Originally named The Greater Spokane Music & Allied Arts Festival, this organization was founded in 1945 by Spokane piano teacher Josephine Clark to celebrate the end of World War II and to “promote the arts of peace”. Patterned after the great music festivals of Europe, it has been the premier event of its kind in North America. We are proud of the fact that in 2020 we will be celebrating our 75th anniversary providing a platform for talented young musicians and dancers to perform and be adjudicated by leading pedagogues in the field.
1,100 students participated in 918 separate performances in 2018;
Over 300 public and private teachers are represented by these students
Over 150 volunteers provide staffing and leadership
Musicfest Northwest's goal is to offer the highest quality artistic adjudication to youth at a minimum cost. Despite the organizations six-figure budget, the average cost for an entrant is only $25.
Innovation and Collaboration
There are nine divisions of participation: Ballet, Brass, Flute, Guitar, Organ, Piano, Reed, String and Voice. Entrants are judged by nationally accepted standards of performance appropriate to their age and training by nationally and internationally known artists and master teachers.
Gold and Silver medals, Certificates of Merit, scholarships and monetary awards are given as well as performance privileges in the Young Artist Concert with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra and in the Festival Highlights programs.
Benefits and Audience Served -Cultural Impact
Musicfest Northwest puts Spokane in the forefront of cultural events for youth. No other city in the United States offers as much opportunity for performance evaluation to so many students over such a wide range of ages. The Festival has launched many successful artistic careers, among them internationally acclaimed baritones Thomas Hampson and Frank Hernandez, Spokane Symphony concertmaster Kelly Farris, pianists Archie Chen and Greg Presley, violinist Jason Moody and soprano Karen Beardsley.
Managed completely by volunteers, the festival brings over 3,000 people to the Gonzaga University campus and other locations throughout the city. At least one-half of these guests are out of town visitors who generate more than $450,000 to the local economy. This figure is a significant portion of the over $31 million generated by all Spokane arts organizations.
