About The Choral Festival
Missoula’s International Choral Festival has become known throughout the world for its artistic excellence and hospitality. Having evolved from its grassroots beginnings into a prestigious international event, Missoula’s International Choral Festival remains a flagship for choral festivals worldwide.
Our Mission
The Montana International Choral Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting artistic excellence, global understanding, friendship, and goodwill through choral music.
Our Vision
The Montana International Choral Festival is a non-competitive event produced by volunteers in a beautiful mountain setting that connects musicians from diverse cultural traditions with regional audiences and local community hosts.
Our Values
The Board of the Montana International Choral Festival commonly holds and endeavors to put into practice artistic quality, audience accessibility, political & cultural diversity, volunteerism, community involvement, and person-to-person experience.
The International Choral Festival was founded in 1987 by Donald Carey, a Missoula choral conductor and music professor,. Carey had been inspired by a similar Festival in Nancy, France four years earlier. The first Festival was a huge success. It is now held every third year in Missoula. Over the decades, choirs have come to Missoula from every continent except Antarctica. In 2019, choirs from 11 countries accepted invitations to sing at the 11th International Choral Festival, July 17-20, 2019. Click here to learn more about the Festival’s history. Our next festival is set for July 17-20, 2025.
Staff and Board of Directors
Executive Director
Rita Pastore
Artistic Director
David Heidel
Officers
Saxon Holbrook
President
Saxon Holbrook is from Missoula and participated in the first International Choral Festival in 1987 with the Missoula Youth Choir, studied in Vienna with Donald Carey and the UM Chamber Chorale, and continues singing with numerous ensembles. He returns to the MICF Board after a temporary hiatus due to term limits. Saxon is the Technical Director for Montana Public Radio and MontanaPBS in the Broadcast Media Center at the University of Montana. When he isn’t working or singing, you’re likely to find him floating the Blackfoot River, enjoying the company of friends and family or working on projects around Rainbow Gulch Farm.
Sharon Smith,
Secretary
Stephen Kalm
Vice President
Lisa Buseman, Treasurer
Treasurer
Directors
Rachael Morawski, Coreen Duffy, John Rider, Don McCammon, Karen Callan, Kyla Morton, Linda Osmanson, Antony Jo, Don Giselbeck, Ali Winberry