Our mission is to nurture the pursuit of musical excellence through accessible instruction, collaborative partnerships and performance.
To learn more about us, please watch this short video:
Board of Directors
Walter Burns
President pro-tem
Stephen Voehl
Treasurer
Shoshana Rubli
Secretary
Zoe Ann Thruman
Director
Founder
With sincere gratitude to Julienne Dance
for her vision and dedication in establishing the Music Conservatory
and to the Dance family for their generous support in our early years.
Our Home in the Historic Hamilton House
The Music Conservatory of Coeur d’Alene is located in the historic Hamilton House which is in the National Registry of Historic Places.
The Music Conservatory is located in the historic Hamilton House at 627 Government Way—the heart of the city. Built in 1908 for Coeur d’Alene’s 2nd Mayor, Boyd Hamilton, and his wife Alta, daughter of Spokane empire builder J.J. Browne, the two-story home was designed by Spokane architect George Keith, whose splendid wrap-around porch with formal entry announces that a gentleman lives here. During the 20th century, several prominent public officials made their home here—Idaho Supreme Court Judge W.F. McNaughton; Kootenai County Prosecutor William Hawkins; and Cd’A Mayor Boyd Hamilton.
The aesthetic appraisal of the large formal rooms appeals to the refined sensibilities of musicians who have lived and performed here. The grand piano of vocalist Agnes Hawkins once graced the airy bay window, and neighbors still reminisce about hearing her crystal notes echoing through the open air. Jazz musician William Hawkins moved his drums from the Blue Bucket Band to an upper room in the house, and international piano jurist Dean Elder—who, as a teen, practiced and performed here—must have drawn deep inspiration from this setting for his continued studies in New York and Europe.