The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève announce full programming for the 2021/2022 season
Highlights include:
· The return of full orchestral performances led by Music Director Stéphane Denève at Powell Hall featuring repertoire spanning genre and time that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
· Concerts in 21/22 feature four world premieres by Stefan Freund, Stacy Garrop, Nathalie Joachim, and Jessie Montgomery; a U.S. premiere by Anna Clyne; 34 works introduced to St. Louis audiences, including 26 pieces by 22 composers of today.
· A two-week artist residency with conductor and violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, who will lead the SLSO in orchestral concerts, collaborate with SLSO musicians in an evening of chamber music, and perform the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Denève conducting.
· New and rescheduled Live at Powell Hall concerts featuring a variety of artists and genres to appeal to all music lovers, from musicians/songwriters Kishi Bashi and Aoife O’Donovan and singer Oleta Adams to tributes to Motown and The Beatles, plus feature films with the score performed live by the SLSO.
· Collaborations that highlight the breadth and depth of St. Louis’ rich artistic culture and immense talent.
· Expanded access to SLSO programming, both in person and online, with new digital concerts, an expanded library of learning resources for teachers and families, events and resources for music lovers of all ages, and the continuation of $15 tickets to all classical concerts and Stéphane Seats—a partnership program where Denève hosts community groups at classical concerts.
· Partnerships with educational institutions including the University of Missouri, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and Indiana University Bloomington that combine orchestral concerts with master classes, workshops, and other learning and mentorship opportunities.
· SLSO Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads the SLSO in a program of works by Antonín Dvořák, Franz Liszt, and Jessie Montgomery, as well as several Live at Powell Hall, Family, and Education concerts. She also begins her first full season as Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.
· Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin conducts the SLSO premieres of Joan Tower’s Made in America and William Bolcom’s Violin Concerto with Concertmaster David Halen, plus Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, October 9-10.
· In memory of Sarah Bryan Miller, the late mezzo-soprano and classical music critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who covered the SLSO with distinction for more than 20 years, the SLSO offers concerts led by conductor Gemma New and featuring mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke and SLSO cellist Elizabeth Chung.
· A celebration of Amy Kaiser in her 27th and final season as St. Louis Symphony Chorus Director.
· The celebration of the 100th anniversary of SLSO education programs.
· The return of Family and Education Concerts, as well as full St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra concerts.
· The continuation of Saturday night live concert broadcasts on 90.7 KWMU St. Louis Public Radio with SLSO Creative Partner Tim Munro and new co-hosts Maria A. Ellis and Alicia Revé Like; new radio partner Classic 107.3 also simulcasts live broadcasts.
· The highly anticipated return of the free Forest Park concert, which welcomes thousands of St. Louisans to Art Hill for a night of music and community, led by Denève.
(September 9, 2021, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève announced programming details for the orchestra’s 2021/2022 season. The upcoming season marks the orchestra’s 142nd and Denève’s third as Music Director.
Stéphane Denève, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “Over the past year, I have been immensely moved by the dedication of our remarkable SLSO musicians and the resilience of the St. Louis community. This season is a tribute to that irrepressible energy as we gather again to reflect, listen, learn, heal, and celebrate through music. St. Louis is my musical home, and this season is a celebration of the St. Louis spirit that I love. We will collaborate with local musicians, artists, and institutions throughout the season, honoring the people and organizations that make this place a truly exceptional one. I simply cannot wait to see my musical family again! I invite everyone to join us throughout the season—at Powell Hall, online, and around St. Louis, starting at Forest Park, which is one of the highlights for me with the SLSO.”
Marie-Hélène Bernard, President and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “St. Louis is an incredibly special place with an engaged community of music lovers. We are grateful to them for their support and for enabling the SLSO over the past year to reach more than 3 million people online and through live performances, engage more than 6,000 patrons at Powell Hall and in the community, and connect with more than 30,000 students through education programs. I am excited to bring our orchestra and entire SLSO family on stage at Powell Hall for Music Director Stéphane Denève’s third season, one of connection and rediscoveries. Music brings humanity to our lives, and it is with great anticipation that we present vibrant programming for all to share together in the year ahead.”
