JOSEPH — The Josephy Center for Arts and Culture, in partnership with the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, will host the second annual Josephy Fest on Feb. 16-17. It features two days of music and movement with an eclectic collection of artists from across the country as well as from right here in the Northwest.

Seth Kinzie, director of the Josephy Fest, explains that this winter festival is planned with the local residents in mind.

“The winter is for us,” he said. “There are many events in the summer during the tourist season. We wanted to create something culturally significant for those who are here during the winter.”

Bringing out-of-county artists to Joseph in the middle of winter is no easy feat. However, with determination, a lot of work and anticipated cooperating weather, high-caliber artists from across the country have been scheduled to entertain and engage Fest attendees.

The music

The 2024 Fest features eclectic musical performances from jazz to country, singer-songwriter to Malawian roots-soulful rhythms and more.

The Afrosonics from Boise, Idaho, will headline the opening night’s musical performances on Feb. 16. The music begins at 7 p.m. with Wallowa County’s own Janis Carper, award winning singer/songwriter, and Tyus Beebe (Blood Indian), an emerging musical artist currently based in Washington’s Yakima Valley.

The Afrosonics features a collective of world musicians from the United States, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and South America. Their genre-bending music, rooted in country rock, jazz and opera, is as diverse as their members. The group represented Idaho in 2020 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Arts Across America program.

A highlight of this year’s Fest, underscoring the partnership with the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland, is Saturday’s headline act, Julia Keefe, on Saturday, Feb. 17. Keefe is an internationally acclaimed Native American jazz vocalist, actor, activist and educator currently based in New York City.

She grew up on the Nez Perce reservation in Kamiah, Idaho. Her performance in Wallowa County is a significant representation of the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland’s mission to “rekindle relationships and welcome people home.”

She will be “returning home” with the Julia Keefe quartet, bringing her voice and enthusiasm for the promotion of jazz to the Josephy Center.

Opening for Keefe on Saturday, beginning at 7 p.m., will be The Matt Cooper and Greg Johnson Duo, a jazz duo from Northeast Oregon, and Mungo, a fusion of Malawian and soulful rhythms from Boise.

The movement

The movement events of Josephy Fest will take place each day and feature a variety of classes at the Josephy Center. Individual classes are offered for $10 each or $30 for all six classes.

Friday’s class schedule:

• 9 a.m.: “Morning Light — A Silent Space for our Somatic Selves,” led by local practitioner Lauren MacDonald.
• 11 a.m.: “Yin Yang Yin Yoga,” a practice to find stillness, move with breath, and rest in contentment by Esther Petrocine, yogi from Wallowa County.
• 1 p.m.: “Getting into the Swing of Things; an Intro to Kettlebells” by Dr. Rachel Sterry from Joseph.

Saturday’s class schedule:

• 9 a.m.: To be announced.
• 11 a.m.: “Rise Above Dance Fitness,” a hip-hop movement class taught by the multi-talented Kola Shippentower (Confederated tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation).
• 1 p.m.: “Movement with Mungo,” an experience of personal growth and self-expression led by Mungo.

Passes

Josephy Fest passes to this two-day event are available online at josephy.org. Tickets range in price: $60 pass for two nights of music and six yoga sessions; $35 for two nights of music (no yoga); $30 for the six yoga sessions (no music); $10 per yoga session, or $20 each for Friday and Saturday.

Tickets are limited, and early purchase is encouraged.

The Fest is sponsored by the Wallowa Lake Lodge and the Jennings Hotel. Businesses interested in partnering with the Josephy Center and the Nez Perce Wallowa Homeland by becoming sponsors can find information at josephy.org or call the Josephy Center at 541-432-0505.

For information about Josephy Fest, email fest@josephy.org.