Otto Gumaelius

Marimba & Mbira Music From Southern Africa

Otto Gumaelius is a London based, Botswana raised, performing artist & teacher of southern African folk music on the marimba.

Make Music Day UK

Make Music Day is an annual set of free music events taking place in venues and public spaces – from town squares to libraries, bandstands to school halls and arts centres.

It takes place on the longest day of the year – on 21 June. You can organise or attend an event near you while joining thousands of other music lovers around the world in 125 countries!

Here are some pictures from our Make Music Day UK show at the Scoop yesterday!

Photo credit: Peter Magula

Photo credit: Peter Magula

Photo credit: Peter Magula

Photo credit: Peter Magula

Photo credit: Peter Magula

Photo credit: Peter Magula

-- ABOUT OTTO AND THE MUTAPA CALLING --

Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a lively London based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, including folk songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, mbira, hosho, drumming and singing, with both traditional and contemporary dances. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and their music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa. Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a unique and colourful experience and is the only active professional marimba band of its kind in the United Kingdom.

www.ottogumaelius.com

-- SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS --

Like on Facebook here

Follow on Instagram here

Listen on Spotify here

Watch on YouTube here

Summer Bandstand Launch - Victoria Park

Every year, there is a series of fantastic free concerts programmed in Victoria Park to liven up your summer Sundays, brought to you by Vicky Park Friends Group. Otto and the Mutapa Calling was pleased to play at the launch of the summer bandstand season. It was a cold and cloudy day, but we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Here are some pictures from our show:

Summer Bandstand Victoria Park
Summer Bandstand Launch - Victoria Park
Summer Bandstand Launch - Victoria Park
Summer Bandstand Launch - Victoria Park
Summer Bandstand Launch - Victoria Park

-- ABOUT OTTO AND THE MUTAPA CALLING --

Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a lively London based marimba band playing energetic, joyful music from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, including folk songs, original songs and popular southern African covers. The band's set-up includes soprano, tenor and baritone marimbas, mbira, hosho, drumming and singing, with both traditional and contemporary dances. The marimba band’s sound is full of energy and pulsating rhythms - and their music shares the rich cultures, histories and stories of the people of southern Africa. Otto and The Mutapa Calling is a unique and colourful experience and is the only active professional marimba band of its kind in the United Kingdom.

www.ottogumaelius.com

-- SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS --

Like on Facebook here

Follow on Instagram here

Listen on Spotify here

Watch on YouTube here

Heritage Zimbabwe Culture Day

My band and I spent the day in Coventry at a Zimbabwean culture day event. I shared some marimba songs with the young children and had a general jam towards the end of the afternoon with some of the attendees who grew up playing marimba in Zimbabwe. I find that's always the best part of these days out - meeting people who haven't played or seen a marimba in many years, and being able to give them the opportunity to reunite with the instruments and the songs. 

In the evening we got the pleasure of performing an hour long set for the attendees at the culture day event, before joining Stella Chiweshe on the stage. We performed two of her songs with her - Cha Chimurenga and Huya Uzoona. 

Here are a few pictures and videos from the day!

Marimba workshop at Heritage Zimbabwe Culture Day

Marimba workshop at Heritage Zimbabwe Culture Day

Combined marimba & dance workshop

Combined marimba & dance workshop

Wandsworth Arts Fringe

Here's a little taster from our show at Wandsworth Arts Fringe! It's a cover of a beautiful lullaby written by the late Chiwoniso Maraire for her children. The song is called Usacheme (Don't Cry).

Summer Gigs Alert!

Summer Gigs Alert!

Here are some of the places to you can catch my lovely band and I this summer! (Updated 24/05/18)

May 19th - Wandsworth Fringe Festival at St Mary's Church in Putney. Click here for tickets.

May 27 - Summer Gala at Goals Eltham. Click here for tickets.

May 30 - All Points East Festival, Bandstand, Victoria Park. Free entry.

June 2nd - #Heritage Zimbabwe Culture Show at Dunchurch Sportsfield and Village Hall in Rugby. Click here for more information.

June 17th - Victoria Park for Victoria Park Bandstand Season. 

June 23rd - Luna - Home of Live Music in Leytonstone.

June 30th - From The Forest Festival at Mirth, Marvel & Maud. Click here for tickets.

August 31st - One Love Festival at Gilcombe Farm in Somerset. Click here for tickets.

Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band - Upcoming Shows

PanAfrik 2018 at Cadogan Hall

Friday night saw the marimba band and I performing our southern African music at the wonderful Cadogan Hall in Chelsea. I was last there a few years ago watching Sibongile Khumalo performing alongside Thandiswa Mazwai and Glora Bosman. What an honour it was to play on that same stage!

