If you ever had any doubt that the arts community in the Treasure Valley is thriving, then just ask any one of the new artistic directors. All of them say they found Boise to be more sophisticated artistically-both the audiences and performance organizations-than people in artsy New York City might think. Not only that, they find the community to be an overall great place. Of course, we live here, so we know that. But sometimes it's nice to have it confirmed by newcomers.

        Robert Franz, Music Director of the Boise Philharmonic, recalls his first impression of Boise. "It was dark when I arrived, so I couldn't see anything. In the morning when I woke up, I saw the mountains right there. I love that. I love that natural beauty so close to the city." 

        When he stepped onto the podium for his very first rehearsal with the orchestra, "I felt a strong chemistry with the musicians. There was a great give and take. By the end of the week we were really enjoying making music together." 

        The good feelings continued to flow during the first open dress rehearsal. Intending to get to know this new community, Franz turned to the audience at the end of the last piece and answered their questions for a full hour. And again, at the concert that evening, he found the audience to be "passionate and connected."

        While Franz is happy to be conducting the Boise Philharmonic, he also has three other orchestras he is responsible for. That means he doesn't live here; however, when he is in town, he is fully focused. He wants deeply to get to know the people, which he does through many dinners as well as phone meetings.

        Franz has high regard for the musicians he conducts here. "I have a sense that there is great untapped excellence in the orchestra, that there is room to grow." Not that the musicians have not reached high and had great achievements, but that "over the next few years, they will reach even further."

        "I like the idea of cross-pollination with other arts organizations, such as the opera, ballet, and the Idaho Shakespeare Festival," he says, noting that he also seeks and welcomes partnerships with non-arts groups as well. In Ohio, where he conducts the Mansfield Symphony, he created a program for a mental illness organization. The concert was filled with music of composers who had mental illness, and it facilitated discussion about mental illness and the arts.

        Sharing Franz's enthusiasm for cross-pollination is Peter Anastos, new Artistic Director of the fresh new Ballet Idaho. One of Anastos's goals is to have "live music at every performance." This is important to him on a number of levels, and he has already talked with Robert Franz to set the wheels in motion. "Our new company is very musically sensitive, very smart .... I hope people will start to see us not only as a ballet, but also as a musical company."

        Also like Franz, Anastos found Boise to be more sophisticated as an arts community than he expected. "I was surprised at how much independent thinking there is here, especially about the arts." Coming from a man who has collaborated with Mikhail Baryshnikov and the American Ballet Theatre, choreographed for television and films, directed opera, and published articles about ballet for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Dance Magazine, and more, that's high praise.

        Why would someone coming from the big time decide to settle here and direct a small company? Here's where Anastos talks about a life philosophy and reaching "a certain age." He says he's done the New York, big-time thing, and came here because he wanted to not only try something different, but to do something for others. "I think I can help further the arts in Boise. To be responsible, one needs to give back. When you look at the continuum of life, now is the time for me to give back."

        One thing Anastos finds refreshing in Boise is that the audiences don't take ballet-or other arts-for granted. People still see going to the ballet as an event to dress for. In New York, everyone goes in jeans and t-shirts now.

        Being part of the community is important to him, including educating the audiences of the future. One big change from previous years will be the ensembles going out to perform in schools. "The academy here has junior and senior ensembles who want to perform," he notes. Plus, they are young, sometimes the same age as the students for whom they perform. So they will go to schools where students can get a taste, a flavor of the real thing. "If they want to see the real thing, then they will come to the theater. After all, you have to meet art halfway. You have to come to it. It's not ice cream. It's not there to be a passive experience."

        Unlike Franz and Anastos, Trey McIntyre is not new to his company or to Boise. "Jon Swarthout has been the ‘Boise Chamber of Commerce' for me since we were in high school together in North Carolina. I always made fun of him. He was the one [who] brought us to Boise in our very first year of touring. The entire company instantly fell in love with the city." He's referring to "Mr. Jon" of the Children's Dance Institute and Dance Rascals and a founder of TriCA, the Treasure Valley Institute for Children's Arts. The Trey McIntyre Project (TMP) had performed in Boise at Swarthout's request before McIntyre made a decision to move the company here.

        McIntyre has choreographed works for an impressive list of dance companies including the Stuttgart Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, New York City Ballet, and Ballet de Santiago (Chile). From 1995 until 2007, he was Choreographic Associate for the Houston Ballet. He started TMP in 2004 to work with a select group of dancers, and they moved to Boise last summer as a full-time company.

        So why did he choose Boise when he could bask in his reputation in cities like New York or San Francisco? "We had great options and reasons for being in those cities, but in the end, the answer is that those communities were already over-served for dance. We wouldn't have added a viable dynamic to what existed already, but the idea of coming to a community like Boise, that doesn't have the same choices as these big communities, was much more exciting. And the city is just great. Full of so much potential, idealism, and caring about itself in an effective way. We wanted to be a part of that." Besides, the company travels 20 weeks a year, so they get plenty of time in the big cities.

        TMP is working with Swarthout on programs for children and doing some projects with young children that relate to the work the company is doing. They are also currently developing plans with the Foothills School to work with their students. And, says McIntyre, "As soon as we secure our space, I am also adding adult education workshops with the dancers of the company, teaching different dance forms while the company is in residence at home."

        That's part of why McIntyre wanted to be in Boise, to be a part of the community. "If we don't affect the greater community/world in a significant way, or at least make the attempt, then a dance company is way too big of an enterprise to undertake," he says. "It is very easy to fall into the trap of moving the company forward just for the sake of existing. And that isn't anywhere near to being good enough."

        Opera Idaho's new executive director, Mark Junkert, was in the midst of the season premiere when we caught up with him. He shared many of the same sentiments. He loves Idaho, finds the artistic community in the Treasure Valley stimulating, and feels he has a role in growing the opera.

        He wants Opera Idaho "to become a regional opera company of note, presenting as many as three fully-staged operas per season with more than one performance of each."

        Collaborating is as much on his mind as the other artistic directors. "It's great to be exploring ways of working more collaboratively with our partners at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Academy. The Boise Philharmonic and Ballet Idaho are terrific partners."

        Junkert lists the strengths already present here: the passion of the audience for opera, the commitment of the resident company, and current educational outreach programs. "But we'd like to do more," he says. In the coming years, the organization will hire a part-time artistic director, develop a new strategic plan, and increase the general operating budget.

        Junkert hopes for a shift in perception from, "Isn't it great we have an opera company in Boise?" to one where people will say, "Isn't it a great opera company we have in Boise?"

Neysa CM Jensen is a Boise writer, mother, and musician, and is thrilled to see the local arts community thriving!