Idaho Falls Symphony announces ‘Season of Wonder’

The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Symphony.

IDAHO FALLS — Music is a profound force that plays a major role in our collective experience. The Idaho Falls Symphony has planned the upcoming Season 76: Season of Wonder in 2025-2026 as an exploration of the awe, grandeur, and the wonder of music.

This expansive and varied season includes concerts featuring renowned soloists, dancers, and a full feature-length movie experience. In addition, the season includes the evocative Soundscapes Musical Experience highlighting innovative chamber music events, the annual Symphony in the Park concert, the Carnegie Hall LinkUp Concerts for local schools, and two concerts featuring the thriving Idaho Falls Symphony Youth Orchestras.

“The Idaho Falls Symphony continues to serve as a beacon of excellence,” remarks Dr. Thomas Heuser, now entering his 15th season as Music Director of the Idaho Falls Symphony. “The artistry of our musicians and guest artists is absolutely transporting, and the true power of music is embodied in this wonderful orchestra. We are the place where a community of music lovers gathers to seek expanded horizons, new ideas, and the best in musical entertainment. Season 76 promises to deliver a captivating musical arc, offering inspiration in every moment.”

Get Season Tickets for Season 76: Season of Wonder to secure your special place at all six subscription concerts, scheduled to take place at the Frontier Center for the Performing Arts in Idaho Falls.

Individual tickets for all Symphony events will be made available only after Season Ticket holders have been able to select their favorite seats. Don’t miss your chance to buy these discounted season packages in Spring 2025!

Complete details and ticket sale information will be made available online at www.ifsymphony.org, or by calling the Symphony office at 208-529-1080.

The first subscription concert of Season 76 is entitled Sounds of the American West, and takes place on October 18th. The sublime beauty of our natural world resonates with audiences in Southeast Idaho, and on this program, each musical selection will be accompanied by stunning visual projections that capture the landscapes being depicted in musical form. The iconic “Grand Canyon Suite” by Ferde Grofé from 1931 includes cinematic music in five distinct movements, capturing the monumental Grand Canyon in evocative sections like Sunrise and Cloudburst. Jennifer Higdon wrote “All Things Majestic” for the Grand Teton Music Festival in 2011, and her virtuosic music conjures places we know and love, like Snake River and Teton Range. Audiences will be amazed by the combination of sights and sounds on this majestic opening night!

Then, on Nov. 22, the Idaho Falls Symphony welcomes a dazzling violin soloist to perform music by one of history’s most revered composers. The program is called Beethoven in Concert with Simone Porter, and the vivacious violin soloist Simone Porter makes her IF Symphony debut performing the Violin Concerto of Ludwig van Beethoven. Porter has performed with the world’s leading orchestras and lights up the stage with remarkable flair. The all-Beethoven program pairs the Violin Concerto with his Third Symphony, the “Eroica,” a bombastic and groundbreaking work that puts the musicians of the Idaho Falls Symphony in the limelight.

As one of the major centerpieces of Season 76, the Idaho Falls Symphony proudly presents Home Alone in Concert! With absolutely thrilling music by the legendary John Williams, the Symphony and our very own Maestro Heuser will perform the complete movie score live as the soundtrack to the classic, feature-length film. Don’t miss your chance to get tickets for this one-night-only event, which is sure to be the pinnacle of your holiday season! Families are invited to experience “A Family Comedy – Without the Family,” on Dec. 20, 2025.

Moving into the New Year, mark your calendars for a romantic Red Dress: Valentines Concert on Feb. 14, 2026. The heartfelt concert features soprano Jordan Bowman, a native of Southeast Idaho, whose captivating stage presence and vocal bravura continues to drive her successful career in the world of Opera and Broadway. Jordan will perform charming music by Franz Lehar and Richard Rodgers, and together with a massive orchestra, she will tackle the divine “Liebestod” from Richard Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. With the full orchestra on overdrive, the night concludes with Tchaikovsky’s stunning Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.

Ballet Idaho from Boise makes its first-ever appearance alongside the Idaho Falls Symphony on March 7 in a highly anticipated collaboration. The IF Symphony proudly presents Pulcinella with Ballet Idaho, a guaranteed showcase of impeccable dancing, live with the orchestra onstage. Choreographer Justin Peck’s heralded “Pulcinella Variations” is set to the jubilant and complex music of Igor Stravinsky’s score, along with an impactful new work, “Within Her Arms,” by the British composer Anna Clyne. Maestro Heuser and the Symphony will take advantage of the intimate musical setting to present the ebullient Linz Symphony of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The capstone of the subscription season will be an unforgettable Finale on April 25, 2025. The epic concert, Season Finale: Side-by-Side with IFS Youth Orchestra, will be a truly historic event, featuring a huge group of adult and student musicians performing together as one ensemble. The music for the combined groups includes the beloved symphonic poem Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, plus the comic Overture to Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss Jr., whose 200th birthday in 2025 will be celebrated worldwide. After intermission, the intrepid adult Symphony musicians will round out the program with the awe inspiring First Symphony of Johannes Brahms.

Free concerts throughout the year are designed to make the Symphony experience accessible to audiences from all walks of life. The annual kickoff concert in Freeman Park has become a beloved community tradition in Idaho Falls, and on Sept. 13, get ready to have some fun with Carnival! A Symphony in the Park. Bring your lawn chairs and picnic baskets for this free community event, featuring fun and familiar music with a Carnival theme. The Symphony will be joined by vocalists from the Idaho Falls Youth Arts Centre singing selections from the classic Broadway musical, Carousel. Concerts by the Idaho Falls Symphony Youth Orchestra program are also free for all ages, and showcase the incredible dedication and talents of our next generation of classical musicians.

The Idaho Falls Symphony presents an additional series of events called Soundscapes: A Musical Experience, that take place throughout the season and complement the subscription series. These Friday night concerts are designed as an informal introduction to the Symphony, bringing our musicians and audiences closer together, creating conversation and connection. The first installment on Oct. 10 will be a collaboration with the Museum of Idaho, featuring haunting stories from Idaho Falls past, combined with music that explores fate, mystery, and mythologies.

On Jan. 23 at The Art Museum of Idaho, experience a concert of Romantic Art Songs, pairing expressive selections for voice and piano with works of fine art, further exploring the relationship between music and the visual arts. Finally, on April 3 at the Downtown Event Center, the ever-popular Four Seasons by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi will be paired with the tango music of Astor Piazzola’s The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

The partnership between the Idaho Falls Symphony and Carnegie Hall’s LinkUp program continues into 2026, providing a school music curriculum for partnering schools and teachers that culminates in a live, interactive Symphony concert! The Orchestra Sings! will focus on the role of melody in music, and students will learn to perform fun and familiar favorites by some of history’s most important composers. The curriculum leads students and teachers towards a live performance with the Idaho Falls Symphony, where they come to the concert hall and join with the Symphony in a triumphant final performance that ties together their semester of learning.