adminRay K The Music Doctor The Big Stage
A few months ago I came across a book by John Maxwell “Talent is Never Enough” and borrowed it from a work mate. As I was reading the book one question kept coming up; where was this book all this time? If I had found it early in my musical ventures where would I be today? Well, maybe that is history. As I
welcome you to The Big Stage, allow me to share a few key choices that can make a big difference to any talented person that John Maxwell writes in his book. Belief lifts your talent, passion energizes your talent, initiative activates your talent, focus directs your talent, preparation positions your talent, practice sharpens your talent, perseverance sustains your talent, courage tests your talent and so on.
Talent and passion can take one far indeed. It is every artiste’s dream to perform around the world on the most prestigious of stages.
Performing at the Harare Festival of the Arts on the main stage has become every other artiste’s wish .
Having realised your talent the journey of sacrifice, commitment, consistency, determination, direction and dedication begins.
The fact is you are as good as the many hours you put into your craft. With artistic expression there are no short cuts. While the belief is that we are all different in our artistic expression, it must also be noted that the most efficient, highly skilled and seasoned artistes find themselves being hosted on different platforms.
The Big Stage column is here to host Zimbabwean artistes who are doing tours, festivals and concerts within Zimbabwe and beyond.
It is a fact that a lot of Zimbabwean artistes are being invited within the region and beyond to perform.
Worldwide festivals and concerts have seen locals take centre stage. Surprisingly we all seen to focus and rate artistes based on what we hear or see on television and yet today some of the biggest artistes are not necessarily commercial.
But when you look at their tour diaries then you will understand. It won’t surprise me that if I mention Mokoomba many out there will not have a clue about the group yet the group is known abroad.
Hope Masike has also toured widely.
In 2014 Hope Masike had the opportunity to travel to five European countries, one Southern African country, three Asian countries and the United States.
She went to Norway, France, Germany, Austria and Iceland in Europe.
She was in South Africa for the MTV Awards.
She also went to China, Hong Kong and Malaysia in Asia.
She performed in California, Arizona and New Mexico in the US.
In France she performed at gigs in the Southern part of the country, in a place called Dordogne.
In Norway she played solo and also with the Norwegian band she plays with called Monoswezi, at a festival founded by a Zimbabwean dancer. The festival is called BAAFest.
In Germany she had preparatory meetings for the theatrical production 2015, which later premièred in Zimbabwe in September at the UZ.
Hope also travelled to Germany and performed in two cities (Ludwigshafen and Bremen) on a mini festival tour with the same production.
Its cast consisted of musicians, dancers and actors from Zimbabwe, Uganda, Germany and France.
During this experience she met other artists from Zimbabwe in this production.
The journey of this sophisticated and yet simple mbira star continues. After Germany she went to Austria where she played with three other Zimbabwean musicians plus four musicians from Austria.
They performed on the festival scene in about four cities, Vienna, Krems, Gratz and Linz. This was a musically experimental, open and liberal collaboration. What a great collaboration that was such that they performed together at HIFA and in South African earlier in the year 2014.
As people around the world begin to enjoy your sound, they share with others and before you know it invitations become the order of the day
From Austria she went to Iceland for one last concert, then had to come back home to re-energise and reconnect .
As I said, once your sound or once you’ve found a sound that people enjoy resting comes at the end of almost everything
In October she travelled to the States for a non-commercial exchange programme where she met 24 other musicians from 17 different countries.
This was the very first time Zimbabwe was included in this programme.
She travelled with yet another impressive young musician from Zimbabwe, Blessing Chimanga.
He was also one of the four musicians from Zimbabwe that she played with in the collaboration that included Austrian musicians.
She came back home and did more local concerts with the main one being a gig at the Book Cafe with her band, where we had the honour of yet another wonderful young musician opening for us, Gary Tight.
After finishing the gig a bit after midnight, at 3am she was off to the airport, headed for Asia. In Asia she played with the Norwegian band again in China, passed by Hong Kong then played at a Jazz festival on Penang Island in Malaysia.
Such has been Hope’s calendar. She is always abroad marketing our music. She has lifted the country’s flag high and she should inspire many musicians that intend to invade international markets.
The Big Stage will trail other musicians’ tours to know where they performed and how they were received abroad.
International experience is important in the arts and we should support out music exports and encourage others to broaden their nets.
Next week we go on another ‘international tour’ with a local artiste.
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R-Kay the Music Doctor is Star FM producer /presenter, music development expert and arts critic
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