The Bozeman Symphony Orchestra is currently holding auditions for the 2015-2016 concert season. The Bozeman Symphony orchestra is known as “the cornerstone of arts and culture in the Gallatin Valley” and a source of tremendous pride throughout our community.  Bozeman Symphony musicians are part of a winning team that regularly attracts over three percent of the greater metropolitan population of our community.

 
As a Symphony musician you will perform for sold-out audiences, grow as an orchestral player, play exciting repertoire, engage as a community member, and perform on stage with extraordinary guest artists. Our regular concert season runs September-April with performances in September 2015, October 2015, December 2015, February 2016, March 2016 & April 2016.  Positions in the Orchestra are paid – more information available upon request.

 
General Audition Requirements:
-String Instruments – orchestral auditions are held at the Bozeman Symphony office by appointment.  Auditions last about 15 minutes and we ask that you bring in a prepared piece that demonstrates your ability/talent.  Please be prepared to play a scale of your choosing and some sight reading may be required.  CALL FOR VIOINISTS!

-Wind/Brass/Percussion – Please call the office for current openings and audition requirements.
 
Auditions will be ongoing until sections are filled.  Once positions are filled, players can be added to our wait/substitute player list. For additional information or to schedule an audition, please contact the Bozeman Symphony at info@bozemansymphony.org or 585-9774.
 

It takes upwards of 400 volunteers to make the Sweet Pea Festival happen. Please join us this year and volunteer at the 2015 Sweet Pea Festival.

Come out and volunteer for three or more hours and receive a free three-day wristband. Please register by August 5th to receive your complimentary wristband and confirmation letter. Volunteering opportunities can be found at http://sweetpeafestival.org/volunteering/.



ABOUT SWEET PEA FESTIVAL:
The Sweet Pea Festival is a three-day festival of the arts held in Bozeman, Montana, since 1978. This year’s Festival dates are August 7, 8, and 9. The event includes everything from dynamic music to children’s activities and a beer and wine garden featuring Montana microbrews. Sweet Pea is committed to its mission of “promoting and cultivating the arts.”

It may not surprise you that the most disproportionately popular genre of food in Hawaii is, in fact, Hawaiian, but would you expect Hawaiian food to be first on the menu in Utah? The restaraunt-rating website Yelp.com teamed up with HuffPost to find the most popular restaraunt category (like Mexican, buffet, BBQ, and gluten-free) in each state. The quirky study examined which states stick to the traditional fare of the locale and which ones, like Virginia, have a unique hankering for Peruvian food.

Predictably, the South remains fiercely proud of their own brand of cuisine, with all states but Louisiana and Florida listing “Southern” as the most sought-after genre of restaurant. Similarly, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma all prefer Tex-Mex or Mexican eats.

Other States, like the Pakistani-food-fanatics of Illinois, have a hankering for the exotic. Even New Jersey jumped on the foreign-gastro train, listing Portuguese food as the most disproportionately popular choice.

Particular dietary choices also appeared on the list. New York’s rank for kosher restaurants was 414 percent higher than the national average, followed by Halal at 233 percent. You’re sure to find plenty of soymilk and grape nuts in crunchy Colorado, where gluten-free is the gastronomic category of choice.  


Montana sticks to its roots with the clear selection of a certain delicious entree it (arguably) produces the best of: steak. Though residents may boast about fresh local trout or baby-back ribs, it remains evident that tender beef, venison, and bison steak excite the palate of locals and tourists alike. Montana’s steak restaurant listings were 141 percent higher than the national average.

The diversity of dining options around the country speaks to America’s melting-pot origins. With fifteen different nations represented as the most popular choice of food of various states, we can almost forget that West Virginia’s highest-listed restaurant category is hot dog… almost.

The Artists’ Gallery in the Emerson Cultural Center will feature the work of Carol Barmore, Kevin Heaney, and Carmen Stanislao during the month of August.  The show will include a featured artist reception as part of the Bozeman Downtown Art Walk.


