History

When Eugene A. Farner returned to Boise from serving in the U.S. Army in World War I, he came home with a vision: He wanted a first-class musical celebration showcasing talent from Southwestern Idaho and he wanted to make sure there would never be a charge for the event.  Mr. Farner, the director of music at St. Michael’s Episcopal Cathedral and the Boise Civic Festival Chorus, shared that vision with his friends and community leaders and in May 1919, “Boise Music Week” was born.

Granted, other cities across the country established music weeks, but Boise Music Week remained unique because of its focus on local musicians and performers.  And today, 100 years after the first performance, the talent still comes from the Treasure Valley and no one has ever been charged a cent for a ticket.

While always anchored in Boise, the celebration has moved around.  In the 1920s through World War II, Boise Music Week events were performed on a large wood platform built squarely in front of the Idaho Statehouse.  The performers in those early years – the Festival Chorus, the Boise Municipal Band, local organists, the Boise Tuesday Musical Club, school and church choirs – were the forerunners of today’s events, including School Night, Church Night, Showcase and Noontime Organ recitals.

The outdoor venue was abandoned when wartime restrictions on the use of lumber forced performers indoors, but was revived in the 1970s when Boise Music Week began “Music in the Park” at the Julia Davis (now Gene Harris) band shell.

Dramas and pageants were an important part of those early years of Boise Music Week.  The pageants depicted early American history and European cultural events, complete with lavish sets and colorful costumes.  In 1959, Boise Music Week began a new chapter by presenting its first musical, “Oklahoma.”  Area high schools housed the productions until 1988, when Velma Morrison and the Harry W. Morrison Foundation invited Boise Music Week to perform at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts.  It’s been the home of Boise Music Week’s productions ever since, drawing the largest crowds of the week-long celebration.

Even though Boise is today considered a destination of world-renowned performers, Boise Music Week still relies on its deep community roots.  Every year, 2,000 volunteers donate more than 35,000 hours to produce Boise Music Week events.  Along the way, Boise Music Week has continued to evolve.  In 2014, for example, “Jazz Night” was added to the schedule of events.  The celebration remains a favorite local event, part of what makes Boise the unique place it is.  In 2005, Boise Music Week was honored with the Mayor’s Spotlight Award for Excellence in the Arts.

Boise Music Week, remains a treat for audiences, and a showcase for performers, singers, musicians, set and costume designers, carpenters, sound engineers, directors, and the many other talented people who pull together each spring to make Mr. Farner’s original vision into what it is today: the longest running event of its kind in the country and perhaps the premiere community music event in the nation.

After 100 years, Boise Music Week continues to hit all the right notes.