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Randy is Kutandara Center's music director. Randy graduated from Colorado State University in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in music, and from the University of Colorado in 1996 with a master's degree in music composition. Randy's love of Zimbabwean music inspired him to write and arrange his own Shona-style compositions. Randy is the Center’s composer and musical visionary.
Randy has taught at the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State University, New Vista High School, and the Colorado School of the Arts. Randy has performed with Jambo Drummers, Ukama, and Chimanimani. He, with his partner Amy Stewart McIntosh, founded Kutandara Center in 1999. He currently directs and performs with Kutandara and Mhuri and co-directs Shamwari, Tamba!, Vana Vedu and Project Rugare. |
Amy is Kutandara Center's program director. Amy began studying African music in 1994 with master instructors both from Zimbabwe and the United States. Amy is adept at many African instruments, but especially loves marimba and hosho (gourd rattles) and plays both with style and grace.
Amy comes from a management background, having coordinated many environmental and educational projects for non-profit organizations and state and county governments. Amy has an amazing ability to organize ideas, people and things and spends much time at the Center doing so. Amy reminds students and instructors alike that music is not only about notes and rhythms, but about relationships among people working together toward a common goal.
Amy has performed with Ukama, Chimanimani, and the Low-Flying Knobs. She, with her partner Randy McIntosh, founded Kutandara Center in 1999. She currently performs with Kutandara and Mhuri and Project Rugare and co-directs Shamwari, Tamba!, Vana Vedu and Project Rugare. |
Ashley loves playing marimba, hosho, mbira and singing. She has been studying with Randy McIntosh, Kutandara Center Music Director, since his first group marimba class in 2000. She has studied mbira with Sekuru Cosmas Magaya, singing with Ambuya Beauler Dyoko, and additional marimba work with visiting artists such as Paul Mataruse. She was an original member of the Center's student perfromance class Musangano and currently plays with the Center's school performance group Mhuri and serves as a substitute when needed with Kutandara. Teaching is Ashley's way to give back to the community all that has been given to her over the years. When Ashley is not playing music, she enjoys her day job as an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist. |
Abdoul Doumbia is an exceptional master drummer from Mali, West Africa, who was brought to the US by Brown University in 1991, to participate in their African Dance Program. His formal drumming education began at age six with a sixteen-year apprenticeship to the honorable master drummer, Moriba Keita. For eight years, Abdoul was the lead drummer with the 47-member professional national drum and dance troupe Babemba of Mali. Abdoul now resides in Boulder and teaches djembe and djun-djun drum classes, while also performing all over the country. He is the co-founder, with Karen Marx, of the Mali Assistance Project, founded in 1999 to provide famine relief and water solutions in his home village of Foutaka Zambougou, Mali. With the expansion of Kutandara Center’s studio facilities, Abdoul now offers his popular classes through the Center. |
Jesse Larson fell in love with Zimbabwean marimba music when she first attended Kamp Kutandara at the age of eleven in 2003, and has been an avid marimba player ever since. She has performed for many years with Tamba!, Musha Marimba, and Kutandara. She has been an assistant instructor in adult beginner classes and the youth class Shumba, as well as acting assistant director in the youth band Vana Vedu from 2010-2012. Her warm personality and ability to relate with all students has made her well known around Kutandara Center. She has also been a counselor at Kamp Kutandara from 2007-2012 where she has motivated and encouraged young participants in their musical endeavors.
Jesse loves teaching almost as much as performing, and works well with students of all ages and musical levels. Her love for this music permeates all she does. |
Maggie began playing marimba when she was 14 in the youth marimba band Vana Vedu and later that year joined Shamwari. Ever since, she has been an active member of the Kutandara Center community, playing with Vana Vedu, Shamwari, Musha Marimba, and Kutandara. She also has performed with Jeff Brahe, Tendai Muparutsa, Chris Berry and multiple PanjOrchestras across the country. Over the past several years, she has assisted both Amy and Randy in teaching Shumba, Mukanya, Vana Vedu, Chapungu, and has been a counselor at Kamp Kutandara. She enjoys working with children, teens, and adults.
