The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève Welcome the St. Louis Community to Forest Park for Annual Free Community Concert, September 17

(August 19, 2025, St. Louis, MO) – Led by Music Director Stéphane Denève, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra marks the beginning of its milestone 2025/26 season with the return of its free concert in Forest Park at 7:00pm CDT, Wednesday, September 17, on Art Hill. Since its inaugural Forest Park concert more than 50 years ago, the SLSO has performed for thousands of people each year as a community celebration of music and the kick-off of the SLSO’s season.

The celebration serves as a prelude to the reopening of Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center following a two-year transformational expansion and renovation. Opening weekend concerts at the restored venue are slated for September 26-28.

The Forest Park concert serves as a preview for the orchestra’s 146th season and Denève’s seventh as The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director. Selections include classical favorites by Ludwig van Beethoven, W.A. Mozart, and Igor Stravinsky. In a nod to a narrative thread of American music throughout the SLSO’s 25/26 season, the program also includes a tribute to American armed forces veterans, Aaron Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man, and George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Overture. Denève will be joined by guest vocalist SSgt MeLan K. Smartt—the Regional Band Vocalist at The United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, Scott Air Force Base—for The Star-Spangled Banner and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Another concert highlight includes two selections from the legendary film composer John Williams, whose music can be heard all season with films in concert (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone^TM, Home Alone), a Concert for Kids (Howl at Powell), a special Playlist spotlight, and a cosmic-themed subscription series in March 2026 pairing Williams’ works with those of John Adams and Kevin Puts, masterfully combined by Denève, a close collaborator of the inimitable composer. The festivities end with a show-stopping fireworks display following John Philip Sousa’s patriotic anthem The Stars and Stripes Forever.

The Forest Park concert is performed in memory of longtime SLSO supporter Mary Ann Lee and endowed in perpetuity by the MacCarthy Foundation. This concert marks the 57th anniversary of the first Forest Park concert in 1968.

Attendees are encouraged to come early, bring chairs and blankets, and enjoy food trucks at the top of Art Hill. Designed to engage families with children, the SLSO’s Education and Community Partnerships team will host a family fun zone at the top of Art Hill from 6:00 to 7:00pm, engaging children through musical activities, including music creation and conducting members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. SLSO staff and volunteers will hand out glow sticks for children to join Denève in conducting the orchestra.

Local vendors at the concert will include Angie Burger, The Best Wurst, Blues Fired Pizza, Cajun Seduction, Falafel Saha Food Truck, The Fire and Ice Cream Truck, Go Gyro Go, Grace Meat + 3, Hog Call BBQ, Holy Crepe, Honey Bee Tea, The MOObile Smash Burger Truck, Picture Perfect Panini, Ron Ron’s Black Fried Rice, Scoops of Joy, STL BarKeep, Takozz Real Mexican Food, The Popcorn Bar, Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, Widdy’s Cheesesteaks, WokoTaco Food Truck. Food and drink vendors will be available starting at 5:00pm.

Audiences can sign up to receive updates about the concert, including information about food trucks, parking, and shuttles, at slso.org/forestpark.

Following the opening of the season in Forest Park, Denève leads the SLSO’s first concerts at Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, September 26-28. To celebrate the reopening of the iconic civic treasure, the SLSO will perform a trio of celebratory fanfares representing the past, present, and future—including the world premiere of James Lee III’s Fanfare for Universal Hope. The program also includes the world premiere of House of Tomorrow by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts—the SLSO’s Composer in Residence during the 25/26 season. The song cycle features acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato. Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben concludes the program. Each of the opening weekend concerts includes special events. Tickets for the concerts and add-on events are on sale now.

Tickets for all 25/26 season concerts are on sale now and can be purchased at slso.org or by calling the SLSO Box Office at 314-534-1700.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Stéphane Denève open its 2025/26 season with a free community concert on Forest Park’s Art Hill at 7:00pm Wednesday, September 17. The annual concert—featuring classical music, film music, and patriotic tunes—concludes with a festive fireworks display.

Wednesday, September 17, 2025, 7:00pm CDT
Art Hill at Forest Park, 1 Fine Arts Drive, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110

Stéphane Denève, conductor
SSgt MeLan K. Smartt, vocals

John Stafford SmithThe Star-Spangled Banner 
Arranged by Adam Maness
J. Rosamund Johnson “Lift Every Voice and Sing” 
Arranged by Hale Smith 
Aaron Copland Fanfare for the Common Man 
Ludwig van Beethoven Excerpt from Symphony No. 7 
W.A. Mozart Le nozze di Figaro Overture 
Igor Stravinsky Excerpts from The Firebird Suite (1919 version) 
George Gershwin Girl Crazy Overture 
Arranged Don Rose
W.C. Handy St. Louis Blues March 
Arranged Richard Hayman
Various Armed Forces Salute 
Arranged by Hayman/Kessler
John Williams Liberty Fanfare 
John Williams Main Title from Star Wars Suite 
John Philip Sousa The Stars and Stripes Forever 

This concert is performed in memory of Mary Ann Lee.

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