POCATELLO - The Idaho State-Civic Symphony is proud to present its second featured concert of the Creative Courage season, "Voices Oppressed and Liberated." The live performance will be on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Joseph C. and Cheryl H. Jensen Grand Concert Hall at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, offering the Pocatello community an evening of powerful and thought-provoking music. The program explores the powerful contrast between composers who struggled under political oppression and those who flourished in freedom.

Under the artistic direction of Nell Flanders, the Symphony presents a dynamic and emotionally resonant program that traces the resilience of artistic expression across time. The concert opens with "Gioachino Rossini's La Gazza Ladra Overture," a work of sparkling wit and rhythmic variety. These light and lyrical works give way to the violent emotion and dissonant power of Dmitri "Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony, Op. 110a (String Quartet No. 8)," a deeply personal autobiographical reflection on the composer's life under Soviet censorship. Then it will be followed by Richard Strauss's "Wind Serenade, Op. 7," a youthful and elegant masterpiece of harmonic beauty. The evening concludes with Joseph Haydn's classic "Symphony No. 94 in G Major,"

"Surprise," a joyful affirmation of creativity and humor that reminds us how music can transcend hardship and celebrate life's unexpected journey. Each of these works, in its own way, traces the enduring human struggle for creative freedom.

Reflecting on music's social power, Shostakovich once said, "Real music is always revolutionary, for it cements the ranks of the people; it arouses them and leads them onward."

Central to the theme of the night is Dmitri Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony, which is a string orchestra arrangement of his "String Quartet No. 8." The opening motive is crafted from the composer's own name, and devolves as he adds self-quotations from his life's compositions, recalling his public denouncements, the horrors of The Holocaust, the Siege of Leningrad and his eventual joining of the Soviet Party against his will. From the shadows of censorship to the triumphs of artistic freedom, "Voices Oppressed and Liberated" invites listeners to reflect on how creativity continues to challenge oppression, connect people and affirm the human spirit, especially in the modern moment.

Idaho State University students are invited to enjoy free snacks at 7 p.m. in the lobby by presenting their student ID at the welcome table.

Tickets are available now through the Stephens Performing Arts Center Box Office, online at isu.edu/tickets, or by calling 208-282-3595. Ticket prices range from $9 to $47. ISU students and Shoshone-Bannock Tribe members receive free admission with a valid ID presented at the Box Office.

For more information about concerts, tickets and supporting the Symphony, please visit iscsymphony.org.