After years of fundraising and construction, the North Valley Music School (NVMS) is hosting a grand opening at its long-awaited new facility (pictured above). The approximately 8,100-square-foot building at Smith Fields in Whitefish will be a major upgrade from the roughly 100-year-old converted home on Spokane Avenue that NVMS has relied on since the early 2000s.
In January of this year, NVMS announced that its “Be Instrumental” capital campaign had reached its goal of raising $7.5 million. Over the course of the campaign, more that 650 donors provided gifts to the school, including $500,000 from Jim and Lisa Stack of Whitefish and another $500,000 from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, a Vancouver-based nonprofit that specializes in partnering with nonprofits serving the Pacific Northwest.
The campaign to construct and move to a new campus was brought on primarily by the need for more space. Christine Rossi, president of the NVMS board of directors, said the school had been “bursting at the seams” to accommodate the hundreds of students it sees each week. And the school would often have to stuff instruments in closets for storage wherever they could find room.
The new ADA-compliant building will have 15 private studios, a large group classroom, a multi-purpose recital space that can fit 100 seats, additional instrument storage, staff offices, a faculty lounge, and increased parking.
Project Whitefish Kids donated the land on Smith Fields for the project, and the City of Whitefish has agreed to sublease it to the nonprofit for $10 a year. The building is located at 1998 River Lakes Parkway.
The grand opening celebration will be held on Sunday, Aug. 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be live music by Archertown, food and beverages available, and NVMS will be providing building tours. At 6 p.m., there will be an official ribbon cutting and remarks from the music school’s leadership, followed by cake and a celebratory toast.
NVMS is asking attendees to park in the soccer or baseball field lots or on the southern field at The Springs at Whitefish.
I’m Kellyn Brown. Let’s get to the rest of The Daily Roundup before heading into the weekend …
Montana Raises Wolf Hunting Cap to 452, Stops Shy of Statewide Quota
The Fish and Wildlife Commission on Thursday blended recommendations from state wildlife managers with a legislative mandate to manage wolves at a “lower yet sustainable” population level. A majority of public comment opposed measures to reduce the statewide wolf population.
Zinke, Fellow Congress Members Suggest Giving States More Agency in Land and Natural Resource Management
Their comments put an exclamation point on a theme that emerged across the Western Policy Caucus Summit, an event attended by congress members, staffers and interested parties that met in the Flathead Valley this week
Whether you’ve been here for decades, or you’re new to the Flathead Valley, our reporting is here to help you feel smarter and in the loop about the issues most important to Northwest Montana. With your support, we can build a more engaged, informed community.
