MARIMBAFEST 2024: The 5th Solo and Ensemble Competition

Marimbafest 2024, our 4th instalment of Marimbafest, continues on from our 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 events in beautiful Perth (Boorloo) at one of the top universities for music in Australia, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

OFFICIAL REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED! 

However, we have LATE TICKETS available until 14th May 2024 (for FULL Participants) and 1st June 2024 (for CASUAL Participants). This is your absolute last chance to sign up!

BE MENTORED BY 14 OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD

And we have lots of new things in store! Firstly, Marimbafest 2024's faculty lineup has been refreshed yet again, with FOUR new in-person artists joining our huge Marimbafest family of 14 world-class percussionists:

2024 In-Person Faculty Artists: 

Dr. Matthew Lau (Hong Kong/USA), Kana Omori (Japan), Dr. Han-Chih Tai + Han-Yen Kao of Ju Percussion Group (Taiwan), Machi Ishida (Japan), Pauline Roberts (Argentina/USA), Adam Tan (Australia), Tim White OAM (Australia), Dr. Paul Tanner (Australia), Mercedes Slack-Smith (Australia).

2024 Online Faculty Artists:

Ivan Trevino (USA), Robert Oetomo (Australia), Master Christopher (USA), Rosie Cerquone (USA),

Our faculty represent many disciplines and areas of expertise, with 14 hours of clinics and masterclasses covering marimba solo, ensemble skills, vibraphone, musician's health, composition, singing-songwriting, hip-hop composing, rudimental snare drum, career entrepreneurship and more. You'll get to work closely with all of the above artists in classes, competitions and even just having a chat between sessions!

EASILY PARTICIPATE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD

Marimbafest was the first percussion event in the world to offer both in-person and online participation simultaneously (a 'hybrid event') back in 2021 - and in 2024, you can still participate either IN-PERSON at WAAPA OR ONLINE from the comfort of your own home, allowing anyone in the world to take part in the southern hemisphere's biggest festival of its kind. If you participate online but you're too busy during Marimbafest Week, you don't even have to be there at the live times - we record all of our masterclass content and concerts for you to enjoy later in your own time.

BE PART OF OUR FESTIVAL - EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO COMPETE

Marimbafest has become one of the world's most prestigious competitions thanks to its reputation of being friendly and supportive - but we also know not everyone wants to compete. So for 2024, we're bringing back our FULL and CASUAL ticket options from 2023. You can choose to participate as a FULL Participant (participate in all events including the Competition), or if you prefer to take it easy/are still new to the instrument, you can participate as a CASUAL Participant (participate in masterclasses and concerts only).

GET VALUABLE FEEDBACK ON YOUR PERFORMANCE - NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL YOU ARE

If you do want to join our awesome Competition with its $15,000+ prize pool (we gave away 2 snare drums, $1000s of orchestral accessories, almost 100 pairs of mallets and more last year!), it's never been easier with:

• Solo Category (OPEN CLASS - all ages): The highest level of competition performance. Recommended for advanced players and tertiary students at a university or college.
• Solo Category (A CLASS - 18 or under): Our most popular category over the last 5 years. Recommended for intermediate players and secondary school students with experience.
• Solo Category (B CLASS - 15 or under): New for 2024, this category is for younger beginner players looking forward to their first competition experience.
• Ensemble Category (all ages): For 2-10 percussionists of any age performing ensemble works with at least one marimba or vibraphone in them (see the Marimbafest 2024 page for full criteria). Highly recommended for school and university chamber ensembles.

Participants also receive a detailed feedback report from each panellist and one-on-one feedback with a member of their CLASS' Faculty Panel.

MEET NEW FRIENDS AND SEE NEW THINGS

And finally - you can meet heaps of new friends from around the world. We've had over 150 participants over the last 4 Marimbafests coming from all over Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, United States, and many of them have gone on to collaborate and stay connected with their Marimbafest friends worldwide.

We also have 8 free concerts throughout the week featuring faculty, participants and staff team with countless world premieres of new percussion works, the now famous Marimbafest Shop containing exclusive percussion gear and sheet music sales for all your favourite mallet and instrument brands, and we provide lunches, afternoon teas and other social opportunities with your faculty artists and fellow participants.

So what are you waiting for? We can't wait to see you in July - register now and be part of a life-changing experience!