The Department of Music at Boise State University has entered into a unique partnership with the Boise Philharmonic to create four new graduate fellowships within the department. The fellowships are partially funded by private donors and Boise State’s Arts and Humanities Institute.
The graduate string fellows will be full-time students pursuing master’s degrees in music with an emphasis in performance, pedagogy or music education. The fellowships will provide tuition and fees as well as $10,000 per year for two years to study at Boise State and perform with the Boise Philharmonic.
“It is very exciting to be a part of this new partnership with the Music Department of Boise State University,” said Robert Franz, Boise Philharmonic music director. “This partnership represents two organizations pooling their resources to strive for excellence. By working together we are ensuring that music in the Treasure Valley will remain vital and thrive for many years to come.”
All candidates must be admitted to the master of music degree program and successfully audition in person for the music department scholarship committee and the music director of the Boise Philharmonic. They will form a graduate string quartet that will perform with the Boise Philharmonic as well as play in the University Symphony Orchestra and University Chamber Music program and present educational programs in local elementary schools. The graduate fellows will work closely with Boise State faculty members Craig Purdy, Linda Kline Lamar and Brian Hodges.
“We are extremely grateful for the presence of outstanding artistic entities such as the Boise Philharmonic and are thrilled to be partnering with them,” said Mark Hansen, chair of the Music Department. “Having these additional assistantships represents a leap forward in our ability to attract gifted students to our graduate program, bringing into the music student body mix very serious and talented musicians who are passionately pursuing their craft. This kind of music making will add significantly to our efforts to cultivate an environment in which we can create the highest possible artistic experience for all students.”
The Department of Music has strong relationships with a number of community arts groups but the formal partnership with the Boise Philharmonic is the first of its kind. It increases the number of graduate fellowships in the Music Department from 7 to 11.
Boise State offers master’s degrees in music with emphases in music education, performance and pedagogy. For more information, visit http://music.boisestate.edu. Boise State recently became Idaho’s first All-Steinway School, one of about 135 all-Steinway colleges, universities and conservatories worldwide. The Department of Music exclusively features Steinway & Sons pianos for all teaching, rehearsals and performances.
As Idaho’s largest and oldest performing arts organization, the Boise Philharmonic performs for more than 50,000 people annually in concerts at the Morrison Center, the Swayne Auditorium in Nampa, Jewett Auditorium in Caldwell, in schools around the state and in smaller recital halls and venues. Established in 1960, the 75-member professional orchestra can trace its roots to earlier than 1885 with the formation of the Boise City Orchestra. The Boise Philharmonic performs 16 Masterworks concerts per season, with repertoire comprising Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart, as well as commissioning new works by Idaho composers Jim Cockey and David Alan Earnest. The players in the Boise Philharmonic hail from the best music schools in the country, including the Juilliard School in New York, the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University, San Francisco Conservatory and many others.
The Boise Philharmonic maintains a vast array of educational programs, including classes for young children, a Family Concert series, the Boise Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the annual Children’s Concerts with full symphony orchestra performing for 15,000 school children in nine free performances, Verde Percussion Group (a purely percussion performance), Musicians in the Schools, Ensembles in the Schools, Conductor in the Schools and the Jeker Eagle Schools music project.
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Contact: Sherry Squires, University Communications, (208) 426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu
About Boise State University
As an emerging metropolitan research university of distinction, Boise State University plays a crucial role in the region’s economic development and famed quality of life. Idaho’s largest institution of higher education offers nearly 200 degrees and certificates in seven colleges. While remaining committed to the strong teaching legacy that has resulted in 11 Idaho Professor of the Year awards since 1990, Boise State’s added emphasis on innovation and creativity is fueling the fastest growing research program in Idaho.