beloved member of the NW Washington Zimbabwean music community. She also loved Zimfest and was a committed volunteer. We will miss her warmth and beautiful photographs of the festival. Our deepest condolences go to her family and friends. May her soul rest in peace.
Sincerely,
– ZA Board of Directors
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December Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the December 10th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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Zimfest Applications are Open
Dear Zimfest Community,
Online applications are now open for the 2018 Zimbabwean Music Festival. To apply to teach or perform at this year’s festival, follow links on the Zimfest 2018 home page or go directly to the Teacher Application Information and/or Performer Application Information pages. The ZA Tech committee has done a great job finding appropriate software and formatting the applications so that they are very user friendly. You should find that it is just as easy to fill out the applications using a smart phone as it is on a computer. Unlike previous years, you will not need a Google account to log in.
Each year we seek to offer a balance of workshops, including singing, dancing, drumming, marimba, several types of mbira and a variety of cultural presentations. In response to desires expressed by Zimfest participants for marimba workshops in which students improvise on commonly-known songs, we are encouraging teachers to propose workshops in the form of curated jam sessions; these are best offered at intermediate and advanced levels. We would also love to see workshops (especially from Zimbabwean instructors!) that integrate and relate marimba to singing, dancing, drumming and/or hosho, to bring home to American students the awareness that these music and dance activities are rarely separate in Zimbabwe. Send us your ideas, whether stand-alone or linked workshops, and we’ll see what we can schedule!
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for Zimfest 2018, August 9-12 at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, OR. Please remember that the festival needs your volunteer help! If you are interested in volunteering, please write
Happy New Year from the 2018 Organizing Committee!
Best regards, Claire Jones
Zimfest Coordinator
Music Dancing Across Borders
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Zimfest Association Annual Campaign
Dear Zimfest Association Friends and Members,
We hope you are doing well and have found this year challenging as well as thought-provoking, given the many newsworthy events both in Zimbabwe and the USA! We write to announce the Zimfest Association’s Annual Campaign and Membership Drive. This will be our fifth year running the campaign, and we are hoping that it will be our most successful ever. While the festival itself provides some income to the association, these funds are simply insufficient to help sustain and grow the Association and the Festival. Here are some ways that you can help.
Become a Member of the Zimfest Association
Our goal is to have all Zimfest participants be members of the organization. It is our hope that a healthy dialogue about the festival and Association can emerge from a membership that feels a sense of ownership in the Zimfest Association. Membership covers the calendar year January 1st through December 31st. Membership dues are an essential part of keeping Zimfest alive and vibrant. From as little as $10.00 per year for our Youth/Student membership, there are membership categories to fit any budget and situation! Consider Regular, Family, Couple, Teacher, Lifetime, and Lifetime Family, memberships. Members may choose to have their names published on the website and in the Festival Guide as a public display of support for Zimfest. Membership fees are also 100% tax deductible, for now at least! Please refer to the membership page to renew or initiate a membership. If you renewed or took out a membership early in the year and did not hear from us, it may have been due to a glitch on our website signup form. Please write us at if you want to clarify your membership status.
Provide Charitable Donations to the Zimfest Association
While Membership dues are a great start, Zimfest needs a wider base of support to ensure long-term stability. For this reason, we are asking for everyone who can to make a tax-deductible donation to the Zimfest Association. These donations have been essential for the festival in the past, and your support of Zimfest now will help secure the future of the festival and sustain our financial well-being. If your company supports matching donations or in-kind work, find out from your supervisor or Human Resources department how your company can match your contribution—often dollar for dollar!
If you are a regular attendee of the festival, this is the perfect year to donate. Without a festival this year, we hope that you consider donating even a small fraction of what would normally go towards travel expenses, workshops, meal cards, etc. to help keep the momentum in this gap year. Your contributions really do make a difference and help the Association continue its efforts to put on the best Zimbabwean music festival in North America! To donate, go to the Support Zimfest page.
Other Ways to Contribute
Finally, we’d like to remind you of three completely painless ways you can donate and help Zimfest on an ongoing basis. Go to the Support Zimfest page for information on Giving Assistant, AmazonSmile and eBay Giving.
If you’d like to learn more about this festival and what goes on during the other 360 days a year, please contact us at or review our recent activities on our blog .
Thanks for all you do to help make Zimfest a success. Best wishes for the holidays and new year, and we hope to see you at Zimfest 2018!
–The Zimfest Association Board
Posted In: Zimfest Association News
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Call for Zimfest Interns
Dear Zimfest Community,
Have you ever wondered how many people it takes to organize Zimfest? At the Zimfest 2016 Village Meeting the idea of experienced volunteers mentoring new folks was brought up. That afternoon as the festival wound down, I threw out an offer to Volunteer Coordinator Carla Starck to help with the next one.
Fast forward to now. Zimfest 2018 is on the horizon, and Carla has taken me up on my offer to act as the Volunteer Coordinator intern. I’m so honored to be part of the dedicated and spirited organizing team. We want to offer this experience to others and are putting out a call for Zimfest lovers to shadow experienced volunteers, learning the ropes and sharing the opportunity to make the next Zimfest even better.
Our most immediate need is for an intern to assist the Workshop Coordinator, as teacher applications and workshop proposals will start coming in soon. This is an exciting position, particularly if you would like to have input in the offerings, and love the idea of creating a better experience. This internship could be split into pre-festival and onsite jobs, possibly shared by two people. Let’s talk!*
Now back to the original question of how many people it takes to make Zimfest happen? Literally hundreds—people like you and me.
Heron Stombock
Zimfest 2018 Volunteers Assistant
Notes from Festival Coordinator
* Write to
See the Call for Volunteers for other unfilled positions
Music Dancing Across Borders
Posted In: Festival News
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November Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes from the November 12th meeting of the Zimfest Association board of directors have been posted.
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