POCATELLO — The Idaho State-Civic Symphony is proud to present its 2026-2027 season, "Anchors in the Storm.” Conducted and curated by Nell Flanders, this season’s musical voyage brings audiences back to the beloved classics of the symphonic repertoire, including Beethoven, Britten, and Tchaikovsky, and familiar guest artists to bring the stage to life once again: the amazing vocalist, Kristin Renee Young, and the timeless Native American flutist, Hovia Edwards. In the beautiful lights of the Joseph C. and Cheryl H. Jensen Grand Concert Hall at the Stephens Performing Arts Center, each performance invites audiences to reflect on personal sources of strength and resilience: their own anchors in a sea of uncertainties. Through music, the Symphony explores the many ways we find stability, meaning and connection in the midst of life’s storms.
The season begins with “The Sea and the Seasons” on Oct. 2. This concert paints orchestral masterpieces of the sea featuring Dvořák’s “Slavonic Dances” in a side-by-side performance with the Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, Strauss’s “Last Four Songs” with the enchanting soprano Kristin Renee Young, and Debussy’s “La Mer.” Each piece explores the composer’s musical interpretations of the tumultuous nature of the sea.
Later in the fall, on Nov. 13, is “Resilience”: a concert honoring resilience in spirit, culture and through difficult periods of life, including moving works from Ludwig van Beethoven, Grażyna Bacewicz and the featured performer, Hovia Edwards, premiering her new concerto for Native American flute, composed with Justin Ralls. Whether their resilience is found through honoring their Native American culture, battling to be heard as one of the first women composers, or creating symphonies despite deafness, this concert represents strength found through stubborn hope.
To end the year, the Symphony welcomes back its holiday celebration concert, “Joy to the World,” on Dec.12 and 13. Featuring the festival of light and music from around the world, the Symphony, in collaboration with its marvelous Idaho State University Concert Choir and the Camerata Singers, under the direction of Jeffrey Francom, will celebrate with beloved holiday tunes and hymns representing traditions from around the world.
The new year begins with “Friendship and Community” on Feb. 19, a program exploring the relationships that shape and sustain us. The evening opens with an operatic interlude from Benjamin Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes,” depicting the moody, realistic and often harsh atmosphere of an English coastal fishing village. After the night rises into a special, virtuosic performance from the winner of the ISU Concerto Competition. To end the night is Edward Elgar's “Enigma Variations,” which transforms friendship into music, offering intimate portraits of the people who shaped the composer's life. In the spirit of the night, Elgar said it was dedicated "to my friends pictured within," with each melodic variation being a musical portrait of his most cherished people.
The finale of the season is the “Artistic Inspiration” concert on April 30, a musical ode to the striking balance between sophisticated skill and expressive musicality. Symphony concertmaster Hyeri Choi will perform Aleksandr Glazunov’s renowned “Violin Concerto in A minor,” known for its sweeping and lyrical melodies. The season concludes triumphantly with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, a powerful meditation on fate built around a recurring musical motif that transforms throughout the work. Together, these works tie together the relationship between the audience and the musician, leaving a feeling of inspiration to finish this season.
Individual concert tickets are on sale now. Season tickets are available until Oct. 1 online or by contacting the Stephens Performing Arts Center Box Office. Tickets are available 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, visit iscsymphony.org.