St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announces “Songs of America,” a six-part video project celebrating the unique voices of American music

(June 25, 2020, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced the launch of its “Songs of America” video project, a collection of performances that celebrate the breadth of voices in American music, framed against a backdrop of St. Louis landmarks. SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève and musicians of the SLSO are joined by St. Louis-area partners including singers, artists, and videographers for this series of pre-recorded videos, which will be made available through a variety of platforms and at no cost to viewers. These SLSO small ensemble performances were recorded between June 18 and June 20 at the orchestra’s home at Powell Hall and were filmed at notable locations throughout the St. Louis region.

The inaugural phase of the “SLSO Songs” project includes six video installments. Performances will be released daily, beginning on Monday, June 29, at 7:00pm on the SLSO’s YouTube page, digital magazine SLSO Stories, and on social media. The final two videos, one featuring SLSO Music Director Stéphane Denève and the other with vocalist Kennedy Holmes, will be released on Friday and Saturday, July 3 and 4.

The SLSO shares these musical portraits to showcase the spirit that makes St. Louis unique and to allow the community to connect through music during these challenging times. The project strives to inspire dialogue and celebrate the many voices in music, a bedrock of Denève’s Music Directorship and the foundation of the SLSO’s 2020/2021 classical season he programmed.

In addition to SLSO musicians and Music Director Stéphane Denève on piano, performances feature other St. Louis artists, including:
• Kennedy Holmes, vocalist and finalist on NBC’s The Voice (2018)
• Brian Owens, singer, songwriter, and community advocate
• Malena Smith, vocalist and SLSO IN UNISON Fellow
• Adam Maness, musician and arranger for Songs of America project
• The 442s, genre-bending instrumental ensemble

Filming for the SLSO’s “Songs of America” video project took place at key St. Louis landmarks, including:
• Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, East St. Louis, Illinois: Park overlooking downtown St. Louis dedicated to the memory of Malcolm W. Martin, a veteran and staunch community advocate
• Scott Joplin State Historic Site, St. Louis: the one-time home of Scott Joplin, composer and pianist, and the father of ragtime music
• Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, St. Louis: Downtown St. Louis facility honoring St. Louis-area military service members, veterans, and their families
• Kiener Plaza Park, St. Louis: Downtown St. Louis park, overlooking the Old Courthouse, site of the infamous Scott vs. Sandford case, in which Dred Scott, an enslaved man, unsuccessfully sued for his freedom in 1857
• First Baptist Church-St. Louis: The oldest African-American church west of the Mississippi River

The SLSO has partnered with videographers Jason Pippi and Austin Ratanasitee for this project.

Special thanks to the Centene Charitable Foundation, the Steward Family Foundation, and World Wide Technology for their support of the SLSO.

Songs of America schedule
The following installments of the SLSO’s “Songs of America” video project will be released daily at 7:00pm on the SLSO’s YouTube page, digital magazine SLSO Stories, and social media.

Monday, June 29
BATES/WARD (arr. Maness) “America the Beautiful”

Malena Smith, vocals
Celeste Golden Boyer, violin
Alison Harney, violin
Leonid Plashinov-Johnson, viola
Alvin McCall, cello

Filmed at the Malcolm W. Martin Memorial Park, East St. Louis, Illinois

Tuesday, June 30
JOPLIN (arr. Abeling) “The Easy Winners”

Jennifer Nitchman, flute
Cally Banham, oboe
Tzuying Huang, clarinet
Andrew Cuneo, bassoon
Julie Thayer, horn
Alan Stewart, drums

Filmed at the Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, St. Louis

Wednesday, July 1
WALKER Lyric for Strings

Gemma New, conductor
Celeste Golden Boyer, violin
Ann Fink, violin
Asako Kuboki, violin
Nicolae Bica, violin
Jonathan Chu, viola
Chris Tantillo, viola
Alvin McCall, cello
Bjorn Ranheim, cello
Sarah Hogan Kaiser, bass

Filmed at the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, St. Louis

Thursday, July 2
COOKE “A Change Is Gonna Come”

Brian Owens, vocals
The 442s
Adam Maness, guitar
Shawn Weil, violin
Michael Casimir, viola
Bjorn Ranheim, cello
Bob DeBoo, bass

Filmed at Kiener Plaza Park, St. Louis

Friday, July 3
W.C. HANDY (arr. Holland) “St. Louis Blues”

Stéphane Denève, piano

Saturday, July 4
TRADITIONAL (arr. Maness) “Amazing Grace”

Kennedy Holmes, vocals
Jessica Cheng, violin
Andrea Jarrett, violin
Andrew Francois, viola
Jennifer Humphreys, cello

Filmed at First Baptist Church-St. Louis

The SLSO continues to share the power of music with the St. Louis community through rebroadcasts of previous concerts on St. Louis Public Radio, airing each Saturday at 8:00pm CDT on 90.7 KWMU and (stlpublicradio.org). Hosted by Robert Peterson of St. Louis Public Radio and Tim Munro, SLSO Creative Partner and Grammy Award winner, the concerts include interviews with artists during intermission. Full program listings can be found at slso.org/radiobroadcasts. On the first Sunday of the month, the Nine Network of Public Media televises a previous SLSO concert. Broadcasts are at 5:00pm CDT on the Nine Network (Channel 9) and later posted to its website.