Basque filmmaker Asier Altuna has always been moved by the emotion of a bertsolaritza. As the singers compete against each other with their poetic, extemporaneous verses, people in the audience always break down and cry, he says.
The experience of seeing grown men and women in tears has inspired Altuna to produce a documentary about Bertsolaritza, an art form that dates back hundreds of years to the villages of the Basque Country.
The opening of the Boise Basque Museum’s Ellis Island exhibit will be celebrated with a reception in New York City featuring speakers, dinner and live music on Saturday Feb. 6.
The Boise-based band “Amuma Says No” will play during the reception. Those interested in tickets for the event are asked to contact the Basque Delegation in New York.
