St. Louis Symphony Orchestra honors legacy and 80th birthday of Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin with weekend of activities, October 25-27

(September 30, 2024, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) announced details for a weekend of activities in honor of Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin, including a personal and meaningful concert program, multi-day workshop and open rehearsal with emerging conductors, and career and book discussion in collaboration with St. Louis County Library.

Marie-Hélène Bernard, SLSO President and CEO, said, “During his 17-year tenure as Music Director, Leonard Slatkin completely reshaped the SLSO, positioning it for years to come as one of the country’s leading ensembles. In the process, he redefined what an American orchestra could be. We are honored to celebrate his many accomplishments and his impact on our institution.”

The weekend of festivities honors Slatkin’s indelible impact on the SLSO that spans more than 55 years and also coincides with his 80th birthday, celebrated on September 1. The concert program (October 25 & 27), held at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis with Slatkin on the podium includes music by Slatkin; his wife, Cindy McTee, and son, Daniel Slatkin; and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, a symphony with great meaning to Slatkin’s tenure with the SLSO.

Audiences can learn more about Slatkin’s defining career at a conversation (October 25) at the Clark Family Branch of St. Louis County Library, moderated by Julie Schuster, CEO and General Manager of Classic 107.3. Slatkin will discuss his latest book, “Classical Crossroads,” which traces the arc of his 60-year conducting career. Demonstrating his decades-long commitment to music education and rising talent, Slatkin leads a multi-day immersive workshop for three rising American conductors. The experience culminates in an open rehearsal (October 26) in which he gives insights and feedback on conducting an orchestra to the participants as they lead the SLSO at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.

Slatkin’s first concert with the SLSO took place on October 13, 1968, with a program including pieces by Franz Schubert, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, and a series of dances by Johann Strauss, Jr. In the more than 55 years following his first SLSO concert, Slatkin has held several conducting titles, led the orchestra in every major work by dozens of composers, introduced 30 pieces commissioned by the SLSO to the orchestral repertoire, and conducted the U.S. or world premieres of 32 additional works. He became known for programming lesser-performed works by American composers and fostering relationships with several influential American composers, including naming Joseph Schwantner, Joan Tower, Claude Baker, and William Bolcom as SLSO Composers-in-Residence throughout the 1980s and ‘90s.

An integral force in raising the SLSO profile nationally and internationally during his 17 years as SLSO Music Director from 1979-1996, Slatkin led the SLSO on almost 70 albums, conducting dozens of pieces from European standards to a variety of American works, including multiple compilations of music by American composers. In addition to realizing one of the most prolific recording endeavors of the time, Slatkin led the orchestra in numerous regional and national tours and five international tours to Europe and Asia.

Among his most important contributions to the SLSO portfolio, Slatkin founded the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra (YO) in 1970. A training ensemble for the region’s most accomplished young musicians, the YO has become a cherished part of the SLSO family. This high-level ensemble has consistently nurtured the brightest young musicians in the St. Louis area, including several that have gone on to careers with the SLSO. Throughout his tenure as Music Director, Slatkin committed to broadening the SLSO’s education and outreach efforts. His vision led to the creation of the St. Louis Symphony Community Music School, the first merger of an orchestra and a community music school in the nation. His emphasis on integrating the orchestra within the region inspired the IN UNISON church partnership program, begun in the early 1990s, which has blossomed into a national model for fostering community engagement in the orchestra industry.

Slatkin has served as the SLSO’s Conductor Laureate since the conclusion of his Music Directorship. He conducts the SLSO yearly and lives in the St. Louis area.

Friday, October 25, 10:30am CDT* 
Sunday, October 27, 3:00pm CDT 
Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis  
1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, MO 63121  

Leonard Slatkin, conductor 

Cindy McTeeTimepiece (First SLSO performances) 
Domenico Scarlatti Five Sonatas for Orchestral Wind Ensemble (First SLSO performances) 
Arranged by Leonard Slatkin     
Daniel Slatkin Voyager 130(U.S. premiere) 
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

*Coffee Concert series supported by Lutheran Senior Services. Refreshments provided by Kaldi’s Coffee and Eddie’s Southtown Donuts.

The SLSO celebrates Slatkin’s legacy with a deeply personal concert program. The first half celebrates his family—both personally and musically—with the first SLSO performances of three pieces. Cindy McTee, Slatkin’s wife, winds the orchestra like a clock, then lets it spin in Timepiece. Daniel Slatkin, Slatkin’s son, reaches into the cosmos for the U.S. premiere of a work that uses music from the spacecraft Voyager’s golden record. And five of Domenico Scarlatti’s sonatas are given new life in Slatkin’s own arrangements for SLSO wind players. Slatkin brings a lifetime of experience to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 to close the program, profoundly emotional music that he took on tour with the orchestra as Music Director. 

Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now and may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700. Audiences can attend the free Pre-Concert Conversation at 9:30am Friday and at 2:00pm Sunday in the auditorium. Tune in to St. Louis Public Radio on Saturday, October 26, at 7:30pm for a broadcast of this performance. Listen on air (90.7 FM KWMU) or online (stlpr.org).

Friday, October 25, 7:00pm CDT
St. Louis County Library | Clark Family Branch
1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63131

Slatkin reflects on a nearly 60-year career that has seen him conduct the world’s leading orchestras in this special event, presented in partnership with St. Louis County Library. A special conversation and book discussion event moderated by Julie Schuster—CEO & General Manager of Classic 107.3, the classical music station in St. Louis—offers a rare and intimate glimpse into Slatkin’s extraordinary journey. From his early inspirations and challenges as an emerging conductor to his numerous accolades, including the prestigious National Medal of Arts, Slatkin’s story is one of passion, dedication, and profound influence on the world of classical music.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through Eventbrite. Seating will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Left Bank Books will provide copies of Leonard Slatkin’s memoir “Classical Crossroads” and other Slatkin titles for purchase at the event. A book purchase will include a line number for a post-event meet and greet and book signing.

Saturday, October 26, 1:00pm CDT
Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis  
1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, MO 63121  

Tamara Dworetz, conductor
Nicholas Koo, conductor
Deanna Tham, conductor

Workshop includes excerpts from:
Johann Strauss, Jr. Die Fledermaus Overture
Claude Debussy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919 version)

Sponsored by Noémi K. Neidorff

In this open rehearsal, three emerging conductors lead the SLSO in the culmination of a multi-day professional development event with Slatkin, a perpetual champion and mentor of emerging talent. Slatkin will provide feedback and insights into conducting an orchestra in real-time to the rising conducting talents who will each lead the orchestra in excerpts from standard orchestral repertoire by Claude Debussy, Johann Strauss, Jr., and Igor Stravinsky.  The open rehearsal is free to the public. Music educators are especially encouraged to attend this insightful look into the art of leading an orchestra.

The open rehearsal with the SLSO is the conclusion of a multi-day workshop with Slatkin and SLSO staff and musicians focusing on comprehensive training, mentorship, and learning.

Participating conductors are:

#  #  #