Master of the mbira celebrates melody, harmony in African music

CSU Monterey Bay’s concert series continues on Oct. 24 when the community is invited to an afternoon of African music and culture with mbira and marimba master Cosmas Magaya of Zimbabwe.

Serious fans of African music may have heard the unique sound of the mbira, an instrument that consists of keys over a bridge on a hardwood soundboard. It’s found in hundreds of varieties, from small versions with one row of keys to much more complex instruments with as many as 52 keys.

While the mbira, sometimes called a “thumb piano,” is found in much of Africa, it has a central place and rich history in Zimbabwe. In the 1500s, Portuguese missionaries noted the instrument being played at the courts of African chiefs. Among the Shona people, it’s used in every facet of life – at weddings and funerals, at rainmaking, thanksgiving and religious ceremonies and in healing.

For more than a decade, Mr. Magaya (pictured at right) has been visiting North America to teach and lecture at universities including Duke and Harvard. He has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe.

The free concert will be held at 2 p.m. in the Music Hall on Sixth Avenue and Butler Street. Driving directions and a campus map can be found at csumb.edu/maps. Please note that a parking permit must be purchased from a machine on the adjacent lot or online.

For more information or to request disability accommodations, call 582-3009. Learn about the music program at CSUMB.

Photo of Cosmas Magaya by Cliff Warner