Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic

The Project:

The Spirit of Boise Balloon Classic has been a major part of the culture and community of Boise, ID since the early 90s. When its founder, Scott Spencer, passed away in early 2020, I was asked by Laurie Spencer (Scott’s wife, and the new event organizer) to take over the job of curating music for the Classic. Over time, my role has expanded to include many other creative aspects of bringing the magic of hot air balloons to the Treasure Valley.

My Role: Music Director, Show Coordinator, Script Writer/Editor, Creative Consultant

Responsibilities Include:

• Curating, editing, organizing, and cueing a carefully selected set of music to immerse guests in the world of hot air ballooning over the course of the entire event, as well as enhance the impact of specific important moments (inflations, launches, glows, etc.)
• Writing engaging show scripts for portions of the event including Nite Glow and sponsored balloon launches, as well as editing all other scripts for the event as a whole
• Providing support and materials to help plan and coordinate various other connected projects (e.g., drone show animatics, museum exhibit concept art and elevations)

My Work:

Scott, and now Laurie Spencer, both served as the official hot air balloon pilot for the Walt Disney Company – regularly traveling around the country for various media opportunities, as well as bringing Disney’s balloons (and sometimes Mickey Mouse himself) to Boise. I try to infuse everything I do for the Spirit of Boise with as much Disney-inspired “magic” as possible.

Music

Scott Spencer had always been one to choreograph the big moments in his “show” to music, so when I took over, my primary goal was to flesh out the soundtrack for the rest of the event, while maintaining the energy and cinematic nature of those specific beats. The current iteration of the “soundtrack” now includes more than 8 hours of music as part of a continuous ambience across the multi-day event. From intimate tracks that slowly build energy with the sunrise every morning, to lilting scores that mimic the dance of balloons in the sky, to cued, bombastic stings synchronized precisely with the first burn of the Nite Glow after dark, I am a huge believer that music is the single most important element of the experience outside of the balloons themselves, and I try to make sure that every moment is effectively “narrated” by the underlying orchestration. Below is the 2026 version of the run sheet I use to coordinate and cue the music on-site.