Mission
The Boise Phil reflects the energy and heartbeat of our communities through invigorating musical experiences that touch the human spirit.
Vision
To be an orchestra of extraordinary quality, recognized as a defining, bold, and relentless contributor to the arts in the communities we serve.
Values
Diversity and Inclusion: representing and engaging everyone in our communities
Innovation: developing new and challenging musical experiences
Responsiveness: reflecting our communities’ cultures and interests
Engagement: creating experiences that mutually enrich the participants
Credibility: excellence in everything we present, perform and undertake
Trustworthiness: accountable with responsible governance and management
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
The Boise Phil is committed to anti-racism and supports the broader arts community’s statement and public acknowledgment that Black lives do matter.
On many fronts right now, our lives depend on our ability to show up for each other with compassion, kindness and empathy. As the oldest and continuous arts organization in Idaho, we now have the opportunity to shine a light on important issues like racial equity and social justice in ways that can bring us together through art, through conversation and through a shared sense of humanity. We aspire to be an organization where our community feels invited and welcomed and experiences a sense of belonging – especially those communities that have been historically marginalized.
To achieve that, we have work to do. Here is our initial framework that will begin our journey as an institution:
Programming
Programming is inclusive of repertoire and practices for BPYO and BPMC as well as concerts for families, schools, youth and the community.
- Program works by historically marginalized composers – including composers from the classical, romantic, and contemporary periods. Strive to achieve parity across the season in the number of historically marginalized composers that are programmed.
- Commission works by historically marginalized composers. This can be done in collaboration with other orchestras through co-commissions, which ensures additional performances.
- Continue to celebrate the individual cultural/national identities of traditional classical composers, while also contextualizing their place in history.
- Ensure BIPOC and other historically underrepresented members of the community are included in programming decisions.
Recruitment and Hiring
- Join the Sphinx National Audition Support Network to expand the resources and candidate pool for musician auditions.
- Audit current recruiting and hiring practices, then create clear recruiting and hiring policies and procedures for staff to eliminate (or limit) unconscious bias.
- Build a board nominations framework that prioritizes recruiting diverse candidates. Join other local and national organizations that directly connect with BIPOC and other historically underrepresented communities to expand our network.
Organizational Culture
- Create a culture of belonging across all segments of the organization so people feel valued for who they are and feel safe showing up with their full identity.
- Emphasize learning, personal development and discovery as priorities for the organization. We have a culture where it is okay to make a mistake, but we acknowledge our mistakes and are open to learning how we can improve.
- Invest in professional development around anti-racism on an annual basis for staff, musicians and the board.
- Work with, collaborate with, and learn from our community. We are not saviors to our community, but (and consistent with one of our guiding values) are accountable to our community. Our programming reflects their needs, not our wants.
