Pocatello residents invited to host international choir members for summer choral festival
April 15, 2019
POCATELLO—Pocatello residents are preparing to welcome choir members from across the world into their homes, as part of this summer’s Idaho International Choral Festival that will be hosted July 10-14 at Idaho State University and other venues in Pocatello.
The festival, which is marking its 20th anniversary this July, is bringing choirs from five continents. Choirs from Ghana, Spain, the Philippines, Lithuania, Iran, China, Paraguay, Salt Lake City and the Czech Republic are scheduled to perform. Traditionally, the visiting choirs have been housed by families in Pocatello, which has been an enriching experience for all involved.
“One of the big draws for our international visitors has always been the opportunity to truly see how a typical American family lives,” said Arlo Luke, festival co-chair, “The opportunity to actually stay in an American family’s home, meet their children, share a meal together, just can’t be compared to a few nights in a hotel. Our visitors love it.”
The choir members aren’t the only ones to benefit from the in-home experience. The world has been opened up to hundreds of Pocatello families who have welcomed choir members into their homes throughout the last 20 years.
“We look forward to hosting choir members every time the festival comes to town,” said Kadeen Bastian who has hosted since 2008 “We have created lifelong friendships with people from around the world. It has been such an amazing experience for my children to be exposed to different cultures and people. I can’t wait for the chance to do it again.”
The International Choir Festival Committee is seeking hosts for the 2019 festival. Anyone interested in hosting choir members can contact McKenzi Warnock at (801) 879-1401 or Janie Gebhardt at (208) 380-2206. Choirs are scheduled to arrive on July 9 and depart on the July 15.
Idaho State University, a Carnegie-classified doctoral high research activity university and teaching institution founded in 1901, attracts students from around the world to its Idaho campuses. At the main campus in Pocatello, and at locations in Meridian, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls, ISU has nine Colleges, a Graduate School and a Division of Health Sciences that together offer more than 250 certificate and degree programs. More than 12,000 students attend ISU. Idaho State University is the state's designated lead institution in health professions.
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