Carol Barmore works in oils, and believes that painting has the power to bring us into an intimate encounter with beauty and touch places within us we didn’t realize existed.  She takes inspiration from nature, finding an endless supply of material to work with in the visual paradise of Montana, often right in her own backyard.  Barmore enjoys painting the landscape, but has also recently fallen in love with depicting farm animals, wildlife, and people.  She feels a divine presence when she paints, and hopes to express that in her work.

As a fifth generation Montanan, Kevin Heaney works to capture the magic of the old west and its people.  His paintings and drawings capture his mining and pioneer heritage, as well as his love for the beauty of the natural landscape.  He has spent thirty years traveling the western states and recreating ghost towns in his pieces.  Heaney’s work has been featured in numerous publications and juried exhibitions, including Montana Outdoors Magazine, and the Juried International Railroad Expo in Carson City, Nevada.



Carmen believes that the durability, strength and plasticity of bronze, as well as the many beautiful patinas it can take on, make it the perfect medium for her. The most recognizable aspect of her sculptures is her attention to detail.  Her latest sculpture, “Ridgeback” will be on display this month.

The Art Walk reception will be held Friday, August 14th.  Please join us in celebrating these three featured artists, and enjoy wine and refreshments from 5:00pm-8:00pm.

Next Exit History™ (NEH) is a free GPS-based mobile app developed by University of West Florida (UWF) faculty researchers in partnership with Historical Research Associates (HRA) of Missoula, that provides information on more than 60,000 historical sites around the world. The app unites all generations, spanning iconic historical locations from the birthplace of hip hop to the Alamo. Next Exit History is putting their app to the test as they have collaborated with a UWF summer class that is road tripping cross country visiting America's greatest treasures, her national parks.


In celebration of Missoula's rich cultural heritage, Next Exit History recently added sites along the Missoula Marathon course so runners could track their footsteps through history. “In an effort to embrace the tourism strategy of the Downtown Master Plan, we were pleased to put forth Downtown Missoula as a pilot project for showcasing historical destinations on an electronic platform interesting to folks of all ages. It's been fun to see how the project has evolved,” said Linda McCarthy, Executive Director of the Downtown Business Improvement District of Missoula.

Project Director, David Strohmaier of NEH said “As a Montana-based company, HRA is proud to be on the cutting edge of both historical interpretation and technology, making history relevant to 21st century audiences. Missoula sits at the confluence of great trout streams, has been a corridor for travelers from tribes en route to hunt bison in Eastern Montana to transcontinental railroads, and is the gateway to some of the wildest country in the Lower 48. When it comes to Missoula, history really does run through it!”

In his first home start since September 2013, Montana State University alum and BC Lions quarterback Travis Lulay completed 34-of-44 passes (77%) and passed for 404 yards and three touchdowns in a thrilling BC Lions overtime victory 35-32 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 17th. He has been named one of the Canadian Football League’s Shaw Top Performers for Week 3 of the 2015 season.
 
This marked the second time in Lulay’s career he has thrown for over 400 yards and the first time he has done so since 2010.
 
All three of Lulay’s touchdown passes came in the fourth quarter and in overtime. He threw touchdown passes to Rolly Lumbala from seven yards out, Austin Collie with two minutes remaining, and the game-winning touchdown to Emmanuel Arceneaux in overtime.
 
The former Montana State Bobcat and native of Salem, Oregon has passed for 658 yards while completing 68.4% of attempts so far this season. He has thrown four touchdown passes with only one interception so far.
 
Two other players also received Shaw Top Performer nods; you can help Ryan Smith earn the title of Shaw Fan’s Choice of the Week by receiving the most retweets on twitter for this tweet.

An anonymous foundation has generously offered the Bozeman Symphony an exciting matching-grant program—the $75K Symphony Summer Challenge. It’s simple: For every two dollars we raise, the foundation will give the symphony an additional dollar, and will match any money raised up to $75,000.00. And even better—if $75,000 goal is reached, the foundation will match DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR up to an additional $25,000.00. It’s an amazing opportunity to strengthen the Bozeman Symphony Society, and replenish reserve funding to keep the organization going strong well into the future.
 
The Symphony is asking the community to take part in the $75K Symphony Summer Challenge. Any dollars raised between now and September 25th, 2015 will qualify for the match. Individual donations, new season subscriptions, new concert program advertisers, new concert sponsors, and all underwriter donations qualify. The only catch is that the foundation will only match dollars we have received, and not pledged dollars.
 
