Irish musicologist Jason O’Rourke is in Zimbabwe on a two-week collaboration residency for music composition and performance with Music Crossroads Academy in Zimbabwe students and alumni at their premises in Belvedere.
Prudence Katomeni Mbofana, Music Crossroads Academy Zimbabwe director, confirmed that the music residency camp called Kushandira Pamwe, Shona for Working together, Collaboration and or Co-operation is intended to energise former and current students who have already made names as folk and traditional music performers, namely Fungai Tanyaradzwa Blessing Chinogaramombe, Chiedza Melody Weeler, Panashe Mujuru, Polite Tanaka Mwanangeni and Washington Bungu. She added that the learning camp would wind off with a collaboration performance between the Music Crossroads Academy in Zimbabwe quintet and O’Rourke at Prince Edward School on April 11.
O’Rourke, a PhD in Medieval English holder, has recorded and produced eight albums and brings a wealth of experience as a composer, performer, entrepreneur and academic. His stay in Zimbabwe shall help the youth to have a deeper appreciation of their music traditions while they develop sharp and on-point composition techniques.
Katomeni-Mbofana said the Irishman met one of the patrons of Music Crossroads Academy in one of his travels around the world, which gave birth to his involvement in the Kushandira Pamwe Project.
“Of course, Jason eventually got in touch with us and showed us some of his previously accomplished works and we agreed to come up with this Kushandira Pamwe Project. I have just been listening to the sounds from the rehearsals from my office and they are great,” she told NewsDay Life & Style.
“It’s the first time we have seen the concertino being collaborated with the mbira music instrument. We are looking forward to something good and great on April 11.”
The Music Crossroads Academy has churned out bands like Mazwi, Swere, VaZukuru VeAfrica, WeNyombwe, Ukama, Mokoomba and Gwarimba, which have left indelible musical arts landmarks on the international scene.
“Our aim is not just to produce international artistes who sing and perform music as a universal language. We need artistes who are proud of their culture and who extract compositions from their own folk and traditional music,” Katomeni-Mbofana said.
The Irishman said he was a self-taught concertino and drums player and used theories taught in primary and high school to nurture and develop his musical proficiency from the age of 10.
“I am here to play a concertino and it is a very special type of accordion where one uses both hands to play a melody. I am self-taught because when I started to play at the age of 10, there were very few people who could play the instrument. Nowadays, the musical instrument is very popular all over Ireland.
“I did not study music in college, but I had lessons in high school until the age of 16. I studied literature and language, and I have a PhD in Medieval English.”
O’Rourke said composers should avoid clichés and instead find interesting and universally-appealing ways around their musical creation responses to a given phenomenon. He gave the example of an arson that destroyed property and musicians were asked to compose songs in reaction. He revealed that the winning song was a very tactical folk and traditional song with a strong, entertaining hidden message.
Weeler, also known as, Chichi WeMbira could not hide her excitement. She said the camp was important to her because it would provide her with an opportunity to acquire technical know-how on composing universally-appreciated voice and instrumental music.
Chinogaramombe, who is also a prolific folk music singer and mbira player, said the camp had been very fruitful so far and had demanded her attention day and night.
“We are excited to be part of this Kushandira Pamwe Project. We are required to put into practice what we learn during the day and do further homework during the evenings. We are all looking for a great evening at the Prince Edward School this April 11 when the five of us put up a one-and-a-half-hour collaboration performance with Jason O’Rourke,” she said.
“It is our first time to see a concertino, and Jason O’Rourke is blending well with our mbira music, and we are looking forward to a good show at Prince Edward School.
Chichi WeMbira and Chigaramombe hold professional diplomas in Music from Music Crossroads Academy and make the core of the band Mazwi a creative blend of mbira music and voices.