The mission of the Gene Harris Jazz Festival is to educate, entertain and enrich listeners of all ages in Boise and surrounding communities to the exciting sound of all forms of jazz music; to encourage the appreciation of, and participation in music by children and adults alike; to support an endowment that will provide ongoing financial support for guest artists, music scholarships and the festival at BSU.

Festival History
In 1996 a group of business leaders, educators and musicians lead by Gene Harris made a commitment to improve the quality of life for this community by forming the Gene Harris Endowment. The endowment provides scholarships for jazz music students at Boise State University. In 1998, they continued their commitment by forming the Gene Harris Jazz Festival. Gene brought together the best jazz artists to perform in public concerts at night and work with aspiring young musicians during the day. Entering its eleventh season the  Gene Harris Jazz Festival is pleased to offer you our new Concert Series with the goal of  better serving  the jazz community and all of the elements that are a part of it, including:  great public jazz concerts, a wide range of educational experiences for students of jazz and furthering the growth of the Gene Harris Endowment. 

 
The Festival in our Community
Through the first ten years the Gene Harris Jazz Festival has:
Entertained more than 97,000 people
Educated more than 10,000 students
Presented more than 180 nationally and internationally known jazz artists including Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, Arturo Sandoval, Ernie Watts, Kevin Eubanks Poncho Sanchez and many more.
Collaborated with more than 80 businesses annually through sponsorships, in-kind donations and volunteers to help with the goal of placing a student in school at Boise State University. The Treasure Valley can be proud of these community-minded individuals and corporations for helping to make the Festival possible.  

Educational Outreach
The Gene Harris Jazz Festival reaches out to students in several ways.
Clinics - More than 1,000 students participate each year in instrumental clinics and jazz ban d adjudication held on campus at Boise State University during the Festival.      
Gene Harris All-Stars -  provides young aspiring students of Jazz Music an opportunity to further their learning through advanced-level training and performances. 
Tours - The Boise State Big Band tours Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon each year, promoting jazz, music education, the Festival and Boise State University.
Instruments - Continuing this year is our Young Talent Award. This program places a new instrument in the hands of students who might not otherwise be able to have one. Students may be selected to receive a new trumpet, trombone, saxophone, keyboard, drum set or guitar.
Send a Student to Boise State University
To date, more than 31 students have received financial help as a result of this community effort. Our goal is to have all members of the Boise State Big Band receive a full scholarship to study music at Boise State University.

   
The Gene Harris Jazz Festival invites you to be a part of this great community event. Come listen, see, learn and support jazz music and education.