The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève announce programming for the 2023/2024 season, the orchestra’s 144th and Denève’s fifth as Music Director

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(February 15, 2022, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève announced programming details for the orchestra’s 2023/2024 season—a season anchored in community connections and collaborations. The upcoming season marks the orchestra’s 144th and Denève’s fifth as Music Director.

While the SLSO continues the community-centered expansion and renovation of its historic home at Powell Hall, the orchestra will expand its presence throughout the St. Louis region, with programming that showcases the magical sound of the SLSO and the vitality of St. Louis’ artists and cultural institutions.

Stéphane Denève, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “As I and my family have immersed ourselves in St. Louis as our home, the SLSO’s 2023/2024 season offers what I find unique in St. Louis: a warm, proud, and engaging spirit towards all kinds of music. From classical to jazz, film scores and music of our time, our orchestra will demonstrate its incredible versatility throughout the season. Many world class artists like Hilary Hahn and Yo-Yo Ma, and living composers including Valerie Coleman, Julia Wolfe, Lera Auerbach, Adam Schoenberg will help the orchestra and me continue connecting with the vibrant St. Louis community, sharing music in powerful and innovative ways.

Marie-Hélène Bernard, President and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, said, “The 23/24 season provides a glimpse of our vision for the future—where the SLSO connects more deeply as performer, creator, and educator, connecting musical experiences for our community, where St. Louis artists can flourish alongside our remarkable orchestra and two choruses.”

Bjorn Ranheim and Chris Tantillo, co-chairs of the SLSO Musicians’ Council, said, “The musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are excited to share our music at venues around the St. Louis region while our home is updated and enhanced for generations of concertgoers to come. From beloved classics of the repertoire to exciting new works by living composers and collaborations with world-class soloists and iconic St. Louis cultural institutions, the 23/24 season truly has something for everyone!”

In a season that will see the orchestra perform in several venues throughout the community—most notably Presenting Partner the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Stifel Theatre in downtown St. Louis—programming reflects far-reaching collaborations with individual artists, artistic groups, and local institutions.

Curated and Compose Your Own Subscriptions are on sale now. Single tickets go on sale in May 2023. Visit slso.org/season or call the Box Office at 314-534-1700.

Season highlights and collaborations with Denève
Denève leads 10 programs, with repertoire spanning genre and time. He opens the season with the much-anticipated return of violinist Hilary Hahn in her first SLSO collaboration in more than 20 years, performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. He closes the season with a one-night-only concert with one of the world’s most recognized artistic and cultural ambassadors: cellist, educator, and philanthropist, Yo-Yo Ma, who last performed with the SLSO in 2013.

Throughout the season, Denève leads the SLSO in some of classical music’s most beloved works including Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite and Peter and the Wolf, Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 4, and Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, alongside the first SLSO performances of many works, including Lera Auerbach’s Icarus, Unsuk Chin’s subito con forza, Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3, and Albert Roussel’s The Spider’s Feast.

Denève extends his meaningful tradition of artistic partnerships, collaborating with internationally renowned artists including Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich; pianists Jonathan Biss, Tom Borrow, and Paul Lewis, all part of a complete Beethoven piano concerto cycle, which also includes pianists Ingrid Fliter and Marie-Ange Nguci and conductors Elim Chan and John Storgårds.

In a ballet-themed program, Denève collaborates with Kirven Douthit-Boyd—choreographer and Artistic Director of The Big Muddy Dance Company—in the fully-orchestrated world premiere of a new work by Adam Schoenberg with choreography, the second collaboration between Denève and Douthit-Boyd following dance-infused performances of Anna Clyne’s DANCE in 2021.

WORLD AND SLSO PREMIERES
Throughout the 23/24 season, more than 18 pieces will enter the SLSO’s repertoire, including nine works by composers of today. In addition to world premieres by Jeff Beal and Adam Schoenberg, an SLSO co-commission by Julia Wolfe, and a U.S. premiere by Hannah Eisendle, the SLSO performs works by living composers including Lera Auerbach, Unsuk Chin, Valerie Coleman, Jessie Montgomery, Per Nørgård, Elizabeth Ogonek, and Arvo Pärt in classical programs.

Jeff Beal’s new Violin Concerto will receive its world premiere with the SLSO, Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin, and violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins as part of a three-concert jazz series in January 2024. Beal, whose work Slatkin champions, last collaborated with the SLSO in the world premiere of a song cycle, The Paper-Lined Shack, commissioned by the SLSO for Slatkin and performed with soprano Hila Plitmann in 2019.

Adam Schoenberg’s new work is a response to the classic American ballet Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland. The SLSO’s performance will be the world premiere of the fully orchestrated version of the work and the first performance with dancers. Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Artistic Director of The Big Muddy Dance Company, will choreograph the premiere performances.

