The SLSO Returns to Powell Hall for a 25/26 Season of Celebration

By Eric Dundon

After two seasons of sharing music in venues throughout the St. Louis region, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is about to return to its newly expanded and renovated home. The 2025/2026 season will be a season-long celebration of the reopening of Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, the expanded Midtown campus named in honor of the longtime SLSO patron, philanthropist, and St. Louis champion.

With Powell Hall’s reopening in September 2025, the season celebrates the SLSO’s rich, 146-year legacy, as well as a bright future in St. Louis’ new home for music. The SLSO announced programming for the 25/26 season on February 11. Subscription packages start at six concerts and are available now. Single tickets will go on sale later this year.

The once-in-a-generation expansion and renovation project, designed by the internationally acclaimed architecture firm Snøhetta, transforms the concert experience while preserving the civic treasure for years to come.

“The 25/26 season realizes our vision of an expanded concert venue that welcomes the community wholeheartedly, supports the immense talents of our orchestra musicians and choruses, and centers music as a catalyst to gather, learn, and celebrate,” said Marie-Hélène Bernard, SLSO President and CEO.

In the auditorium, the warm and resonant acoustics that have earned Powell Hall a reputation as one of the finest concert halls in the country have been preserved and enhanced. Acoustic fortification will minimize external sounds from entering the hall. Roomier seats with more legroom will make concerts more enjoyable. And improved accessibility measures will make the concert hall safer and provide more seating options for audience members using mobility assistance devices.

The SLSO’s parking lot will feature more ADA spots, better lighting and security, and a safer passenger drop-lane.

New and improved amenities will make attending concerts more comfortable and enjoyable. A new, light-filled lobby, inspired by graceful curves of instruments, will complement Powell Hall’s iconic design, adding much needed space to gather before and after concerts. The expansion includes two new elevators, more restrooms and concession areas on all levels, an elegant donor lounge, a coat check, and several new points of entry into the concert hall.

What audiences love about Powell Hall—the beautiful aesthetics, the signature sound, and the thoughtful details and adornments—has been preserved and refreshed, prepared to welcome future generations of music lovers.

The season opens with a free community concert on Art Hill in Forest Park on September 17, kicking off the celebration with tens of thousands of St. Louisans. On September 19, Denève leads the orchestra for the first time in the renovated Powell Hall, inaugurating the Jack C. Taylor Music Center with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and special performance for the venue’s neighbors and community partners.

The rejuvenated venue opens to the public on September 26-28 for the inaugural classical program, opening with a triumphant trio of fanfares and the world premiere of Kevin Puts’ House of Tomorrow, featuring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus.

“I dreamed of a festive musical journey that will serve and unite our entire community through the joy of music, resonating again in our wonderfully restored Powell Hall,” said Stéphane Denève, The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director. “This new season is filled with vibrant, compelling, and diverse repertoire, emphasizing our belief that our home is for everybody.”

Denève anchored symphonic programs with big, bold works that showcase the immense talent of the orchestra and two resident choruses, the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus. Programming features some of the most popular show pieces in the symphonic repertoire, including Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé,Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird, G.F. Handel’s Messiah, a complete concert version of W.A. Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and symphonies by Sergei Prokofiev, Jean Sibelius, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Expect many favorite concertos for piano, violin, and cello, plus spotlights for the saxophone and the sheng, a Chinese mouth organ.

These pillars of orchestral repertoire share programs with music by composers of today. Nearly 40 percent of pieces in classical concerts are by living composers, advancing the SLSO’s role in fostering the future of the art form.

Denève also programmed pieces around two narrative threads. “Our musical offering looks towards the future but will also commemorate important moments in history—the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and America’s 250th birthday,” he said.

A huge contingent of musicians from the orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the St. Louis Children’s Choirs, and a stellar cast of vocalists commemorate the end of World War II with Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem.

From music by Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein to Gabriella Smith and Carlos Simon, the SLSO builds on its long-held priority of elevating music by American voices in a season-long observance of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

The celebratory 25/26 season welcomes some of the biggest talents in symphonic music to collaborate with the orchestra. The roster includes artists familiar to St. Louis audiences and rising talents making their marks on today’s musical landscape.

Denève welcomes his predecessors, former Music Directors Leonard Slatkin and David Robertson, back for concerts, as well as beloved conductors Hannu Lintu, Nicholas McGegan, John Storgårds, and more.

The all-star line-up of guest artists includes pianists Emanuel Ax, Víkingur Ólafsson, and Joyce Yang; violinists Augustin Hadelich, Hilary Hahn, and Leila Josefowicz; vocalists Ben Bliss, Joyce DiDonato, and Christine Goerke; the Saint Louis Dance Theatre in a unique dance collaboration; and trio Time for Three.

In a two-concert series, the SLSO presents acclaimed guest artists in chamber music concerts they curate, collaborating with orchestra musicians in a more intimate setting. Violinist Augustin Hadelich curates the first program and pianist Orli Shaham leads the second.

The SLSO introduces a new two-concert recital series, presenting acclaimed musicians in solo works on Powell Hall’s stage. Inaugural artists in this series include pianists Víkingur Ólafsson, performing Beethoven’s final three piano sonatas, and Isata Kanneh-Mason, presenting Beethoven’s famous “Moonlight” sonata alongside works by Maurice Ravel and Dobrinka Tabakova.

Live film scores—popular concerts for families and those new to the orchestra—return with performances of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone^TM, The Lion King, Home Alone, and The Wizard of Oz. The SLSO presents Marvel Infinity Saga in Concert, a cross-film journey through Marvel’s most exciting moments. Beloved traditions return to Powell Hall’s sumptuous setting, including five holiday performances, the IN UNISON Christmas concert, the New Year’s Eve Celebration, and the Lift Every Voice: Celebrating Black History Month concert.

Broadening the definition of a symphony concert, the SLSO plans several special events. The SLSO pays tribute to St. Louis icon Chuck Berry in a program celebrating the rock legend’s 100th birthday, organized alongside the Berry family. The orchestra also explores the legacy of jazz great John Coltrane, featuring acclaimed saxophonist Joe Lovano.

Stay tuned for additional concert announcements for the 25/26 season, including chamber music performances at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and The Sheldon; a happy hour concert series; community concerts; Concerts for Kids; and additional genre-bending special performances.

“I cannot wait to feel the momentum of this new era with our immensely talented musicians, chorus members, and outstanding guest artists,” Denève said.

Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.