St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s February 2025 concerts span genres, from classical to country to rock and roll

(December 30, 2024, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced details of its February 2025 concerts, featuring the world premiere of a new concerto for orchestra, collaborations with vocalists Adam Wainwright and Donald Lawrence, and an exploration of the music of David Bowie.

Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700.  A full concert calendar is available at slso.org or on the SLSO’s mobile app (available for iOS or Android).

While the transformational expansion and renovation of Powell Hall continues, the SLSO will perform February concerts at Stifel Theatre (February 7, 22, 28) and the Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (February 14-15, 21, 23). Shuttle service will be available for all classical concerts starting at $15 per seat. Shuttles for performances at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL will depart from Plaza Frontenac and free parking is available on the UMSL campus. Shuttles for Stifel Theatre will depart from Plaza Frontenac and St. Louis Community College–Forest Park. 

BLACKSTAR SYMPHONY: The Music of David Bowie
Friday, February 7, 2025, 7:30pm CST
Stifel Theatre
1400 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103

Donny McCaslin, Artistic Director and saxophone (SLSO debut)
Tim Davies, conductor (SLSO debut)
John Cameron Mitchell, guest artist (SLSO debut)
Gail Ann Dorsey, vocals (SLSO debut)
David Poe, vocals (SLSO debut)
Tim Lefebvre, bass (SLSO debut)
Jason Lindner, keyboard (SLSO debut)
Nate Wood, drums (SLSO debut)

Program announced from the stage.

BLACKSTAR SYMPHONY: The Music of David Bowie immerses audiences in the sonic tapestry of David Bowie’s final, critically acclaimed album, Blackstar, reimagined for full orchestra. The concert includes orchestral arrangements of Blackstar performed in its entirety, including “Lazarus,” “Blackstar,” “I Can’t Give Everything Away,” and more. The performance also includes hits from throughout Bowie’s 50-year career, including touchstones like “Space Oddity,” “Life on Mars,” and “Heroes.” The SLSO will collaborate with the jazz quartet that recorded the Blackstar album alongside Bowie. Joining these acclaimed musicians are Bowie’s original bandmate and lifelong friend Gail Ann Dorsey who performed the iconic bass on Bowie and Queen’s Under Pressure, as well as Tony Award-winner and Golden Globe nominee, John Cameron Mitchell. These musical forces combine to bring their electrifying take on the music of one of the most influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.  

Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet: The Romantics
Friday, February 14, 7:30pm CST
Saturday, February 15, 7:30pm CST
Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis 
1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, MO 63121 

Stéphane Denève, conductor
Nikolai Lugansky, piano
Jody Elff, sound design
Luke Kritzeck, lighting design

Anna Clyne PALETTE (World Premiere, SLSO commission)
Sergei Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy

The SLSO and Music Director Stéphane Denève give the world premiere of PALETTE, a new concerto for orchestra by Anna Clyne, one of today’s most in-demand composers. PALETTE explores the conversation between visual art and music, and utilizes emerging “Augmented Orchestra” technology, as well as lighting design, to enhance the experience. Since the start of Denève’s tenure as SLSO Music Director in 2019, Clyne has been one of the orchestra’s most-performed composers of today. Nikolai Lugansky, among the top Sergei Rachmaninoff interpreters, is the soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, described by Denève as “a pure expression of love.” The theme of love continues in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s celebration of passion and connection in Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy. 

Brahms’ First Symphony: Labor of Love
Friday, February 21, 10:30am CST*
Sunday, February 23, 3:00pm CST
Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis 
1 Touhill Circle, St. Louis, MO 63121 

David Afkham, conductor (SLSO debut)
Saleem Ashkar, piano

Outi Tarkiainen The Ring of Fire and Love (First SLSO performances)
W.A. Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1

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

Conductor David Afkham makes his SLSO debut in a program of struggle, then exultation. In The Ring of Fire and Love, Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen explores the earth-shattering moment of a child’s birth. Pianist Saleem Ashkar, in his second appearance with the SLSO, brings searching intelligence to W.A. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24, dramatic music written at a time of personal joy. Johannes Brahms toiled over his Symphony No. 1 for decades, producing a life-affirming journey from darkness to light.

Double Play featuring Adam Wainwright
Saturday, February 22, 7:30pm CST 
Stifel Theatre
1400 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103

John Morris Russell, conductor (SLSO debut)
Adam Wainwright, vocals and guitar (SLSO debut)
Dwayne Hilton, organ (SLSO debut)
Joe Buck, narrator

Repertoire announced from the stage. 

The SLSO celebrates two of St. Louis’ greatest loves—music and baseball—in a special event celebrating all the drama of America’s favorite pastime with former St. Louis Cardinals All-Star pitcher-turned-musician Adam Wainwright. Wainwright teams up with the SLSO for new orchestral takes of songs from his 2024 country album Hey Y’all. The evening also features Americana classics by Scott Joplin, John Philip Sousa, and James Horner, as well as a special rendition of the poem “Casey at Bat”—narrated by acclaimed sportscaster Joe Buck. Cardinals’ organist Dwayne Hilton showcases the stadium organ in the concert hall.

Lift Every Voice: Black History Month Celebration
Friday, February 28, 7:30pm CST
Stifel Theatre
1400 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103

Kevin McBeth, conductor
Donald Lawrence, vocals (SLSO debut)
St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus | Kevin McBeth, director

Repertoire announced later.
Supported by Bayer Fund.

In its annual celebration of Black History Month, the SLSO and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus team up for a joyful celebration. The IN UNISON Chorus, a resident chorus of the SLSO for 30 years, specializes in performing and preserving music from the African diaspora. Grammy Award-winning vocalist Donald Lawrence shines in this concert highlighting the magnificent variety and depth of Black musical expression. 

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