Arts & Culture

Boise’s Treefort Music Festival is postponed until September 2020. But while we wait, “Filmfort,” Treefort’s film festival, is hosting a mini fest this weekend. 

From Boise’s Basque Block to the Jaialdi Festival, to the Trailing of the Sheep in Ketchum, music and food, Basque culture plays a big role in southern Idaho and Dan Ansotegui has played a big role in promoting that.

Ansotegui teaches traditional Basque push button accordion music that accompanies many community events.

Fernando Perez worked incredibly hard to make 2020 a special year. He had been selected to be part of the National Youth Orchestra, invited to perform at Carnegie Hall and go on a two-week tour of North America. But then the pandemic hit, putting those dreams on hold.

Latino USA is an award-winning public radio show led by journalist Maria Hinojosa, which is celebrating its 25th year as an hour-long program. Boise State Public Radio is proud to announce we’re adding Latino USA to our lineup. 

The Boise Library’s Comic Arts Festival has become an annual tradition over the last eight years. But this year, like so many events, the summer event has been reformatted. 

This interview originally aired Apr. 27, 2020.

When the coronavirus began to spread in Idaho in March, folks who could retreated to their homes. But even with the governor’s stay-at-home order, getting outside for walks is something elected officials and health experts encourage folks to do. That inspired Boise artist Wendy Blickenstaff.

Thirteen years ago, a new film festival tradition began in our own Sun Valley, Idaho. And since then, every year the ‘Family of Woman' film festival has highlighted inspiring films about women’s issues from all over the world. 

A growing list of arts, history and culture institutions, including the Boise Philharmonic, Idaho Botanical Garden, Opera Idaho and Treefort Music Fest, are committing to action steps within their own organizations as part of a greater community-wide effort to effect change to systemic racism.

Idaho’s history is full of weird, surprising, or quirky stories. But many of them are stuck in the archives — until now. 

When white settlers took land from what is now known as the Coeur d’Alene Tribe in North Idaho, the oral history of the land and its people was put in danger. Now, there’s a new effort to connect tribal youth with their elders through language and storytelling, incorporating indigenous knowledge of the environment with science. 

The annual Art in the Park event is Boise Art Museum’s single biggest fundraiser of the year. But this year, due to COVID-19, the arts market that usually happens in Julia Davis park, is moving online. 

Even though we can’t go to the ballet in person right now, there is a way to stream a dance performance this Sunday specifically curated for residents in Sun Valley. 

Like every arts organization, the Boise Philharmonic had to adjust much of their programming in response to the coronavirus pandemic in March. They’ve recently announced their 2020-2021 concert series, which includes lots of adjustments to avoid mass gatherings. 

If you’re looking for some comic relief from the pandemic we’re all living through, how about taking a few minutes to listen to a new song by the Rock Bottom Remainders.

This interview originally aired on May 28, 2019. 

Treefort Music Fest was supposed to take place in downtown Boise this March. But a few weeks before the first band took the stage, coronavirus forced organizers to postpone the independent music festival. 

The coronavirus pandemic has been a gut punch to many businesses including Boise’s homegrown Treefort Music Fest. Beginning Friday, the company is selling shares of itself to make up the difference.

The Kawa Taiko drumming group of the Treasure Valley has been performing together for more than 20 years. The Japanese American Citizens group bought the group its first drums.

Last year they performed in front of national Taiko leaders at the prominent North American Taiko Conference.

You know him as the host of Morning Edition from NPR. Now, Steve Inskeepis also the author of a new book looking at a long ago part of western American history. Our Morning Edition host George Prentice spoke with Inskeep recently about his book “Imperfect Union: How Jessie and John Fremont Mapped the West, Invented Celebrity and Helped Cause the Civil War.” Eastern Idaho’s Fremont County is named for John Fremont.

While most of the world's festivals, concert houses and theaters have gone silent this summer, the Sun Valley Music Festival will showcase no less than 14 concerts beginning Monday, July 27.

Have you heard of Erma Hayman? The Boisean lived a long and influential life, much of it spent in the historic River Street Neighborhood. Hayman, who was Black, was a leader in the community until her death at the age of 102 in 2009. The neighborhood was one of the only places in the capital city where Black people were able to live in the 1940s due to racist redlining policies and housing discrimination. 

This interview originally aired Apr. 21, 2020.

Idaho artists and artistic organizations are feeling the punch of COVID-19, with cancelled shows and closed stages with no timeline for getting back on tour. Boise-based jazz musician Curtis Stigers has had to cancel all of his concert dates for the foreseeable future. However, with a new album out and with a lot more time on his hands, he’s been writing more and playing more. 

Language is a critical part of any culture, and when a language is lost to time, so is a part of that culture.

Treefort Music Fest is being postponed until September of 2021. Just weeks before the festival was scheduled to happen in March, organizers pushed the five-day event until September.