Errington Hall (Old Fire Hall)
Thursdays, Oct 1 to Dec 3
Fee $150 for 10 sessions
Instructors are Ted Wright & Jill Russell

The joyous sound of Zimbabwean marimbas will soon mark the resumption of classes at the Errington Hall this fall. The 10 sessions start on Thursday, October 1 and run weekly till December 3. Formal music training isn’t required to enjoy learning to play marimbas as the instructors demonstrate each part of the song and guide the players until they master it.

Classes fill quickly since registration closes at 10 participants in each group, so don’t wait to register until it’s too late. 

Please choose the time slot you prefer depending on your level of expertise.

2:00pm – 3:00pm (Inexperienced)

3:30pm – 4:30pm (Experienced)

Ted Wright
Ted began his Zimbabwean musical journey in 1993, joining what became Victoria BC's Marimba Muzuva. He has been a teacher of marimba, mbira, chipendani and gumboot dancing for many years, and has traveled to Zimbabwe regularly since his first visit in 1994, studying and performing with many of Zimbabwe's top traditional musicians. Ted created and continues to organize the biannual Zimbabwean music and dance gathering Nhemamusasa North, and teaches workshops, school groups and ongoing classes as director of Bopoma on Vancouver Island. He has led the seniors’ marimba program in Errington since 2025.

Jill Russell
Multi-instrumentalist Jill has been making music since she hopped out of the nest and shook out her wings. A childhood spent in a community band, summer music camps and band trips led to jazz studies in university. Post studies, her flight path took her to San Francisco’s vibrant latin and new wave music scene followed by six years and hundreds of shows touring with Brazilian master musician Celso Machado. In 2000, Jill returned to Vancouver and for several years played jazz and World Music Festivals fronting her own band, Corcovado. An interest in flamenco music and dance led to festivals and tablaos in New Mexico and southern Spain. Jill’s migratory path landed on Vancouver Island in 2020 and she has been busy performing and teaching from Campbell River to the Cowichan Valley in a variety of projects, including Errington’s seniors’ marimba program.