Masanga is known for having strong lead and background vocals and tight arrangements. Masanga was born in the year 2000 out of a class taught by Ric Alviso at California State University Northridge, just north of Los Angeles, California. Ric had been studying mbira since 1994 and had visited and studied in Zimbabwe in 1998. The members of Masanga have degrees in music education, percussion performance, music therapy, music composition, and ethnomusicology. They are the only Zimbabwean marimba ensemble in the Los Angeles area.