Jonathan Chu and Jennifer Nitchman, co-chairs of the SLSO Musicians’ Council, said, “The musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are looking forward to returning to a season filled with exciting music and beloved events like the concert in Forest Park. We are beyond grateful for the support of St. Louis audiences and cannot wait to see them at Powell Hall and around our community.”
Denève, who recently extended his tenure as Music Director through 2026, planned the season as a celebration of humanity’s resilience following a year of global change. Programming embodies a spirit of hope and optimism, with the return of full orchestral repertoire, two-hour concerts with intermission, full hall capacity, and rescheduled and new Live at Powell Hall concerts. The season also includes an emphasis on increasing access to music, with continued digital concerts, the return of SLSO Crafted happy hour concerts, in-person and online education programming, in-person and online events for music lovers of all ages, concert broadcasts across media platforms, and more.
Tickets for all classical concerts begin at $15, an initiative begun during Denève’s inaugural season as Music Director that has sold almost 2,000 tickets. Subscriptions and single tickets for all concerts are on sale now. To purchase tickets, visit slso.org/season or call the Box Office at 314-534-1700. All audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test for all concerts and events at Powell Hall. For current health and safety protocols, please visit slso.org/protocols.
REPERTOIRE ACROSS GENRE AND TIME
In his third season as SLSO Music Director, Denève programmed music that spans genre and time, with familiar and beloved pieces alongside works that spark curiosity and adventure, continuing the SLSO’s longstanding tradition of identifying and performing music by composers of today. Each classical concert presents at least one work to St. Louis audiences for the first time. In total, 34 pieces will enter the SLSO’s repertoire in the 21/22 season, including 26 works by 22 composers of today.
Denève leads the world premieres of four works, including Stacy Garrop’s Goddess Triptych (March 12-13, 2022), the fully orchestrated version of Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, arranged by Jannina Norpoth (April 30-May 1, 2022), and Nathalie Joachim’s Family (May 6-7, 2022), a choral-orchestral work commissioned by the SLSO for the orchestra and the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, a chorus focused on the performance and preservation of music from African and African American traditions. These concerts are the first appearance by the IN UNISON Chorus on a classical program in more than ten years. On the annual New Year’s Eve Celebration concerts (December 31, 2021), Denève leads the world premiere of Stefan Freund’s Horn Concerto, featuring Principal Horn Roger Kaza.
The SLSO also gives the U.S. premiere of Anna Clyne’s PIVOT, under the direction of David Danzmayr (November 19-20, 2021).
The SLSO and Denève continue their deep commitment to music and composers of today, performing—in addition to world/U.S. premieres by Clyne, Freund, Garrop, Joachim, and Montgomery—works by John Adams, Thomas Adès, Karim Al-Zand, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, William Bolcom, Valerie Coleman, Tan Dun, Detlev Glanert, Jake Heggie, James Lee III, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, Gabriella Smith, Outi Tarkiainen, and Joan Tower in Classical Season concerts.
The season also features a diverse mix of non-classical repertoire. Multi-instrumentalist and singer Kishi Bashi will perform a multimedia program including Improvisations on EO9066, a heart-rending musical exploration about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II (September 17, 2021). Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Aoife O’Donovan will perform a variety of her songs, including America, Come, which was created to celebrate the 101st anniversary of the 19th Amendment and honor the women’s suffrage movement (October 23, 2021). The SLSO also will present the bluegrass crossover group Punch Brothers, with musician Chris Thile returning to St. Louis for the first time since he hosted Live From Here from Powell Hall in 2019 (January 24, 2022).
PREMIERES AND FIRST PERFORMANCES
2021/2022 season concerts include the first SLSO performances of 34 different works. Twenty-six of those works are by 22 composers of today. Music Director Stéphane Denève remains committed to discovering and performing works by living artists that will enter and become mainstays of the orchestral repertoire.
