Boise State students, staff and alumni play a key role in planning, performing and volunteering at Treefort Music Fest each year. Now in its 11th year and scattered throughout various downtown Boise venues from March 22-26, this year the festival is not only bringing its main stage to Boise State’s “backyard” of Julia Davis Park but will involve students and areas on campus like never before.
Drew Lorona, an alum of Boise State’s MBA program, co-founded the festival in 2012. His goal for creating a “multidisciplinary event that’s not all rock ‘n roll” continues to take shape into an annual blast for people with a variety of passions.
Read on for a guide to all things Boise State at this year’s Treefort Music Fest, where the arts, storytelling and technology mesh with the creative activity happening throughout the campus community.
Student performances at Egyptian Theatre
Boise State student musicians and composers, 32 in total, will perform at the inaugural Boise State Music Department Student Showcase at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 24 at the Egyptian Theatre. According to Derek Ganong, an assistant professor and the director of jazz studies, performing on stage as part of the internationally recognized festival is an important career opportunity for these students.
“We are committed to providing professional opportunities and career education to our students,” he said. “Treefort is a platform where professionals from different disciplines come together to work on a project. This is exactly the kind of ‘Blue Turf Thinking’ opportunity that Boise State strives to provide.”
Immersive events in the Center for the Visual Arts
The Keith and Catherine Stein Luminary is hosting several events in partnership with Treefort. Three exclusive exhibits will be showcased from noon-4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22 through Friday, March 24:
- “Resonances” by Ryan Donahue and Saint Monday – creating sound and color by tapping screens
- “Waveforma” by Games, Interactive Media and Mobile (GIMM) students Elias Willerup and Preston Valles – creating sound and color through both recorded and live music
- “Ephemeral Moves” by alum Joseph Haskin (bachelor of fine arts, ’22) – reacting to gesture and movement
The Blue Galleries, located next to The Luminary in the Center for the Visual Arts, will be open from noon-5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21 to Sunday, March 26. The galleries are showing the Juried Student Exhibit and the Biennial Faculty Art Show.
Students to unveil new arcade game at Hackfort
A team of GIMM students will present “Robot Uprising,” a new arcade game developed in partnership with Spacebar Arcade, at Hackfort from March 23-25. The team is part of the New Product Development Lab – a collaboration between Boise State’s College of Innovation and Design and the College of Engineering – that specializes in programming, 3D modeling, illustration and animation, web development and graphic design.
Parking available on campus
Boise State will offer parking in the Brady Street Garage, located at University Drive and Earle/Brady streets, for a flat rate of $5 per day to Treefort attendees from March 22-26. Additional festival transportation can be found at the guide to Treefort 11.
Student ticket giveaway
Treefort is offering Boise State students a free single-day main stage pass. The first 300 students to register will receive an email with details on how to pick up their free pass for the day of the festival they wish to attend.
Boise State Music Department Student Showcase
32 student musicians and composers will perform at the inaugural Boise State showcase on Friday, March 24 at 4 p.m. at Egyptian Theatre.