Good-bye and thank you to Christian Bumgarner

Christian Bumgarner, a well-loved fixture in the Mission Valley’s musical community for more than three decades, has retired and moved to Idaho. He has directed six choirs, three of which he founded, and his history with Mission Valley Choral Society dates back to the early 1990s. Christian and his wife, Viktra, have moved to Blanchard, Idaho, to be closer to their 14 grandchildren.

Christian has been planning for his retirement as director of the Mission Valley Choral Society for the past couple of years. He developed a MVCS board of directors and under his leadership the group became a 501(c)3 non-profit in January 2023. He was passionate about leaving a choir in a strong position for the future. We cannot thank Christian enough for his dedication to excellence and tireless effort to share music in the Mission Valley.

Christian’s comment about leaving, “Viktra and I … have lived almost 35 years in this incredible community and it will be difficult to say goodbye. One of the things we are most looking forward to is bringing our grandchildren back to Montana for camping trips to the Mission Valley in the summer. We are so grateful for the community that helped us raise our

four daughters and the love and support we have received over the years.” Thank you, Christian and Viktra, and have fun with those grandchildren.

Also, the choir appreciates and thanks the Mission Valley for supporting us for more than 30 years!

Mission Valley Choral Society Board of Directors

Susan Raub-Fortner, President

Sophia Donovan, Vice President

Karen McCullough, Treasurer

Valerie Lindstrom, Secretary

Daniel Dickinson, Music Librarian