It is a pleasure to welcome you to a season that brings together the beauty and energy of live orchestral music in the Treasure Valley.
We open the season at the beautiful Idaho Shakespeare Festival amphitheater—a fitting setting for Vivaldi’s beloved Four Seasons. Throughout the season, we will explore music by Beethoven, Brahms, Copland, Dvořák, Elgar, and Gershwin, as well as Holst’s monumental The Planets.
We will welcome internationally acclaimed soloists, including violinist Timothy Chooi for Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, cellist Julian Schwarz for Jennifer Higdon’s cello concerto, composed for him, and pianists Fei-Fei and Michelle Cann for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and Gershwin’s Concerto in F, as well as the Boise Phil Master Chorale in performances of Bruckner’s monumental Te Deum.
We invite you to celebrate the holidays with us as we present the film favorite Elf live in concert, embark on a hero’s journey in Heroes: A Video Game Symphony, and enjoy a thrilling, one-night-only tribute to Led Zeppelin.
I look forward to sharing these performances— and many more— with you throughout the season.
Musically yours, Eric Garcia
Boise Phil Symphonic Series
With Music Director Eric Garcia
BEETHOVEN’S 7th
OCT. 10 & 11, 2026
HOLST: THE PLANETS
NOV. 7 & 8, 2026
ELF IN CONCERT (film with live orchestra)
NOV. 28 & 29, 2026
JAN. 23 & 24, 2027
MAR. 6 & 7, 2027
MAY 15 & 16, 2027
THANK YOU SERIES SPONSORS: Anne & Bob Hay / Peggy Ann Rupp / Anonymous
A season that brings together the beauty and energy of live orchestral music in the Treasure Valley.
BEETHOVEN’S 7TH SYMPHONY
We open the season with one of the most beloved and exhilarating symphonies ever composed. The program begins with Smetana’s beloved classic, The Moldau. Its sweeping lyricism evokes the spirit of Bohemia’s beloved river. We then dive into the timeless piece, Sibelius Violin Concerto with acclaimed violinist, Timothy Chooi. We then conclude with the classic Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, a masterpiece of vitality and joy that brings the opening weekend to a thrilling finale.
Anne & Bob Hay
Peggy Ann Rupp
Concert Sponsor: Bob Law & Mikel Ward
Guest Artist Sponsor: Dottie Goldman
HOLST: THE PLANETS
Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto redefined the relationship between soloist and ensemble, opening with quiet introspection before unfolding into one of his most poetic and innovative masterpieces. Pianist Fei-Fei brings her sensitive and thoughtful artistry to this remarkable work. The second half features Holst’s The Planets, an expansive and vividly orchestrated musical journey. From the driving intensity of Mars to the ethereal stillness of Neptune, this iconic work showcases the full power and color of the orchestra, joined by the women of the Boise Phil Master Chorale for its mysterious and transcendent conclusion.
Guest
Concert Sponsor: Dr. Peggy Ann Rupp
Artist Sponsor: Julie Kilgrow & Al Gardner
Sheet Music Sponsor: John & Lois Kloss
ELF IN CONCERT
Buddy was accidentally transported to the North Pole as a toddler and raised to adulthood among Santa’s elves. Unable to shake the feeling that he doesn’t fit in, the adult Buddy travels to New York, in full elf uniform, in search of his real father. This holiday season, relive this heartwarming holiday classic on a giant screen as every note of John Debney’s wonderful score is played live to picture in: Elf in Concert!
This program explores virtuosity and musical storytelling across three distinctive works. Dvořák’s spirited Carnival Overture, performed side-by-side with members of the Boise Phil Youth Orchestra, opens with exuberance and rhythmic vitality. Cellist Julian Schwarz returns to Boise for Jennifer Higdon’s new Cello Concerto, a work written for him that showcases his artistic brilliance and expressive depth. The program concludes with Elgar’s Enigma Variations, a series of richly composed portraits of the composer’s friends and colleagues. Intimate, humorous, and noble, it remains one of the most beloved works in the orchestral repertoire.