Julia Wolfe’s Pretty is a co-commission between the SLSO, Berlin Philharmonic, and the Houston Symphony. The 2015 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Music, Wolfe was a 2016 MacArthur Fellow and is Artistic Director of NYU Steinhardt Music Composition. The work will receive its world premiere by the Berlin Philharmonic and its U.S. premiere by the Houston Symphony.

SLSO JAZZ SERIES
In January 2024, the SLSO and Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin embark on a three-concert exploration of the many ways jazz music has enriched the orchestral world.

Programs include jazz milestones, jazz’s influence in Europe, and lesser-heard American voices, with each program culminating in a major orchestral work by George Gershwin. Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins makes her SLSO debut in the world premiere of a jazz-inflected Violin Concerto by Jeff Beal, a composer whose music Slatkin champions. Clarinetist Victor Goines, the new President and CEO of Jazz St. Louis and a longtime member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, gives the first SLSO performances of Igor Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto. Pianist Aaron Diehl and the Aaron Diehl Trio join the SLSO in the final concert for selections from Mary Lou Williams’ rarely heard Zodiac Suite—music originally composed for piano inspired by each of the 12 astrological signs. Pianist Jeffrey Siegel returns to the SLSO for his first performance with the orchestra in 30 years on Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Works by George Antheil and Igor Stravinsky also receive their first SLSO performances.

BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO CYCLE
The SLSO, three conductors, and five acclaimed pianists will traverse Ludwig van Beethoven’s monumental series of piano concertos throughout the 23/24 season. Denève will lead three of the concertos: the First with notable Beethoven expert Jonathan Biss in his first SLSO appearance since 2007; the Fourth with Paul Lewis, regarded as another leading Beethoven interpreter, in his SLSO debut; and the Fifth with Israeli pianist Tom Borrow, called “the very definition of ‘one to watch'” (International Piano), also in his SLSO debut. Conductor Elim Chan, lauded in her SLSO debut in 2021, returns with Ingrid Fliter in her sixth SLSO appearance for the Third Concerto, and frequent SLSO collaborator John Storgårds teams up with Marie-Ange Nguci for the Second Concerto.

23/24 SEASON VENUES
As Powell Hall undergoes a transformative expansion and renovation to better serve audiences and increase access to music for all in the community, the SLSO will welcome audiences at venues throughout the St. Louis region. Concerts will take place at two primary venues:

• The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis is designated as the Presenting Partner for the SLSO’s 23/24 Season and will serve as a venue for classical programming. This modern version of a classic opera house has been a landmark performance venue since 2003. The SLSO helped open the venue with a performance opening week and periodically performed there over the past 20 years. The SLSO will perform in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall, which seats 1,600.

• Stifel Theatre in downtown St. Louis will host a combination of classical, film, holiday, and special concerts. Classical performances at the 3,100-seat venue will serve as a reunion between the two organizations, as the SLSO called the theatre home from 1934-1968, until its move to Powell Hall. Originally opened in 1934, Stifel Theatre’s stage has welcomed some of entertainment’s greatest performers, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, just to name a few. With a rich performance history ranging from opera to touring Broadway shows, Stifel Theatre will provide a fitting backdrop for the SLSO’s large-scale choral performances.

• The J. Scheidegger Center for Performing Arts at Lindenwood University in St. Charles will again host SLSO holiday concerts (December 12-13, 2023), as well as a special Lunar New Year concert (February 10, 2023).

The SLSO will announce additional concert locations in May 2023.

ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY: LIVE AT THE PULITZER
Sustaining its unflinching commitment to today’s musical voices, the SLSO partners with the Pulitzer Arts Foundation for a three-concert series presenting bold and adventurous chamber music—an enduring partnership begun in 2004.

The 23/24 Live at the Pulitzer series will be curated for the first time by St. Louis-based composer Christopher Stark, recipient of the 2022 Rome Prize. Stark has a deep affiliation with St. Louis and the SLSO as an Associate Professor of Composition and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. His work, 2nd Nature for violin and electronics with accompanying video, received its world premiere at a January 2022 Live at the Pulitzer concert.

Programming for each Pulitzer concert complements current exhibits at the Tadao Ando-designed Pulitzer Arts Foundation building. An exploration of the intersection of art and music, concerts push the boundary of chamber music, often employing unique instrumentation or immersive artistic experiences.

Program details will be announced later. For more information, visit slso.org/pulitzer.

ARTIST DEBUTS
Throughout the 23/24 season, many acclaimed artists will make their SLSO debut.

Conductor Christian Reif, Music Director of the Lakes Area Music Festival in Minnesota, makes his SLSO debut on a program that includes Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7. Joining Reif in his SLSO debut is violinist Randall Goosby, performing Erich Korngold’s Violin Concerto.

Three pianists make their SLSO debuts as part of a Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle: Paul Lewis on the Fourth Concerto; Tom Borrow on the Fifth Concerto; and Marie-Ange Nguci on the Second Concerto.