Here are a few pictures from the night:

Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 1.JPG
Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 2.JPG
Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 3.JPG
Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 4.JPG
Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 5.JPG
Cadogan Hall London - Panafrik - Otto Gumaelius & Taste of Southern Africa Marimba Band 6.JPG

On-And-Off

Here's a little glimpse into our blisteringly cold - but wonderfully artistic - Saturday afternoon at Nine Elms! We were one of five acts invited by _inventory London to take part in On-And-Off (Winter Trail, Remapping Nine Elms). Photo credit: Giulia Brescianini.

'On-and-Off' and 'Meet Me by the Balloons' were commissioned by Nine Elms as part of Winter Trails: Remapping Nine Elms, an arts festival that took place in December 2017. Artists: Rhine Bernardino, Jay Jay Revlon, Otto Gumaelius Band, Selina Bonelli, Eunjung Kim feat. Hollie Miller, and House of Absolute. www.inventoryplatform.com

My marimba band © Giulia Brescianini

My marimba band © Giulia Brescianini

Jay Jay Revlon teaching a Vogueing workshop © Giulia Brescianini

Jay Jay Revlon teaching a Vogueing workshop © Giulia Brescianini

Selina Bonelli © Giulia Brescianini

Selina Bonelli © Giulia Brescianini

Eunjung Kim © Giulia Brescianini

Eunjung Kim © Giulia Brescianini

House Of Absolute © Giulia Brescianini

House Of Absolute © Giulia Brescianini

Marimba Band Wedding Entertainment: Steph & Ben

Playing marimba music amongst the tropical plants of the Barbican Centre's conservatory felt very right! Although not much of the conservatory is visible in the picture, this was definitely one of the coolest weddings my events band, Duduetsa African Marimba Band, has had the privilege of playing at this year! Warmest congratulations to Ben & Steph!

Barbican Conservatory - Duduetsa African Marimba Band.JPG

Grassroot Soccer World AIDS Day Charity Gala

Every year in December, more than 300 stars, footballers, philanthropists, and leaders in business and media come together at the Grassroot Soccer World AIDS Day Gala in London to support the Grassroot Soccer charity's work to educate, inspire, and mobilize young people in challenging circumstances to live healthier lives.

My events band, Duduetsa African Marimba Band, had the honour of providing southern African entertainment during the first part of the evening.  

Grassroot Soccer World AIDS Day Gala - Duduetsa African Marimba Band.JPG

Liminal Boundaries

I'm very excited to be a part of this year's ThisIsNotArt Festival, which is running under the theme of Liminal Boundaries. I'm billed to perform with my band at The Brookmill in Deptford at 8:30. And it's free entry - so come dance with us!

ThisIsNotArt - Luminal Boundaries - Otto Gumaelius.jpg

Marimba percussionist Otto Gumaelius launches Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival in UK

PRESS RELEASE

© Dennis Teoh / Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

© Dennis Teoh / Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

On October 21st in London, marimba percussionist Otto Gumaelius launched the Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival, a weekend of activities celebrating the cultural arts of southern Africa.

The festival was founded with the desire to share and promote the cultural arts of southern Africa with the UK during Black History Month. The driving vision behind the festival was to create a platform to appreciate southern African culture in the UK, and to reinforce a positive image of the African continent.  

Born to a Motswana mother and a Swedish father, Otto started playing folk music on the marimba in primary school in Botswana. He moved to Sweden in 2003 to pursue his International Baccalaureate diploma, and was able to continue playing the marimba through Zimba Marimba Band, a Swedish marimba band playing traditional Shona music from Zimbabwe. The band undertook several study tours to southern Africa and performed at HIFA (Harare International Festival of the Arts) in 2007. After completing his studies, Otto moved first to Edinburgh for university, and then to London for work.

In 2016, he decided to dedicate himself full time to the marimba and the cultural arts of southern Africa, and founded African Marimba Music Ltd, a business delivering cultural marimba workshops and performances, with music from Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. With the business established, Otto felt the time was right to establish a cultural arts festival.

Otto explained, “For many years now, I have wanted to put on a cultural arts festival to celebrate my cultural heritage and to generate a positive spotlight on southern Africa. It was important for me to create a space where people from all walks of life could come together and engage with the cultural arts of southern Africa. My intention was to do this by giving people a chance to try it out themselves through workshops, and then get the opportunity to see the cultural arts in action through live performance”.

In this first iteration of the festival, five workshops ran throughout the day – dance from Mozambique led by Nelson Neves; marimba from Botswana led by Otto Gumaelius himself; mbira from Zimbabwe led by Takudzwa Mukiwa; singing from Zimbabwe and South Africa led by Tsungai Tsikirai; and drumming from South Africa led by Yusuf Legwabe.