World Premieres
Stefan FREUND Horn Concerto (December 31, 2021)
Stacy GARROP Goddess Triptych (March 12-13, 2022)
Jessie MONTGOMERY (arr. Jannina Norpoth) Starburst (April 30-May 1, 2022)
Nathalie JOACHIM Family (May 6-7, 2022)
U.S. Premieres
Anna CLYNE PIVOT (November 19-20, 2021)
SLSO Premieres
Kaoru ISHIBASHI Improvisations on EO6099 (September 17, 2021)
Jessie MONTGOMERY Banner (September 25-26, 2021)
Anna CLYNE DANCE (September 25-26, 2021)
Caroline SHAW Entr’acte (String orchestra version) (October 1-2, 2021)
Joan TOWER Made in America (October 9-10, 2021)
William BOLCOM Violin Concerto (October 9-10, 2021)
Joseph HAYDN Symphony No. 64, “Tempora Mutantur” (October 15-16, 2021)
Thomas ADÈS Piano Concerto (October 15-16, 2021)
Outi TARKIAINEN Midnight Sun Variations (October 15-16, 2021)
Aoife O’DONOVAN America, Come (October 23, 2021)
Karim AL-ZAND Luctus Profugis: Elegy for the Displaced (October 29-30, 2021)
James LEE III Emotive Transformations (November 6-7, 2021)
Carlos SIMON Fate Now Conquers (November 13-14, 2021)
Jake HEGGIE The Work at Hand (November 27-28, 2021)
C.P.E. BACH Sinfonia in E minor (December 3-5, 2021)
C.P.E. BACH Cello Concerto in A major (December 3-5, 2021)
Detlev GLANERT Brahms-Fantasie (January 7-8, 2022)
Valerie COLEMAN Umoja: Anthem of Unity (January 13, 15-16, 2022)
Gabriella SMITH Tumblebird Contrails (January 28-29, 2022)
John ADAMS Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes? (January 28-29, 2022)
Tan DUN The Tears of Nature (February 5-6, 2022)
J.S. BACH (trans. Damrosch) Chorale Prelude “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (February 11-12, 2022)
J.S. BACH (trans. Stokowski) Chorale Prelude “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” (February 11-12, 2022)
G.F. HANDEL “Furibondo spira il vento” from Partenope (March 4-6, 2022)
G.F. HANDEL “Qual nave smarrita” from Radamisto (March 4-6, 2022)
Antonio VIVALDI Violin Concerto in D Minor, “Per Pisendel” (March 4-6, 2022)
James LEE III Chuphshah! Harriet’s Drive to Canaan (March 18-19, 2022)
Jessie MONTGOMERY Piano Concerto (April 8-10, 2022)
Franghiz ALI-ZADEH Nagillar (Fairy Tales) (April 22-23, 2022)
ST. LOUIS COLLABORATIONS
Throughout the 21/22 season, the SLSO collaborates with a variety of St. Louis artists and institutions, highlighting the people and places that make the region exceptional. Denève starts the season by leading the much-anticipated SLSO return to Forest Park for a free night of music on Art Hill (September 22, 2021), featuring vocalist and SLSO IN UNISON Scholar Nadia Maddex. Over the past 50 years, the SLSO has performed 33 free community concerts in Forest Park, entertaining hundreds of thousands of St. Louisans. In 2004, this special event became an annual tradition and serves as the unofficial start of the orchestra’s season. The concert is performed in memory of Mary Ann Lee.
Denève opens the Classical Season (September 25-26, 2021) with a program that includes Anna Clyne’s DANCE—a cello concerto commissioned for and performed by Inbal Segev, and performed in collaboration with dancers from local companies, choreographed by Center of Creative Arts (COCA) Co-Artistic Director of Dance Kirven Douthit-Boyd. This collaboration marks the first time Clyne’s DANCE has been choreographed.
The SLSO’s popular Crafted concerts, hourlong happy hour concert experiences presented in collaboration with St. Louis-region businesses, return this season. In addition to concerts at Powell Hall (October 1, 2021, and March 11, 2022), the SLSO presents a Crafted concert at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (November 12, 2021). Additional details about these concerts will be announced later.