Maggie has taken several classes on music theory and also enjoys studying singing technique. Other leadership rolls include Centaurus High School Forensics Team (member and captain), the International Baccalaureate Mentor Program (member) and National Honor Society (member). |
Farai Makombe was born and raised in Masvingo. She attained a BA Honors in African Languages and Literature from the University of Zimbabwe. Farai taught “A” level Shona and Geography in Harare before moving to the US where she earned a Masters and PhD in Human Resources Development from Colorado State University. She currently works for a non-profit organization in Fort Collins, Colorado. Farai's passion is still teaching, and she especially loves cross-cultural education. Farai also enjoys working with children of all ages. She loves music and believes that music has somewhat intangible powers.
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Scott Parker Mast has been teaching and performing African rhythms of Cuba and Zimbabwe professionally since 1997. Scott's study of rhythms of Zimbabwe began with several years in Albuquerque New Mexico, culminating with a three-month visit to Zimbabwe. Scott has also studied in Puerto Rico and Cuba and is a long running member of local Afro-Cuban ensemble, Bamboche. Scott plays accompaniment for African dance classes at CU-Boulder and Naropa University, as well as performing with numerous local bands. He is currently an adjunct faculty member of Naropa University where he co-teaches African Drumming with Mawuenyega Mensah (of Ghana) as well as co-teaching Afro-beat Ensemble with Dexter Payne. Scott has also taught drumming at New Vista High School, September School, Eagle Rock School, Estes Park High School, Willow Creek Elementary School, and Uni-Hill Elementary School, as well as at Camp Tumbuka and Zimfest. Scott was Kutandara's first drum set player and is featured on their album "Ndotamba nani?" Scott also travelled with Kutandara in 2000 and 2001 to perform at the Zimbabwean Music Festival. Scott holds a B.A. in Psychology from Naropa University. |
As a career educator and now as a marimba instructor, Robyn Morgan holds the unshakeable belief that everyone can learn to play the marimba regardless of their age or musical background. Her own experiences have shown her that it is impossible to fail when playing this forgiving, sturdy instrument in the company of an instructor and learning partners who never give up on themselves or each other. She respects the diversity that each student brings to class and value their opinions regarding class content and flow.
As a student, teacher, and performer, she finds that the fun and teamwork involved in playing marimba leads to a community spirit that enriches her life and the lives of those who hear the music. If you like to laugh and learn and sway to the beat…..then you will not be alone in any class where Robyn is teaching. |
While he may be the latest addition to our staff, Daniel is no stranger to Kutandara Center. Having grown up just 6 hours away in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Daniel has traveled to Boulder many times to teach workshops and private lessons, perform at local venues, and to help facilitate the teaching of Chris Berry's "Panjorchestra" project. Daniel began playing Zimbawean music at the age of ten, learning first from local teachers Steven Golovnin, Peter Swing, and Dan Pauli, and later from other visiting artists including Chris Berry, Mike Cox, Cosmas Magaya, Zivanai Masango, and Musekiwa Chingodza. After several years of learning, Daniel was ready to perform, playing with every group he could find and eventually touring the country with Jaka Marimba, Stella Chiweshe, and the Andé Marimba Band. Finally, having spent the better part of a decade performing and absorbing the music around him, Daniel was able to develop an intuitive approach to Shona music, which he hopes will help other aspiring marimba and mbira players excel. Daniel has taught at the Zimbabwean Music Festival, Camp Nuandu, and at several special events through Kutandara Center. He has also taught 7 weekly classes through Portland Public Schools and Ethos Music Center, as well as private lessons on his own, all while continuing to perform with Santa Fe's Andé Marimba and Portland's Boka Marimba. Daniel helps his students dig deeper to find the boundless opportunities latent in Shona music, focusing first on what really defines specific songs, and later by finding the common threads that weave throughout the entire musical tradition! We are so please to add Daniel to our professional teaching staff! |
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Randy McIntosh, Music Director
Ashley Crutchfield, Instructor
Abdoul Doumbia, Instructor
Jesse Larson, Instructor
Maggie Jackson, Instructor
Farai Makombe, Instructor
Scott Parker Mast, Instructor
Robyn Morgan, Instructor