Eve Kawadza & How Crazy Dreams Can Come True

Eve Kawadza & How Crazy Dreams Can Come True

Vocalist Eve Kawadza has always wanted to perform with an orchestra, but didn't see how that would ever happen. Armed with intense desire and a strength of spirit akin to that of the Jazz greats she so adores, she set out to make it happen. 

In pushing to make her dream come true she managed to open musical doors, not just for herself, but also for 20 students from Peterhouse and Watershed colleges in Marondera. 

Having performed twice already at HIFA; in 2013 as the lead vocalist for BlaQberry Jazz and then in 2014 in her highly acclaimed ‘Eve Kawadza does Edith Piaf and Ella Fitzgerald’ show, she wanted to do HIFA again, but with something different.

She started toying with the idea of making her orchestra dream come true, along with the unlikely possibility of getting into HIFA a third year running. 

Towards the end of 2014, she linked up with Billy St John, musical director at Peterhouse College in Marondera, and without thinking that it would amount to anything much, ran her idea by him. He loved it immediately and committed to getting the Marondera Schools Orchestra, consisting of students from Peterhouse and Watershed, to back her.

Once she had that green light, she had to get the HIFA spot. She leapt into that challenge with zeal.

St John recalls Eve’s passion for the idea, “Eve actually did it all. She went to HIFA, sold them the concept. She pushed and made it happen. She really wanted to do it.”

He also said that it was a wonderful experience for the children. “For the kids it’s a great experience and being at HIFA is an opportunity for them to be exposed to many things and so see other shows.”

Pindile Malaba, an Upper VI student at Peterhouse who has been a violinist since she was 6, said she had loved the experience, “It’s my first time performing at HIFA. It’s been really

nice and not as time consuming as I thought it would be with all the practices. I’ve really enjoyed it because as a violinist we usually do classical music that’s not very diverse. Now we’re doing jazz, which is different. We’re also playing with a singer, which we rarely do.”

Samuel Whitcomb, a saxophonist of 5 years and also an Upper VI student at Peterhouse, said, tongue in cheek, that the experience had been good and bad; “It’s been really good in that I’ve enjoyed all the fun, all the progress we’ve made. It’s been lots of fun working with new people and new music. The bad part is, because I live in Marondera travelling [to Harare] for all the practices has been tiring, but it’s been worth it.”

As the HIFA gates opened on May 3 for day 6  of the festival and parents and other audience members rushed to the Coca-Cola Green, the Marondera Schools Orchestra’s opening strains welcomed the crowd to the last day of HIFA 2015. 

This talented young group performed an energetic jazz set that included pieces from Cole Porter, Gershwin, Ella Fitzgerald, and even Michael Jackson. Their music even managed to get the early morning crowd to their feet!

Then in the evening, the Eve joined them at the NMB Recital Room for their big show of the festival titled “The Affair.” Eve explained that the “affair” was the relationship she had developed with the musicians for HIFA 2015. 

“The Affair” also referred to the love affair Eve has developed with the jazz genre over the past few years, particularly as a result of her extensive collaboration with local composer, Filbert Marova. 

This “affair” was clearly on display with Eve displaying a musical maturity and depth that has developed over the years. Her command of the audience was also impressive, as she hailed their contribution to a complicated call-and-response bit in Marova’s “BP.”

Eve dedicated her soaring rendition of Gershwin’s “Summertime” to her parents, who were in the front row of the audience. This was the first time they had ever seen her perform, after years of seeing her face on posters or flyers. 

The show’s encore - Myriam Makeba’s “Pata Pata” - was a thrilling finale to an outstanding performance, and got the NMB Recital Room crowd boogying along with Eve and her young co-performer, Peterhouse student, Chiwoneso Mvududu.

We have watched Eve grow from her days when she was doing open mic sessions and was part of the band Blaqberry Jazz. We have also seen her put in the time and hard work at venues that provide an early stomping and training ground for so many Zim artists, such as the Book Café, ZGS, and Alliance Francaise. She has blossomed into a confident, charismatic artist who still has potential to go much further with her gift. 

How far she has come from that nervous girl who stood on stage at the Coca Cola Green in 2013 and sung her first notes for a HIFA audience.