The SLSO shares holiday cheer in St. Charles, Missouri, for two Mercy Holiday Celebration concerts at the J. Scheidegger Center for Performing Arts at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri (December 15-16, 2021).
ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS
Denève and the SLSO maintain their commitment to fostering meaningful artistic relationships with the world’s leading artists. Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, violinist and conductor, joins the SLSO for a two-week artist residency in October and November, continuing Denève’s commitment to multi-week immersions with artists. He leads the orchestra and pianist Ingrid Fliter in performances of works by Karim Al-Zand, Robert Schumann, and Bedřich Smetana (October 29-30, 2021) before joining SLSO musicians in a night of chamber music by W.A. Mozart and Johannes Brahms (November 5, 2021). To conclude his residency, he performs Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with Denève and the orchestra (November 6-7, 2021).
Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet also joins the SLSO for two weeks of concerts with Denève and the orchestra. He performs Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5, “Egyptian” (March 12-13, 2022), then George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F at Powell Hall (March 18-19, 2022) and in concerts at Indiana University Bloomington (March 25, 2022). Thibaudet collaborates with the SLSO following a year as Artist-in-Residence during Denève’s inaugural season as Music Director in 2019/2020.
Denève collaborates with pianists Yefim Bronfman on Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (October 1-2, 2021), Víkingur Ólafsson on Grieg’s Piano Concerto (November 13-14, 2021) in Ólafsson’s SLSO debut, and Lars Vogt on Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 (January 7-8, 2022). He also collaborates with violinists Augustin Hadelich (January 15-16, 2022) and Akiko Suwanai (May 6-7, 2022).
Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin returns for a concert that celebrates American identity in orchestral music, with the first SLSO performances of Joan Tower’s Made in America and William Bolcom’s Violin Concerto with Concertmaster David Halen as soloist. Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra concludes the program (October 9-10, 2021).
Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads the first SLSO performances of Jessie Montgomery’s Piano Concerto, an SLSO co-commission, with pianist Awadagin Pratt in his first performances with the orchestra in 20 years (April 8-10, 2022). The concert also includes Franz Liszt’s Prometheus and Antonin Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.”
SLSO resident choruses return for performances beginning in December 2021. Members of the IN UNISON Chorus return for its annual performance in A Gospel Christmas with guest vocalist Oleta Adams (December 9, 2021). The full chorus performs its annual Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month (February 25, 2022) before performing the world premiere of Nathalie Joachim’s Family with the orchestra and Denève (May 6-7, 2022). The IN UNISON Chorus is supported by Bayer Fund. The St. Louis Symphony Chorus, led by Amy Kaiser in her 27th and final season as director, performs W.A. Mozart’s Requiem (March 4-6, 2022) with the SLSO and conductor Dmitry Sinkovsky. On the penultimate classical program, they sing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony with the orchestra and Denève (April 30-May 1, 2022).
A number SLSO musicians step forward as soloists throughout the season: Concertmaster David Halen, Principal Harpist Allegra Lilly, Principal Horn Roger Kaza, cellists Elizabeth Chung and Yin Xiong, Principal Violist Beth Guterman Chu, and violist Andrew François.
