Chris Berry will be in Cairns for 2 nights only at the beginning of May and Drum Up Big is proud to announce that we’ll be offering an evening of drumming workshops facilitated by Chris with assistance by Tara

On Tuesday May 6, Chris will offer 2 drumming workshops, one general and one advanced.

The workshops will be held in the evening at the Holloways Beach Community Hall.

Details will be sent around once they are confirmed.

The following night, Chris will perform in Cairns accompanied by local drummers. Details to be confirmed.

Please mark your diaries so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the skills of this inspiring musician! Bio below.

Chris Berry is a master of both mbira (thumb piano) and the ngoma drum, from the Shona people of Southern Africa. He has earned the title of gwenyambira (“one whose music calls the spirits”), a distinction reserved only for those who have achieved the highest fusion of the technical and the magical in Shona music. His record sales have reached platinum album sales in Zimbabwe and Mozambique for his work with the band Panjea.

Berry was born in California and at age 18 left for Africa to study music there with his mentorTitos Sompa, with whom Berry had been studying since age 13. After originally arriving in Congo’s Brazzaville, his fascination of Zimbabwean mbira music eventually led him to Zimbabwe’s capital city Harare, where he settled and studied under mbira master Monderek Muchena for ten years.
While studying in Zimbabwe, Berry became one of the first Westerners to be accepted among the elder mbira masters as one of their own.

After over a decade living in Africa, Berry has now settled back in America. He will be touring Australia with his band, Panjea.