For decades, MusicFest Northwest has been a proud collaborator with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, with an allied mission of cultivating the arts within the inland northwest. This partnership has a history of creating a profound impact on arts engagement and opportunity in the greater Spokane region, a legacy we are striving to sustain in the years to come. In previous years, MusicFest Northwest has annually selected a minimum of six talented and distinguished Young Artists to receive a monetary prize and perform their music live at the Fox Theater, accompanied by the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. For many this has acted as a catalyst in their careers, cultivating inspiring paths and opportunities in the arts. As a dedication to the mission of this continued partnership, MusicFest Northwest is aiming to foster more opportunities for engagement and fellowship within our arts communities in Spokane, in 2024 and onward. This includes a plan to conduct a series of masterclasses, workshops and lectures, utilizing the extraordinary talent and resources of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra musicians. These opportunities will offer year round engagement and education for our arts community, that will culminate with the yearly festival in May. MusicFest Northwest plans also to seek out more opportunities for community engagement and establishing stronger partnerships with arts organizations such as the Spokane Youth Symphony. Together we can work to create more opportunities to connect and create within the arts.

MusicFest Northwest recognizes the value of live performance opportunities, and how they can shape the experiences and paths of our younger musicians and artists. In collaboration with the Spokane Symphony, MusicFest Northwest is working to create more opportunities and to generate recognition for our young performing artists. This plan will include more featured performances from our MusicFest alumni at noteworthy local music venues, as well as the chance for a musician spotlight on-stage with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, performing as a guest artist at their annual free to the public Family Concert in May.

The first of these features will take place this Saturday, at the Spokane Symphony Orchestra Masterworks VI concert. The student ensemble, Tempest Trio, is entirely comprised of junior and senior students of Eastern Washington University. The performers, Yun-Ju Cho (violin), Gloria Miller (cello), Kristina Komarov (piano), will be performing several short pieces in the pre-concert event. The trio performed together in MusicFest 2023, receiving many medals for their fine performances. The Tempest Trio has remarked that MusicFest 2023 gave them the opportunities to perform in an inclusive and nourishing environment, an environment that has inspired them to find their voice and achieve in the arts. MusicFest Northwest is grateful of the support of the community to continue to foster these environments and the artists within them. We aim to find more opportunities to embody this mission in 2024. Do not miss this opportunity to hear the fabulous Spokane Symphony in concert, with pre-concert performances from MusicFest’s very own Tempest Trio, at 7:00PM in the Founders Gallery of the Fox Theater. Come and support our young artists this weekend; the opportunity to create, connect and celebrate in the arts begins with you!