ARTIST DEBUTS
The SLSO welcomes the following guest artists making their debuts with the orchestra during the 21/22 season:
Conductors
David Danzmayr (November 19-20, 2021)
Elim Chan (February 5-6, 2022)
Dmitry Sinkovsky (March 4-6, 2022)
Kirill Karabits (April 22-23, 2022)
Pianists
Víkingur Ólafsson (November 13-14, 2021)
Violinists
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (performance debut) (November 5-7, 2021)
Simone Porter (November 19-20, 2021)
Cellist
Inbal Segev (September 25-26, 2021)
Percussionist
Martin Grubinger (February 5-6, 2022)
Artists
Kishi Bashi | singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter (September 17, 2021)
Kirven Douthit-Boyd, choreographer (September 25-26, 2021)
Geoffrey Alexander, dancer (September 25-26, 2021)
Carly Vanderheyden, dancer (September 25-26, 2021)
Cici Gregory, dancer (September 25-26, 2021)
Gabriella Billy, dancer (September 25-26, 2021)
Antonio Douthit-Boyd, dancer (September 25-26, 2021)
Aoife O’Donovan | vocalist and songwriter (October 23, 2021)
RETURNING ARTISTS
Conductors
Leonard Slatkin (October 9-10, 2021)
John Storgårds (October 15-16, 2021)
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (October 29-30, 2021)
Gemma New (November 27-28, 2021)
Nicholas McGegan (December 3-5, 2021)
John Adams (January 15-16, 2022)
Stephanie Childress (April 8-10, 2022)
Pianists
Yefim Bronfman (October 1-2, 2021)
Kirill Gerstein (October 15-16, 2021)
Ingrid Fliter (October 29-30, 2021)
Lars Vogt (January 7-8, 2022)
Jeremy Denk (January 28-29, 2022)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet (March 12-13, 18-19, 25-26, 2022)
Awadagin Pratt (April 8-10, 2022)
Violinists
Augustin Hadelich (January 13, 15-16, 2022)
Akiko Suwanai (May 6-7, 2022)
Vocalists
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano (November 27-28, 2021)
SLSO musicians
David Halen, Concertmaster (October 9-10, 2021)
Elizabeth Chung, cello (November 27-28, 2021)
Yin Xiong, cello (December 3-5, 2021)
Beth Guterman Chu, Principal Viola (December 3-5, 2021)
Andrew François, viola (December 3-5, 2021)
Roger Kaza, Principal Horn (December 31, 2021)
Allegra Lilly, Principal Harp (April 22-23, 2022)
ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY: LIVE AT THE PULITZER
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation and the SLSO continue their unique partnership: St. Louis Symphony: Live at the Pulitzer. These intimate concerts are the intersection of art and music, with SLSO soloists and chamber ensembles performing works from the 20th and 21st centuries. Begun in 2004, the programming for each Pulitzer concert complements current exhibits at the Tadao Ando-designed Pulitzer building. The 21/22 Pulitzer series is curated in partnership with SLSO Creative Partner Tim Munro and is a key part of Denève’s and the SLSO’s continued commitment to music of our time.
The opening Live at the Pulitzer concerts (September 27-28, 2021) bring music outdoors to the Pulitzer’s new urban garden space, Park-Like, with performances of John Luther Adams’ songbirdsongs, with piccolos and percussion surrounding the audience, playing choruses of dawn and dusk.
Additional Live at the Pulitzer concerts are scheduled for November/December 2021, March 2022, and May 2022. Program details will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit slso.org/pulitzer.
INCREASED ACCESS TO MUSIC
The SLSO remains committed to providing broad access to music for people of all ages through a variety of resources, including media broadcasts, education tools, online programming, and more.
Media Partnerships
The SLSO continues its partnerships with two of the St. Louis region’s most important media outlets: 90.7 KWMU St. Louis Public Radio and Nine PBS. St. Louis Public Radio broadcasts and live streams the entire SLSO Saturday night Classical Season for a 12th year, with live broadcasts resuming in September 2021. In 2020, concerts broadcasts were expanded to 52 weeks per year, expanding access to critically acclaimed SLSO concerts year-round. This year, all live broadcasts will be simulcast on Classic 107.3, adding an additional way for audiences to hear SLSO concerts live. Hosted by SLSO Creative Tim Munro, St. Louis Public Radio and the SLSO introduce two new co-hosts of the live radio broadcasts:
• Maria A. Ellis, a music educator and host of the Bach and Beyoncé program on Classic 107.3 and former SLSO IN UNISON Scholar
• Alicia Revé Like, an actor, singer, songwriter, performer, and host of SLSO SoundLab, a digital education resources for teachers and families
Concerts are available to stream for 30 days on slso.org after broadcasts air live.