Concert Sponsor: Steve S. and Carol Trott Legacy Society
BRAHMS & BRUCKNER
Bruckner’s Te Deum is a towering expression of faith and grandeur, combining radiant choral writing with the full power of the orchestra. Joined by the Boise Phil Master Chorale and vocal soloists, few works in the choral repertoire match its scale and majesty. In the second half, Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 is transformed through Arnold Schoenberg’s masterful orchestration, re-imagining the chamber work on a symphonic scale. Preserving Brahms’s intensity and lyricism while expanding its color and scope, this version offers a compelling new perspective on a beloved masterpiece.
Esther Simplot (Mrs. J.R.)
Anne & Bob Hay
Peggy Ann Rupp
Concert Sponsor: Ann & Bob Hay
Sheet Music Sponsor: John & Lois Kloss
GERSHWIN & COPLAND (Season Finale)
We close the season with a celebration of the American sound. Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst opens the program with brilliance and flair. Pianist Michelle Cann joins us for Gershwin’s jazz-infused Piano Concerto in F. The second half opens with Copland’s iconic Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, a joyful evocation of the American West, and the program and season conclude with Gershwin’s An American in Paris, a kinetic and jazzy portrait of the city through Gershwin’s unique American lens.
Concert Sponsor: Jeannie & Ken Smith
Guest Artist Sponsor: Dottie Goldman Sheet Music Sponsor: John & Lois Kloss
SEASON
THE MUSIC OF LED ZEPPELIN
The music features a massive array of songs from the Zeppelin catalog. Whether the orchestra is playing the lush harmonies afforded the songs or playing the lick-based lines created by Plant, Page and John Paul Jones, the driving tunes allow musicians to dig into their instruments and rock with the band or play counterpoint melodies to the guitar solos or singer. Rather than the orchestra being a separate part of the music it becomes another instrument within the band. The show even features an Electric Violinist. Come to the concert ready to be amazed!
SPONSOR: Esther Simplot (Mrs. J.R.)
SERIES SPONSORS: Anne & Bob Hay
Peggy Ann Rupp
HEROES
A Video Game Symphony
Heroes takes you on a hero’s journey, as set forth by Joseph Campbell’s narrative template for a heroic journey that can be seen in many of the games, films, and books throughout history. Each stage in the monomyth is a chapter in our story, and each game/musical selection was chosen primarily for its suitability for the chapter that it is featured in. In this way, our story is the story of a hero, told through the amazing worlds of other heroes, in an unforgettable experience that’s not to be missed.
Concert Sponsor: Bob & Patty Rietveld
Guest Artist Sponsor: Mike & Connie Lyon Sheet Music Sponsor: Kyle Rietveld
VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS
Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater
Join us for an enchanting evening under the stars with the Boise Phil as we perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival on Monday, September 14, 2026. This concert promises to be a delightful experience, set against the picturesque backdrop of the I.S.F. venue. A set of four groundbreaking Baroque violin concertos that use vivid musical “word painting” to depict scenes from nature, birdsong, storms, barking dogs, and frozen landscapes based on accompanying sonnets. Tickets start at $10! Add-On
Concert Sponsors: Kay Hardy and Gregory Kaslo
Esther Simplot (Mrs. J.R.)
SPONSORS: Anne & Bob Hay
Peggy Ann Rupp
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
(Cathedral of the Rockies, Boise, ID.)
Since its first performance two and a half centuries ago, Handel’s Messiah continues to captivate people the world over. From deeply tender arias to show-stopping choruses and splendid orchestral writing, Messiah has it all. We invite you and your family to join us for some of the most joyous music ever written. With three performances including a family-friendly shortened matinee, this is an opportunity you don’t want to miss.
Guarantee the best seats in the house, select number of Premium Reserved seats are available for an additional $10.
Guest Artist Sponsor: Richard & Mary Frasch
Sheet Music Sponsor: Ridgley Denning
Season Subscription Options
2026-2027 SEASON CONCERT LIST
$126.00
$189.00
All Symphonic Series concerts are performed at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts on the Boise State University campus. Four Seasons is at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival Amphitheater, and Messiah is at the Cathedral of the Rockies.
