Last year 2022 Boalsburg saw the first cross culture music event; Kirtan Fest! An opportunity to participate through call and response in an age long traditional music style that hails from India. Artists from Argentina, Ghana, Los Angeles, Ukraine, New Zealand, Vietnam and State College participated in a day long performance that saw a new artist every hour. Local food vendors satisfied appetites with Ethiopian and Southern cuisine, as the day crossed into evening and people got to their feet to dance and sing.

Kirtan is not only a music genre, it is a meditative sound that with the use of sacred mantras can ease anxiety, relieve stress and open the heart to compassion, acceptance and peace. This ancient musical tradition has been spread all over the world through such artists as Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, Jahnavi Harrison and Gaura Vani.

This years focus is an East meets West melding of narrative styles that compliment each other through a focus on vocals and acoustic instrumentation. We have three local bands lined up and international kirtan artists heading in from Maryland and DC. Using the same venue; the Boals Barn amphitheater, not only is this an opportunity to savor the historic site of the Boalsburg Mansion, but we are drawing people into the area that are now aware of the other cultural and artistic events that State College has to offer.

The Awesome Grant will go a long way to helping to pay the transportation costs of the artists, as well as paying for the venue and other expenses associated with such an event.