The Nine Network features SLSO performances on its Night at the Symphony program, now in its seventh season and airing the first Sunday of each month at 5:00pm.
Digital Concerts
Launched in February 2021, the SLSO continues its new tradition of making full concerts available to stream on slso.org. Using the orchestra’s high-definition camera system, concerts offer a new perspective on the SLSO experience and its musicians. A new slate of digital concerts available to stream will be announced at a later date.
Online Education Resources
Each year, the SLSO serves tens of thousands of students and teachers throughout the St. Louis region. The SLSO offers a robust library of education resources for families and teachers, including:
• Learning Lab activity galleries: Available for download at slso.org at no cost, the SLSO Education Team created activities around major ideas in orchestral music, including theme and variations, finding inspiration, and creating musical motifs for characters in literature and film. Sortable by grade level, galleries include family-specific content and classroom guides for educators.
• The orchestra’s Instrument Playground Online, presented by PNC Arts Alive, features videos, photos, and activities that introduce audiences to the instruments of the orchestra and the musicians who play them.
• SLSO SoundLab introduces children ages 6-12 to music through a series of videos and activities that incorporate music, science, and technology. Since its launch in December 2020, SLSO SoundLab has reached more than 33,000 students across the U.S.
• Engaging the youngest listeners, the SLSO offers a digital version of its Tiny Tunes concert, presenting age-appropriate online video content that infuses music and movement. New Digital Tiny Tunes concerts are available in the 21/22 season. In addition, Tiny Tunes will include real-time online activity sessions for the whole family.
For more information on the SLSO’s education programming, visit slso.org/families or slso.org/schools. SLSO education programs are presented by the Steward Family Foundation.
SLSO Stories – Digital Magazine
Audiences can learn more about the SLSO and its musicians with stories from backstage, in Powell Hall, and throughout St. Louis at the orchestra’s digital magazine, SLSO Stories. Launched in 2019, this companion site of slso.org features stories, photos, program notes, and videos about the various aspects of the SLSO—including concerts, community programs, education initiatives, special events, and more. To date, more than 65,000 people have taken a deeper look at the SLSO through SLSO Stories.
SLSO Stories Live – Online Event and Podcast
Starting September 15, audiences can explore various facets of the SLSO and orchestral music in engaging, hourlong discussions with Denève, SLSO musicians, and special guests through monthly SLSO Stories Live events. Previously known as Lunch & Learns, these monthly events have engaged 3,000 people since the first event in May 2020.
The SLSO also offers these live events as on-demand streaming audio episodes. Podcast episodes are available on most major listening platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as on slso.org.
EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCIES
The SLSO presents concerts and other engagement opportunities at Midwest universities in the 21/22 season, including:
• University of Missouri (October 20, 2022): Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads a concert of works by Joseph Haydn and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Continuing a multi-year commitment to nurturing young composers, the SLSO will read music by composers involved in the Mizzou New Music Initiative while on campus in an extended learning opportunity. The orchestra will perform the works in a free concert at Powell Hall in February 2022.
• University of Nebraska–Lincoln (January 13, 2022): Building on its robust partnership, the SLSO and Denève return for a concert at the Lied Center of Performing Arts including works by Valerie Coleman and Sergei Prokofiev, with violinist Augustin Hadelich performing Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. This is the third performance at the Lied Center since 2018.
• Indiana University Bloomington (March 24-25, 2022): Members of the SLSO present residency activities at the Jacobs School of Music and throughout the Bloomington community before a full orchestra concert with Denève and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, with works by George Gershwin, James Lee III, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
TRIBUTE TO SARAH BRYAN MILLER
Guest Conductor and former SLSO Resident Conductor Gemma New leads concerts (November 27-28, 2021) in memory of Sarah Bryan Miller, the late classical music critic of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who covered the SLSO with distinction for more than two decades. The concerts include Jake Heggie’s The Work at Hand, Edward Elgar’s Sea Pictures, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Concerts feature SLSO cellist Elizabeth Chung and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, a nod to Miller’s career as a professional vocalist prior to her work as a journalist.
