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Hymn Festival

BYU - Idaho Department of Music announces a call for Hymn Texts.
2023 Submission Due Date
Submissions are due by October 23, 2023, at the BYU-I Music Department office or through email at hymnfestival@byui.edu.
Contact Information
Music Department Office
BYUI Music Dept, Attn: Hymn Festival, Rexburg, ID 83460-1210
hymnfestival@byui.edu
Hymn Festival held at the Barrus Concert Hall in the Snow Performing Arts Center.

Submissions

BYU-Idaho students and members of the Rexburg community gather to sing new hymns that have been written by the BYU-Idaho Community. (Students, Faculty/Staff,Community)
Hymn Festival held at the Barrus Concert Hall in the Snow Performing Arts Center.

Members of the BYUI community (students, faculty/staff and community) are invited to submit original hymn texts for use in the Eighteenth annual BYU-Idaho Hymn Festival to be held in February 2024.

Submissions chosen for use will be forwarded to BYU-Idaho music students who will create a new hymn tune and harmonization for the submitted text. Or, if desired, the new hymn text can be sung to an existing hymn tune.

Or, instead of creating an entirely new hymn text, an original additional verse (or verses) to an existing hymn can be submitted. Note that in this case, both the original text and music must be in the public domain.

Be sure that your text follows a common poetic meter for hymns; see page 405 in the current Hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more information on this.

Successful hymn texts also maintain uniformity in the number of syllables in each line from verse to verse, so that each successive verse can line up with the same musical rhythm.

Past Hymn Festival Programs:

2019 program 2020 program

2021 program 2022 program

2023 program

Any gospel topic can be addressed - some ideas include:

  • Covenants;
  • The Prophet Joseph Smith;
  • The Restoration of the Gospel;
  • The Sacrament and Sabbath Day;
  • Ministering;
  • Or Any Other Gospel Topic.

Submissions are due by Monday, October 23, 2023, to the BYUI Music Department office (SNO 246 - Attn: Hymn Festival) or via email at hymnfestival@byui.edu.

Mailing address:

BYU-I Music Dept.
Attn: Hymn Festival
Rexburg, ID 83460-1210

Please include: your name, address, phone number, email and two scripture reference that supports the text (such as are provided for each hymn in the LDS hymnal).

Please note that due to the volume of entries, only a very few submitted texts can be used in the Festival. We also reserve the right to make minor editorial emendations to submitted material to facilitate the flow of text with music. Although the printed program will allow for the hymns to be used for incidental home or church use, the poets and composers whose work is selected for the festival retain the copyright for their creations.

Questions can be directed to hymnfestival@byui.edu.