U of I plans annual arboretum free concert for July 10

MOSCOW, Idaho — The University of Idaho Arboretum and Botanical Garden will host a free annual outdoor concert featuring local musicians and composers on Monday, July 10.

“Summer Breezes and Sweet Sounds” will begin at 7 p.m. on the west side of the upper pond in the arboretum on Nez Perce Drive, near the U of I Golf Course. The concert is sponsored by the Arboretum Associates and the Lionel Hampton School of Music.

This will be the 22nd concert organized by Dan Bukvich, a U of I professor of music. He has recruited faculty members from U of I and Washington State University, as well as U of I students, to perform. Featured ensembles include a saxophone quartet, a percussion ensemble, an oboe-saxophone duet, a traditional early jazz quartet featuring solo tuba, a trumpet-percussion duet and the Arboretum Chamber Choir.

David Billingsley, a U of I theatre graduate ’76, will narrate “Mister Ice Cold,” a spoken-word piece based on a 1990 short story by Gahan Wilson. The New Music Ensemble will accompany him.

Parking is available in the golf course lot along Nez Perce Drive and near the barn in the arboretum lot reached via Palouse River Drive. Limited transportation from Nez Perce Drive to the concert area will be available for anyone who has difficulty walking. In case of rain, the concert will be canceled.

The first Arboretum Concert was held in 2000, according to Paul Warnick, the arboretum’s longtime horticulturalist. The concert was canceled once due to rain and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating. Organizers recommend arriving before 6:45 p.m. to find a seat.

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Media contacts

Kelly O’Neill
Lionel Hampton School of Music
208-885-6465
koneill@uidaho.edu

Erick Anderson
President, Arboretum Associates
eanderso@uidaho.edu

Paul Warnick
Arboretum Horticulturist
208-885-5978
pwarnick@uidaho.edu