Additional details about this tribute will be announced this fall.
LIVE AT POWELL HALL AND HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING
The SLSO’s popular Live at Powell Hall concerts—concerts that feature a variety of music from popular artists, films, and tributes to crowd-favorite musicians—return. Two postponed concerts will take place this fall: The Music of Motown (September 18, 2021), conducted by IN UNISON Chorus Director Kevin McBeth, and Revolution: The Music of The Beatles: A Symphonic Experience (October 22, 2021), led by Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress.
Two genre-bending artists also collaborate with the SLSO this fall: Kishi Bashi, a multi-instrumentalist and singer (September 17, 2021) and Irish American singer-songwriter and Grammy Award winner Aoife O’Donovan (October 23, 2021).
Film presentations with the SLSO playing the score live return this season, with Disney’s The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert (December 11-12, 2021), Disney and Pixar’s Up in Concert (January 2, 2022), and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi in Concert (May 12-16, 2022), plus previously scheduled films including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in Concert (January 21-23, 2022), and Raiders of the Lost Ark (February 18-19, 2022).
Holiday concerts resume at Powell Hall with the popular Gospel Christmas concert (December 9, 2021), which features members of the IN UNISON Chorus and gospel singer and pianist Oleta Adams, led by Kevin McBeth. The Mercy Holiday Celebration presents seven concerts of holiday music with conductor Bob Bernhardt and jazz singer Denzal Sinclaire: two at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri (December 15-16) and five at Powell Hall (December 17-19). Denève leads the surprise-filled New Year’s Eve Celebration Concert, with matinee and evening concerts (December 31, 2021). These concerts include the world premiere of a new horn concerto by Stefan Freund, performed by Principal Horn Roger Kaza. The SLSO also performs its annual Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month concert with the IN UNISON Chorus (February 25, 2022).
FAMILY CONCERTS
Committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians, the SLSO celebrates 100 years of its education programs. With concerts for schoolchildren starting in 1921 under Music Director Rudolph Ganz, the SLSO is one of the first orchestras in the country to institute an education program. Family Concerts return in the 21/22 season, a welcome complement to online family programming. These 45-minute concerts engage the entire family with music and activities. Family Concerts include Peter and the Wolf (February 20, 2022) and SLSO SoundLab Live (April 24, 2022). Both concerts will be led by Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress. Additional details will be announced later.
ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY YOUTH ORCHESTRA
The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the region’s premiere training orchestra for young musicians aged 12-22, will present three concerts at Powell Hall, led by Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress in her first full season as YO Music Director. Concerts, which include free seats for the community, will take place on November 21, 2021, March 27, 2022, and May 29, 2022.
COLLABORATION WITH OPERA THEATRE OF SAINT LOUIS
Continuing a robust relationship, the SLSO will again serve as the resident orchestra of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during its spring 2022 Festival Season, the 44th year of this extraordinary partnership. SLSO musicians will perform the music for Georges Bizet’s Carmen, W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and two world premieres: Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s Awakenings, and the new performing edition of Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie’s Harvey Milk. The 2022 Festival Season runs from May 21-June 26, 2022. More information can be found at ExperienceOpera.org.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
As it returns to regular programming at Powell Hall, the SLSO will maintain its operating plan that adheres to the highest standards of health and safety for patrons, musicians, and staff. The SLSO will follow the most up-to-date guidelines from the CDC and the City of St. Louis. The SLSO continues to collaborate with a team of medical experts on safety protocols and is committed to providing patrons with a safe and welcoming environment to experience the power of music.
Beginning September 13, 2021, the SLSO will require all audience members be fully vaccinated to attend events at Powell Hall. All audience members will be asked to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test: either a negative RT-PCR taken within 72 hours before the performance or a negative antigen test within 24 hours of the performance. The entire SLSO family, including musicians, staff, volunteers, ushers, and bartenders, is also required to be fully vaccinated. This policy is in effect through December 1, 2021, and will be reviewed and updated.
Learn more about the SLSO’s health and safety protocols here.