BY KAREN BOSSICK
Arianna Huffington is among the speakers in the Sun Valley Center for the Arts 2016 -17 Lecture Series.
Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group and author of 15 books, will speak May 26 at the Sun Valley Pavilion as part of the Sun Valley Wellness Festival. The Center is collaborating with the Wellness Festival on her presentation.
Huffington will take her place with filmmaker, artist and writer Miranda July, who will be presented in a conversation with Idaho Public TV’s Marcia Franklin, and futurist P.W. Singer.
“This year’s Lecture Series highlights individuals who are responding to contemporary issues through their work and leadership,” said Katelyn Foley, The Center’s director of Education and Humanities. “The series opens by introducing a truly groundbreaking artist—Miranda July—and then teases out important perspectives from our BIG IDEA projects on technology and contemplation.”
Series tickets for the lecture series go on Friday, Aug. 5, for Center members, along with tickets for The Center’s Performing Arts Series. The Performing Arts Series includes a cabaret performance and a night of music inspired by Mexican music, rock, reggae, hip-hop and Motown.
THE 2016-17 LECTURE SERIES:
Miranda July--6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood. July wrote, directed and starred in “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. Her most recent film is “The Future.” Her novel, “The First Bad Man,” is a New York Times bestseller, and her artwork is in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
P.W. Singer—6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, Presbyterian Church of the Big Wood. A contributing editor at “Popular Science,” Singer is considered one of the world’s leading experts on changes in 21st century warfare. His book “Wired for War” examined the implications of robotics and other new technologies in 21st century war, politics, ethics and law. “Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War,” explores emerging trends and technology as it could relate to the future of war.
Arianna Huffington—7 p.m. May 26, Sun Valley Pavilion as keynote speaker for the 2017 Sun Valley Wellness Festival. Huffington launched “The Huffington Post,” news and blog site, which quickly became one of the most frequently-cited media brands on the Internet. It won a Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2012 and Huffington was named to Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
A native of Greece, her latest book, “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a time,” is a New York Times bestseller exploring the science history and mystery of sleep.
THE 2016-17 PERFORMING ARTS SERIES:
A Cabaret Evening with Sharron Matthews, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, nexStage Theatre in Ketchum. Matthews’ performance of “Full Dark” was named by broadwayworld.com as Best Cabaret Performance of 2015. She also won “Best of the Fest” at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her performances include storytelling and mash-up pop songs.
This is the first time The Center has had an award-winning cabaret artist, said Kristine Bretall, The Center’s director of Performing Arts: “The Center has never hosted someone quite like Sharron Matthews—she’s funny, irreverent and heartfelt. She will work with Wood River Middle School students on singing and, through her ‘Cabaret for Kids’ program, she’ll share how confidence can be gained through performance.”
Korby Lenker, 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, Sun Valley Opera House. The son of a Twin Falls mortician, Lenker now lives in Nashville. But he recorded in various locations in southern Idaho for his new album “Thousand Springs.” His visit is part of the BIG IDEA project “Idaho Stories,” and he will work with students at Wood River High School while here.
International Guitar Night, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, Sun Valley Opera House. North America’s premier mobile guitar festival, IGN brings together the world’s foremost acoustic guitar composers to perform original compositions and exchange ideas in a public concert setting. IGN Founder Brian Gore will be joined by Italy’s Luca Stricagnoli, Brazil’s Chrystian Dozza and India’s slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya.
Las Cafeteras, 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, Wood River High School Performing Arts Theater in Hailey. The group was founded in 2005 by students learning Son Jarocho music. They named it after the Eastside Café community center in East Los Angeles, honoring the feminine spirit of the group. The music shares genre-bending music and the hidden stories of migrant life in Los Angeles. While here the group will spend four days sharing their music and message of inclusivity for more than 2,000 Wood River Valley students.
TICKETS GO ON SALE AUG. 5: Series tickets go on sale to Center members at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5. Individual tickets go on sale to Center members at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 19. Remaining tickets will be offered to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.sunvalleycenter.org, by calling 208-726-9491 or at The Center box office at 191 Fifth Street East in Ketchum.
NOTE: Individual tickets for Arianna Huffington will only be available through the Sun Valley Wellness Festival starting Oc. 1.
The Lecture Series is sponsored in part by Jennifer and Peter Roberts with support from Richard Carr and Jeanne Meyers. Robin Leavitt and Terry Friedlander are making possible free student Humanities Club tickets for the lecture series, performing arts events and play readings.
The Wood River Inn is the season sponsor of the Performing Arts Series, and the artist residents are supported by Gayle Marie and Western States Arts Federation.