An Afternoon of Music, Art, and Healing at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center

Boise, Idaho–On a Friday afternoon in February, just two days after Ash Wednesday, the cafeteria at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center became something more than the usual community hub. The ring of brass, woodwinds, and strings transformed the space into something new.

Staff paused between meetings. Visitors lingered a little longer. For one hour, the Boise, Idaho-based hospital’s substantive healing mission found new expression through a collaboration with the Boise Philharmonic—and through the luminous presence of The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition.

Several months prior, after attending a Boise Philharmonic concert, Sister Beth Mulvaney, mission educator at Saint Alphonsus, completed a post-performance survey. Emboldened by the music, she left a question in the blank white box: Would the orchestra be open to partnering with the hospital?

To her surprise, the Philharmonic’s executive director, Brandon VanWaeyenberghe, responded enthusiastically. The Boise Philharmonic has been named a cultural ambassador for the city for the 2026–27 season, and this collaboration would be a fantastic way to engage the community in this role. By collaborating with the hospital, the orchestra hoped to put into action a broader commitment: music not only for concert halls, but for the shared spaces where life unfolds.

Where Music, Art, and Life Unfold

Conversations and brainstorming followed. Naturally, Sister Beth and Ted Marconi, Director of Mission Integration at Saint Alphonsus, wanted to include the hospital’s Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible in the event. The interplay between music and art, they thought, would create the greatest impact.

Using the Heritage Edition in this way would not be new territory for the hospital in the slightest. Since acquiring a Heritage Edition in 2018, the hospital has driven robust efforts to use the Bible internally, hosting one volume on display in the lobby and one in a special Sacred Space, built just for the Bible.

But it never stays in its case for long, as patients and their families often request to experience the Heritage Edition in their rooms. The Mission Integration team offers Visio Divina if patients or staff are interested, but those at the hospital are welcome to experience the Heritage Edition however they’d like–structured or unstructured. The Mission Integration team has even brought the Bible to other communities in the Boise area, such as middle schools, high schools, parishes, and even the Boise Art Museum.

For this collaboration with the Boise Philharmonic, there was early talk of sharing The Saint John’s Bible Heritage Edition during a performance of Handel’s Messiah, as other communities had done. But as planning unfolded, the idea transformed into something new. Something that would bring the music and art even closer to staff, patients, and the families of patients at Saint Alphonsus.

The result was a lunch-hour concert held in the hospital cafeteria. Two ensembles performed: a brass quintet and a woodwind quintet. Hospital staff rearranged tables and chairs and the Philharmonic brought their own stands and seating. At one end of the space, musicians gathered. At the other end, colleagues, patients, and visitors moved freely in and out, taking their own time to experience the unexpected gift of live music and art.

The program was diverse, accessible, and light. The musicians played selections from West Side Story, a few jazz pieces, and, for an extra bit of fun, the unmistakable theme from The Pink Panther. Smiles broke out. Heads nodded. Kitchen staff came out to listen. One staff member even recorded part of the performance and posted it online. It meant something, he said, that his organization cared enough to bring beauty into his busy workday.

That sense of care is not incidental at Saint Alphonsus. It is embedded in what the hospital calls its “healing environment.” From lighting and architecture to art and texture, Saint Alphonsus intentionally shapes its spaces to support the healing of body, mind, and spirit.

Healing, at Saint Alphonsus, is not confined to clinical treatment. It is relational, cultural, and experiential. Many people’s relationship to the hospital starts with trauma. Others start through service, education, or community partnership. This lunch-hour concert was another way to meet people where they are—another doorway into connection.

“Many people enter a hospital already carrying fear—whether as patients, loved ones, or staff navigating high-pressure roles,” said Marconi. “A thoughtfully cultivated environment can soften those edges.”

On this February afternoon, music softened those edges.

So did sacred art. Near the musicians stood a volume of Heritage Edition, opened to the dramatic illumination “Valley of Dry Bones,” inspired by Ezekiel 27. This illumination showcases God’s promise of resurrection, a timely theme for the Lenten season.

Before the music began, Sister Beth offered brief reflections, inviting listeners to notice parallels between sound and image.

“I spoke about music and art,” said Sister Beth, “how music is colorful, and the illumination is colorful, how you can experience volume and rhythm changes in art as well as music, and invited people to see those connections as they listened to the music.”

This is just the beginning of what will be many collaborations between the two organizations. Unified by their joint interest in bringing music and art to people who may need it the most, both organizations see expansive possibilities for future collaboration.

Conversations have begun about bringing small ensembles to nursing units, infusion centers, and memory care programs. Leaders toured patient floors with the Philharmonic’s executive director, imagining quartets in quiet corners and holiday music in the main entrance.

That day only affirmed what those at Saint Alphonsus already know: art belongs in sacred spaces. And what is more sacred than care?

The Saint John’s Bible: Ignite the Spiritual Imagination

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