When was your first Lotus Fest? The second year, in ‘95 How many have you attended? I’ve attended at least one event of about 10 festivals. How did you first cross paths with Lotus?Favorite Festival memories? I first learned about the festival from James Combs when...
Named after the river that flows between Colombia and Ecuador, this Afro-Pacific ensemble starts with the marimba at its center, and flows with centuries of musical influence, like its namesake. Much has been made of Afro-Colombian music the past few years... now...
As soon as the trio Haas Kowert Tice announced that they had expanded into a quartet and were calling themselves Hawktail, we asked if they were available for Lotus. Now they've released a debut album, and, just last weekend, appeared on Chris Thile's national live...
The annual Lotus Volunteer Appreciation Party took place on Thursday, June 7, at Fountain Square Ballroom. The fun-filled event packed camaraderie, conversation, and appreciation into an evening focused on celebrating our amazing Lotus volunteers. In addition...
About 10 years ago, someone tipped me to a great music documentary about the roots music movement in Istanbul called "Crossing the Bridge." I found the DVD and screened it one summer night with my family. The film is a fantastic musical journey, and the standout scene...
Where to start? How about by fulfilling an essential requirement for any world music festival with an outdoor stage: a high-energy dance band, ideally from one of the music capitals of the African continent. Kinshasa has always been a melting pot of great music, known...
How did you first hear about the Lotus organization Lee told us about the very first one, which we attended. Been volunteering ever since the following week or so. What initially inspired you to volunteer for our organization? The first Lotus Festival was such a...
The Latest Firehouse Renovations Thanks to Loren Wood Builders' hard work, the Firehouse Transformation renovations are truly beautifying our entire building from the inside-out. We can't stop wowing over our beautiful new front sliding doors, which replaced the...
This year’s opening act for Bloomington’s Trashion Refashion event on April 8 at the Buskirk Chumley Theater was an exciting melding of performing and visual art. Lotus staff member Tamara Loewenthal’s performing dance group, the Foot Squad, strutted their stuff as...
Passionate about Peace: A Donor Profile Featuring Armen Vartian and Candice Foss As perennial supporters of Lotus, Armen Vartian and Candice Foss contributed a crucial element in Lotus successfully delivering over 10,000 stars to the One Million Stars to End Violence...