The Idaho State Civic Symphony begins its 2026–27 season, Anchors in the Storm, with The Sea and the Seasons on Friday, October 2.
In this KISU interview, conductor and artistic director Nell Flanders and guest soprano Kristin Renee Young discuss the artistic vision behind a season shaped by themes of uncertainty, resilience, connection, and renewal. Flanders explains how water, the natural world, and the recurring rhythm of the seasons provide a musical and emotional anchor for the program.
The concert opens with the energy and celebration of a Dvořák Slavonic Dance, performed side-by-side with young string musicians from the Idaho State Civic Symphony Youth Orchestra. The program then turns to the intimate, expressive world of Richard Strauss, including Four Last Songs and “Morgen!” with Young as soloist. Flanders and Young explore the songs’ rich orchestration, long vocal lines, poetic imagery, and moving reflections on love, loss, mortality, and hope.
Young also shares her excitement about returning to Pocatello after a previous appearance with the Civic Symphony, as well as a recent New York Fashion Week performance connected to HIV research and awareness. The concert concludes with Debussy’s La Mer, a three-movement orchestral portrait of the sea, from dawn to noon, through the play of the waves, and into the dialogue between wind and water.
The Sea and the Seasons takes place Friday, October 2, with the Idaho State Civic Symphony.