<v:shape
 id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:451.2pt;
 height:337.8pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
 <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Laptop/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.j…

© Otto Gumaelius / Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

After the workshops, participants had the chance to taste some southern African cuisine, before watching the headline marimba concert, which Otto put together with his London-based musician colleagues. The concert included marimba and mbira, with both traditional and contemporary songs and dances. The repertoire was predominantly from Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe – and included folk songs, liberation struggle songs, a gospel cover and some of Otto’s own original music.

 

<v:shape
 id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:450.6pt;
 height:299.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
 <v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/Laptop/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image005.j…

© Dennis Teoh / Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

Otto revealed, “I have been passionate about the cultural arts of southern Africa for as long as I can remember, from the days when my cousins and I would watch cassette recordings of my late maternal grandmother’s traditional dance troupe, Ditshepe. I feel proud to have been able to put on a festival like this – and for it to have been received so warmly by everyone who came to watch, participate and support. I look forward to growing the festival further next year, and to eventually bring local acts from the various southern African countries to perform live here”.

For enquiries about the festival or marimba music and lessons in the UK, contact Otto through his website www.ottogumaelius.com

ENDS

Marimba Night At KataKata

I'm performing at KataKata in Brixton this Saturday together with Graham Knight. Come down for a lovely night of acoustic southern African marimba music! Music starts at 8pm, and it's £5 entry. See you on Saturday!

Marimba-Night-With-Otto-Gumaelius-at-KataKata.jpg

THANK YOU!

I am so, so grateful! Grateful to the universe for letting yesterday happen – in the perfect way it did. Grateful for the wonderful musicians - Nelson, Takudzwa, Tsungai and Yusuf - who I can so proudly call my friends, and who led wonderful workshops yesterday, sharing a taste of the cultural heritage that raised us and formed the adults we are today. I’m grateful for the support of family and friends, who came out yesterday to help. Sandile, for your fantastic catering; Jez, for your help in the kitchen; Cato, for dealing with all the payments. Thank you Nickson & Shaun for lending us and transporting your drums. Thank you Tsungi for your support throughout the day. Thank you to my marvelous musicians who put on a wonderful concert last night, and have made my heart glow through each and every rehearsal – Graham, Karabo, Sophia, Yusuf, Miles and Bea, you guys rock! Thank you to everyone who supported my first attempt at running a cultural arts festival – for buying tickets to the workshops, for having food and drinks, for attending our concert last night and for all your smiles, hugs, calls, texts and well-wishes. Thank you to my wonderful sound technician Francesco; thank you Tendai (Petite DJ) for rocking the theatre with your afro-house tunes; thank you Dennis and Katlego for helping with pictures and videos, and a BIG thank you to Jerry and the Brady Arts Centre for letting me host my event at your wonderful venue! My heart is as white as rice, as we say where I grew up. The next one will certainly be bigger and better. THANK YOU! <3

Dance workshop with Nelson Neves

Dance workshop with Nelson Neves

Marimba Workshop With Otto Gumaelius

Marimba Workshop With Otto Gumaelius

Mbira Workshop with Taku Mukiwa

Mbira Workshop with Taku Mukiwa

Singing workshop with Tsungai Tsikirai

Singing workshop with Tsungai Tsikirai

Drumming workshop with Joe Legwabe

Drumming workshop with Joe Legwabe

Africa On The Square

I had a lovely time with Flame Lily Arts today, taking part in the parade during this year's Africa On The Square celebrations! 

Africa on the Square is an annual celebration of African culture, organised by the Mayor of London for Black History Month. The event takes place on Trafalgar Square every year and continues to grow with over 25,000 attending last year. It's a celebration of African arts and culture with live music, dancing, a talent show, an African market, food stalls, fashion show and lots of fun stuff for kids.

This year I was part of the parade with Flame Lily Arts, a professional cultural performing arts company based in the United Kingdom. The group was formed in 2009 out of a shared passion for entertaining audiences around the world with the culture and traditions of southern Africa.

Africa On The Square.jpg

Here's a video compilation put together by my friend Ahuv with highlights from the day!

Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

I'm very excited to be two weeks away from the launch of Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival on October 21st. This two day festival is aimed at sharing the cultural arts of southern Africa with the UK during Black History Month.

It'll be a great opportunity to try out something new, make new friends, and share in the colourful culture of southern Africa.

We've got a great line up of dance and music workshops and a fantastic concert to round off the day.

Tickets are available from: www.tasteofsouthernafrica.com/tickets 

Taste of Southern Africa Cultural Arts Festival

©2024 Otto Gumaelius. All Rights Reserved.