Remembering two former music department faculty

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Music recognize two former faculty members who died earlier in 2026. Mark Hansen, who served as department chair and professor of piano, and John Baldwin, professor of percussion and founder of Boise State's Percussion Ensemble, both helped make the music department what it is today.

Remembering John Baldwin

Baldwin joined the music faculty in 1971. Within a few years of arriving, he was already deeply involved in the Boise music community. Department reports from the mid-70s note his participation in the Boise City Band, the Boise Symphonette, the Boise Jaycees and the Boise Philharmonic. Baldwin was also a regular recitalist, performing for local students and community members on his favorite instrument, the marimba.

In his first years at Boise State, Baldwin founded the Percussion Ensemble. The ensemble still exists today as the Bronco Percussion Group, performing recently at Treefort Music Fest and their spring recital earlier this year. The recital was dedicated to Baldwin.

Baldwin's students have gone on to pursue their own musical careers as performers and educators. Those include Kelley Smith, who teaches music and band at Chief Joseph School of the Arts in Meridian. At the time of Baldwin's retirement in 2021, Smith recalled him as a demanding professor whose high standards reflected his dedication to student success.

Remembering Mark Hansen

Hansen joined the music faculty later in his career, in 2007, when he was brought aboard as department chair. He taught music theory and performed as an acclaimed pianist and part of the duo-piano ensemble Tesoro, alongside Svetlana Maddox who teaches piano as adjunct faculty.

Hansen left his mark in the department with the All-Steinway Initiative. This monumental effort replaced the music department's aging piano fleet with a collection of Steinway instruments. Steinway & Sons are renowned for crafting some of the world's best pianos that fill music halls, studios and practice rooms. Thanks to Hansen's work, Boise State's music department can count itself among a limited number of educational institutions whose students can hone their skills on these fine instruments.

In his role as a Steinway Artist, Hansen wrote the following: "I can't imagine my life as a pianist without the superb sound and action of Steinway pianos. These instruments are truly my most important musical partners and friends. Yes - a fabulous piano can truly be a friend!"

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