Funding received through this campaign will go to support the many successful and popular programs provided to the Gallatin Valley and beyond, such as education and outreach programs, children’s and family concerts, Symphony at the Shane recital series, piano recital series, Festival of the Fourth free concert, and much more. Did you know only 40% of the Symphony’s operating income is derived from ticket sales, yet provided are so many free and inexpensive ways to experience the Symphony? Please consider a generous donation as soon as possible for this matching grant opportunity, and help keep the Symphony strong and vibrant.

For more information or to make a donation, contact the Bozeman Symphony at 585-9774 or visit us online at www.bozemansymphony.org.

Former Class of 2009 MSU Bobcat Defensive Back David Taylor has started a new company called "Godly Creation Clothing".  His line features tees, tanks, sweaters and more. David is a native of Galveston, Texas. He created the line after suffering the loss of his mother to cancer. David reestablished himself within his religious beliefs and found the power and strength to overcome his depression and create something positive from his loss. That strength led him to design his own logo and start his own clothing line. "God is Always Good" is the flagship logo and tagline. He uses this line to donate all proceeds to The Houston Hospice Organization. He chose this facility due to its great work helping those in the midst of their own courageous battle. David's line can be found at Justus Downtown in Downtown Bozeman or online www.godlycreationsclothing.com

To carry the line or follow up with David Taylor at Phone: 1 713 352-9998 or email: godlycreationsclothing@yahoo.com

DropTrip, a crowdsourced shipping platform, launches its web-based, mobile friendly platform. The startup seeks to fill the void not currently being met by traditional shipping methods. Similar to Airbnb and Uber, DropTrip uses a business model that revolves around the monetization of underused resources like time, labor, and space.

The DropTrip platform is a safe, reliable, and extremely efficient shipping infrastructure based on utilizing excess capacity in vehicles already on the road. DropTrip Shippers and Travelers work together to solve complex and expensive shipping challenges. Shippers can count on a trusted DropTrip Traveler to pick up and hand-deliver their goods. All eligible shipments are insured, and both parties control the schedule and confirm delivery before the Traveler is paid. The Travelers make money for trips they are already taking by offering up cargo space to help Shippers transport their goods from point A to point B. To date, the DropTrip network has shipped over $25,000 in goods for individuals and businesses.

DropTrip is led by CEO Doug Warner, one of the first employees at software company RightNow Technologies, which was acquired by Oracle Corp. in 2012 for $1.5 billion. “The DropTrip platform solves the often costly and time-prohibitive challenges associated with intrastate and tri-state shipping,” said Warner. “Starting in Montana is strategic because the population is heavily dispersed. If you think about it, everyone has done a DropTrip before; that is, carried or picked up something for someone when they’ve taken a trip. We’re helping businesses and individuals streamline that process.”

DropTrip takes safety seriously, and they have gone to great lengths to create the most secure and reliable network. Every member is highly vetted, and peace of mind comes in the form of up to $5,000 of insurance for each eligible shipment and a $1 million liability insurance policy for the Traveler. “Businesses and consumers are adopting the DropTrip platform as an alternative shipping method, particularly for harder-to-ship items. It saves Shippers considerable time and money, and the Travelers love making extra cash for a trip they are already taking. Our platform is being used for everything from art or food to computers, baby strollers, and everything in between,” said Nathan Williams, VP of Marketing.

DropTrip’s mission is to empower and connect communities, starting in Montana, and growing into a global platform that everyone, everywhere can use directly from their mobile device.

Currently, the DropTrip platform is web-based and usable on any smart phone with web access. A DropTrip app for iOS and Android is in development, slated for release in the near future.  



About DropTrip

DropTrip is the first crowdsourced shipping solution born out of the need to strengthen the connection between rural and urban communities. DropTrip is a safe, reliable, and extremely efficient shipping platform based on monetizing excess capacity in vehicles already on the road. Shippers and Travelers work together to solve complex and expensive shipping challenges for both businesses and consumers. DropTrip is changing the way people, businesses, and communities around the world ship and receive the stuff they want.

Save money shipping. Make money traveling.