Zimfest 2018 News
May 3, 2018
Online registration is open!
May 12, 2018
What a wild ride since registration opened! As of today we have 192 registrants for Zimfest 2018. At first glance it may look like most marimba workshops are already full, but there are plenty of spaces available on Sunday. A lot is happening on the final day of the festival, so make your plans to stick around until Sunday evening to take advantage. In the ten weeks before registration closes, keep your eye on this space to see any new classes on offer, marimba or otherwise. We also encourage you to step out of your comfort zone into singing, dance and introductory mbira classes. In consultations with our teachers, we have made a few adjustments to skill levels of three workshops in order to make them accessible to more students. See announcements of these and all future workshop changes in the right-hand column.
May 31, 2018
As of today, we have 259 registrants. All marimba classes on Friday morning were full, so we have added one Novice marimba and one Intermediate marimba workshop during Session 1. We have also increased maximum enrollments in a couple of workshops during that session to accommodate more students – check it out! Lastly, Martha Thom has assured us that her Hosho with Dancing workshop (Session 3) is open to hosho players of all levels, so do not be intimidated about signing up for it!
July 3, 2018
Have a happy and safe July 4th, everyone! We have begun to hear of visa decisions, and the news is not all good. As of late June, there was still no decision on Barnabas Ngalande and Tawanda Mapanda, the two teacher/performers Polyphony Marimba had applied for. Since time is running out, they decided to abandon the application for this year, and try again next year. Replacement workshops, or replacement teachers for their workshops, will be announced on this page as they are confirmed.
July 6, 2018
More bad news, Zimfest people. Visas have been denied for Jacob Mafuleni and Martha Thom despite two appeals and three interviews at the US Embassy in Harare. We are all heartbroken over this news. However, their son Abel Mafuleni was granted his visa and is still coming thanks to Dana Moffett and the Matanho Project. The OC has been working flat out to find teachers who can either take over Jacob and Martha’s workshops or teach similar ones in the same category. If there is some good news here, it is that we have many fine teachers who will do a great job as replacements. Watch this page for changes as they are confirmed.
July 7
We have been able to confirm more workshop and teacher replacements for workshops that were scheduled to be taught by Jacob Mafuleni, Martha Thom, Tawanda Mapanda and Barnabas Ngalande. If you find you have been placed in a workshop that you don’t think you want to be in, it is very easy to edit your registration to remove yourself and sign up for something else (see Making Changes on the How to Register page). If you want to just remove yourself from a workshop for which you have paid, you will need to enter the amount paid in the Outstanding Credit field in order to save your changes. Or ask for help by writing gro.t1532297619sefmi1532297619z@noi1532297619tarts1532297619iger1532297619!
July 21
We have reached the final stages of online registration. Housing and dining preregistration are now closed, and workshop enrollments will close on midnight August 1. We will be cancelling low-enrollment workshops (0, 1 or 2 students) on July 26, so if there is something you have your eye on, be sure to sign up before then or it may disappear from the schedule! There has been a noticeable surge in registrations this past week or so as Zimfest-ers sense the deadlines are near, so we have upped maximum enrollments in several workshops to increase the number of spots available. We have added a second run of the Beginning Drumming workshop in Session 4; also be aware of the second run of Theory and Improvisation for Marimba in Session 6. Please note that after August 1st, as well as during the festival, students are not allowed to drop or transfer to another workshop unless the workshop they are enrolled in has been significantly changed by the festival organizers (such as a different teacher.)
Workshop Changes
May 12, 2018
- Intermediate Drumming: Dinhe/Mhemberwa with Jacob Mafuleni in Session 2 has been changed from Advanced level
- Novice Mbira: Chamutengure on Nyunga Nyunga with Tafadzwa Matiure in Session 3 has been changed from Intermediate level
- All levels Mbira: Dzimwe Nguva on Nyunga Nyunga with Abel Mafuleni in Session 6 has been changed from Intermediate level
May 31, 2018
- *New workshop added* Intermediate Marimba: Pompeii with Eric Bloch Miller, Session 1
- Novice Marimba: Siponono with MyLinda King, has been moved from Session 7 to Session 1
- Intermediate Drum: Drumming for Mbira and Marimba with Musekiwa Chingodza, Session 1: maximum enrollment increased to 12
- Beginning Mbira: Chinoraswa Marara on Nyunga Nyunga with Abel Mafuleni, Session 1: maximum enrollment increased to 10
- All Levels Hosho: Dance with Hosho with Martha Thom in Session 3 has been changed from Advanced level
July 3
- All Mbira: VaMudhara on Nyunga Nyunga with Abel Mafuleni in Session 4: Abel Mafuleni has replaced Barnabas Ngalande as instructor.
- Intermediate Marimba: Chachimurenga! with Daniel Lockley in Session 7 has replaced Chipo Changu with Tawanda Mapanda.
July 6
- Intermediate Mbira: Nhemamusasa in Session 1: Moyo Mutamba has replaced Jacob Mafuleni as Instructor.
- All Dance: Contemporary Dance for Marimba in Session 2: Rujeko Dumbutshena has replaced Martha Thom as Instructor.
- Advanced Marimba: Dangurangu Multi-session Intensive Part 1 in Session 3 and Part 2 in Session 5: Abel Mafuleni has replaced Jacob Mafuleni as Instructor for both sessions.
- All Hosho: Dance with Hosho in Session 3: Kelly Takunda Orphan has replaced Martha Thom as Instructor.
- All Mbira: Anyone Can Sing with Mbira with Erica Azim in Session 4 has been cancelled.
- Advanced Mbira in Session 4: Machena with Jacob Mafuleni has been replaced by Vamuroro (Tadzungaira): Dzapasi Mbira Group Style with Erica Azim.
- All Dance: Mhande Dance with Singing in Session 4: Rujeko Dumbutshena has replaced Martha Thom as Instructor.
- All Hosho: Hosho for Beginners in Session 6: MyLinda King has replaced Martha Thom as Instructor.
July 7-8
- Int. Drum: Dinhe/Mhemberwa in Session 2: Napoleon Jambwa has replaced Jacob Mafuleni as Instructor.
- All Culture: Story Time (Children’s workshop) in Session 4 with Lucky Moyo has been cancelled.
- Beg. Marimba: Kutinya Marimbas in Session 5 with Tawanda Mapanda has been cancelled.
- Beg. Marimba: Twiza with Jesse Larson has been moved from Session 6 to Session 5
- Int. Marimba & Singing in Session 6: Sekuru Manonoka with Jacob Mafuleni has been cancelled.
- Int. Marimba: Theory and Improvisation for Marimba with Andre Mallinger: a second iteration of this workshop has been added in Session 6 (the Session 2 seating is full)
- All Singing in Session 7: Tipeiwo Hwahwa with Barnabas Ngalande has been replaced by Mahindekinde with Kurai Blessing Mubaiwa.
July 21
- Int. Mbira: Nhemamusasa with Moyo Rainos Mutamba in Session 1: max enrollment has been increased from 8 to 10.
- Int. Drum: Dinhe/Mhemberwa in Session 2 with Napoleon Jambwa; max enrollment has been increased from 10 to 12.
- All Drum: Drumming for Beginners with Lucky Moyo; a second iteration of this workshop has been added in in Session 4.
- All Mbira: Dzimwe Nguva on Nyunga Nyunga with Abel Mafuleni in Session 6: max enrollment has been increased from 8 to 10.
