History Of Festival
This is the 24th edition of the Northern Sacramento Valley Music Festival. Actually, it is the 27th year of the Festival's existence — the affair was not held during three war years.
The colorful musical extravaganza started far back in 1922 when the principal and band director of the Princeton Union High School invited other valley schools to come to Princeton for a music competition.
The festival has been growing ever since.
At first only bands participated and a cup was awarded to the winning organization. At the Princeton meeting the Northern Sacramento Valley Music Association was created. Its purpose was to foster and promote annual festivals which it continues to do. The musical meetings were to be held at different points in the Northern Sacramento Valley each year and provisions were made to then to expand the original band festival to include orchestras, glee clubs, choirs and choruses.
The idea of awarding prizes to winning organizations was later discarded and in its stead the festival association decided to ask professional music teachers to criticize each participating group. Now each organization brings from the festival a sheaf of constructively critical notes which have helped, immeasurably, to improve the quality of music heard at this affair in succeeding years.
For the last 16 years the Festival has been held in Chico. … until last year this city was the school musical center of the Northern Sacramento Valley. Growth of the state and of area, however, made it necessary to split the festival in two sections. In 1948 all schools north of Chico journeyed to Redding … Schools from Chico south came here. Marysville is host city for the southern section. …
— Enterprise-Record,
April 29, 1949