Musical Magic at the 2010 Marimba Festival!
JOHANNESBURG – The 2010 National Marimba Festival promises to outstrip the success of its predecessors with a programme that provides the perfect combination of skill and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy.
Magical marimba melodies will be heard throughout Boksburg, as schools nationwide, and from as far a field as Swaziland, gear up to participate in the largest gathering of marimba players on the continent. The 5th National Marimba Festival hosted by St. Dominic’s School takes place from the 7th to the 9th August 2010.
The Marimba Education Foundation (MEF) through LOTTO funding has established Marimba schools in under resourced communities across various provinces in South Africa. Most recently MEF has established schools in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Rustenburg, Cape Town and Nelspruit.
Learners are taught the skill of playing the African instrument as a musical medium and although some of these pupils have been playing for less than a month, they will be among the participants at this year’s festival, showing that the festival is a collage of both beginners and professionals.
Founded in 2006, the festival has since grown attracting festival goers from every corner of SA and the globe. With the Marimba Festival, it is not only the echo of great music that attracts festival goers but also the eager participation and enthusiasm displayed by children who each year set the standard, higher.
Audiences will be dazzled by Magda de Vries’ premier performance of a brand new composition by award winning composer Gareth Walwyn. De Vries, well known for merging the old with the new when it comes to the musical magic of the Marimba, will be performing on an orchestral marimba.
Call it a festival of Ubuntu as everyone pulls together to make it a success, combining great food and good music for the whole family to enjoy. Marimba manufacturers will also have their high quality, hand crafted wares on sale.
So whether it’s old school or new school, big or small, marimba beats blend quite harmoniously with each other making the sound of about 1000 participants from about 50 schools pounding their mallets on the marimbas a beautiful blend of acoustic soul.