Clarinetist Victor Goines, a longtime member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the newly appointed President and CEO of Jazz St. Louis, makes his debut on the rarely heard Ebony Concerto by Igor Stravinsky. Pianist Aaron Diehl, noted for his vision and exploration as a performer and composer, and the Aaron Diehl Trio collaborate with the SLSO on selections from Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite.

Violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins makes her SLSO debut on the world premiere of a new jazz violin concerto by Jeff Beal. An Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient, violinist Benjamin Beilman makes his SLSO debut performing Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto.

Soprano Heidi Melton, tenor Antonio Poli, and baritone Brian Mulligan make their SLSO debuts in performances of the concert version of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana. A trio of vocalists make their SLSO debuts with Denève in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana: soprano Ying Fang, tenor Sunnyboy Dladla, and baritone Thomas Lehman. Joining Denève in Giuseppe Verdi’s wrenching Requiem is a quartet of vocalists: soprano Hulkar Sabirova, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, tenor Russell Thomas, and bass Adam Palka.

RETURNING ARTISTS AND SLSO ENSEMBLES
In the 23/24 season, the SLSO will continue relationships with many of the world’s leading artists, including conductors Elim Chan, David Danzmayr, James Gaffigan, Cristian Măcelaru, and John Storgårds. Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin returns to lead the three-program jazz series, collaborating with pianist Jeffrey Siegel in his return to the SLSO.

Returning artists who have developed strong ties to the SLSO include pianists Jonathan Biss on Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto and Ingrid Fliter on Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto; violinist Augustin Hadelich on Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto; and cellist, philanthropist, and cultural ambassador Yo-Yo Ma.

Principal Oboist Jelena Dirks will solo on the first SLSO performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto. Two SLSO musicians take the stage for a concert of operatic favorites with Denève: Assistant Concertmaster Erin Schreiber on Georges Bizet/Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy and Associate Principal Cellist Melissa Brooks on Vincenzo Bellini’s “Casta Diva” from Norma.

The St. Louis Symphony Chorus, which has performed repertoire from the entire choral-orchestral canon to critical acclaim since its formation in the 1976/1977 season, performs a trio of large-scale choral works: a concert version of Pietro Mascagni’s complete Cavalleria rusticana—the first presentation of the opera by the SLSO since 2004 when it performed the music as the resident orchestra with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Carl Orff’s perennial favorite Carmina Burana, led by Denève; and Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem to conclude classical programming. All choral performances will take place at Stifel Theater.

The St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, which preserves and performs music from the African diaspora and is directed by Kevin McBeth in his 13th season, returns for its annual holiday-time soulful celebration: A Gospel Christmas (December 8, 2023). The chorus performs its annual Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month concert (February 23, 2024), also under McBeth’s direction.

The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, the region’s premiere training orchestra for young musicians aged 12-22, will present three concerts, which include free seats for the community. Concerts details will be announced later.

COMMUNITY, FILM, FAMILY, AND HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING
The SLSO’s 23/24 season also features concerts with a variety of music from popular artists, films, tributes to crowd-favorite musicians and special programs to celebrate the people of St. Louis.

Denève and the SLSO open the season with the much-anticipated concert in Forest Park for a free night of music on Art Hill (September 21, 2023). Over the past 50 years, the SLSO has performed 34 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. The 2022 concert saw potentially record-breaking crowds of an estimated 20,000.

Film presentations with the SLSO playing the score live include Home Alone (December 9-10, 2023). Additional films will be announced at a later date. All film presentations will take place at Stifel Theatre.

Holiday concerts resume with the popular Gospel Christmas concert (December 8, 2023), which features the IN UNISON Chorus led by Kevin McBeth. The Mercy Holiday Celebration presents five concerts of beloved holiday music with conductor Stuart Malina—three at Stifel Theatre (December 16-17, 2023) and two at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts at Lindenwood University in St. Charles (December 12-13, 2023). Norman Huynh, a frequent guest of the SLSO, leads the surprise-filled New Year’s Eve Celebration Concert at Stifel Theatre (December 31, 2023). The SLSO also performs its annual Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month concert with the IN UNISON Chorus (February 23, 2024). Huynh returns to lead the SLSO in a concert celebrating Lunar New Year (February 10, 2024) at Lindenwood University.

In May 2023, the SLSO will announce plans for additional programming, including:
• Family Concerts, 45-minute concerts designed for families with young children
• Crafted Concerts, happy-hour concerts with local food and drink vendors in a relaxed atmosphere
• Special, one-night concerts that celebrate a breadth of musical styles and artists

OPERA THEATRE OF SAINT LOUIS
The SLSO will conclude its season as the resident orchestra of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL), the 46th year of this partnership. The 2024 Festival Season runs from May 25–June 30, 2024. Programming for OTSL’s 2024 Festival Season will be announced later this summer. The current 2023 Festival Season takes place this May and June; tickets and more information can be found at ExperienceOpera.org.