A Season That Meets the Moment—Inside the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s 2026/27 Season

By Eric Dundon

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has unveiled its 2026/27 season, and it’s one built for curiosity, discovery, and shared moments. From blockbuster symphonies and world premieres to free concerts and unexpected collaborations, the orchestra’s 147th season invites audiences to come as they are—and hear something unforgettable.

The season builds on the momentum of returning home to a transformed Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center and showcases homegrown and international talent that demonstrates the vitality of the St. Louis arts scene.

Music Director Stéphane Denève sums it up best: He said symphonic music’s “relevance today as a unifying force is undeniable.” This season, he adds, is about connection: between centuries, styles, artists, and audiences.

From Gustav Mahler and Ludwig van Beethoven to Wynton Marsalis and Gabriela Ortiz, free concerts under the sky to monumental evenings inside Powell Hall, this is a season that invites listeners to lean in, feel deeply, and discover something new.

The season opens the way it has become tradition—with music for everyone. Denève once again leads the free community concert on Art Hill in Forest Park, drawing tens of thousands for an evening that feels less like a formal concert and more like a shared celebration.

It’s a reminder that the SLSO doesn’t just perform for St. Louis—it belongs to it.

Inside Powell Hall, the classical season begins with longtime Denève collaborator Yefim Bronfman, whose performance of Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 anchors a program inspired by Italy, culminating in Respighi’s Pines of Rome, by turn introspective and soul-shatteringly powerful. It’s a curtain-raiser that signals what’s ahead: familiar works, fresh perspectives, and a sense of adventure.

Denève leads nine classical programs this season, each shaped by his storytelling instincts and emotional directness. “Music,” he says, “is the most direct path from one heart to another.” That idea resonates throughout the year with concerts that connect and inspire.

Highlights include Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony paired with Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915, sung by Grammy Award-winning artist and St. Louis native Julia Bullock; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s tragic Symphony No. 6 alongside Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto with superstar pianist Daniil Trifonov; and complete performances of Maurice Ravel’s enchanting opera L’enfant et les sortilèges (The Child and the Spells).

The season closes on a monumental scale with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3—a work that stretches from the earthly to the cosmic, featuring mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford and the combined forces of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Children’s Choirs.

For Denève, these works aren’t museum pieces. They’re living stories, meant to be felt in the room, together.

The SLSO’s commitment to music of today is front and center this season, with 20 works entering the orchestra’s repertoire—14 by living composers.

Among the standout moments: the world premiere of Christopher Stark’s Violin Concerto, performed by Associate Concertmaster Erin Schreiber; the US premiere of Ülo Krigul’s Proteus Pulse; and co-commissions by Kevin Puts, Detlev Glanert, and Wynton Marsalis.

Marsalis’ Symphony No. 5, “Liberty,” arrives in St. Louis during a special residency with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, blending jazz, blues, and symphonic traditions into a powerful musical statement about the American experience.

As SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard puts it, the season reflects a commitment to “actively listening to our community” while nurturing “the next generation of creators, musicians, and music lovers.”

This season also marks a milestone: the 50th anniversary of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus.

Under the direction of Erin Freeman, the Chorus takes center stage in works spanning more than two centuries—from Joseph Haydn’s Mass for Troubled Times to the SLSO’s first performances of Gabriela Ortiz’s Revolución diamantina (Glitter Revolution). Along the way, audiences will hear Stravinsky, Poulenc, Mendelssohn, Ravel, and Mahler, showcasing the ensemble’s versatility and power. The milestone is both a celebration of legacy and a statement of continued artistic ambition.

The 2026/27 season welcomes an extraordinary roster of guest artists, including eight conductors making their SLSO debuts. From Dalia Stasevska and Kristiina Poska to Teddy Abrams and Domingo Hindoyan, these appearances bring fresh energy and perspectives to the podium.

Instrumental and vocal debuts add even more spark: teenage violin phenom Himari, trumpeter Pacho Flores, soprano and nyckelharpa soloist Aphrodite Patoulidou, and pianist Daniil Trifonov all make their first appearances with the orchestra. Returning favorites—violinist James Ehnes and Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider; pianists Olga Kern, Jeremy Denk, and Yeol Eum Son; mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and more—round out a season that feels like a reunion with old friends and an introduction to new ones.

The SLSO’s world extends far beyond traditional concerts, and this season embraces that fully.

Film with live score performances bring cinematic favorites to life, including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets^TM, Edward Scissorhands, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Hook, and Star Wars: A New Hope, plus musical highlights from two beloved series: One Piece, the Japanese anime television show and National Geographic’s Secrets of the Whales. A special highlight: the orchestra will be the first in the world to perform Edward Scissorhands live to picture.

Playlist: Symphony Happy Hour concerts return for those who love great music with a side of storytelling and social time, while holiday traditions—from IN UNISON Christmas to New Year’s Eve—anchor the calendar with warmth and joy.

At its heart, the 2026/27 season is about welcoming everyone into Powell Hall, into discovery, into shared experience. As Bernard notes, the SLSO continues to build “a vibrant community around the shared power of music.”

Whether you come for Mahler or movie nights, new music or longtime favorites, this season isn’t asking you to be an expert. It’s simply asking you to listen—and be part of a deeply human experience. And that, after all, is what a great season is meant to do.

Subscription packages for the SLSO’s 26/27 season are on sale now and can be purchased online at slso.org/subscribe.

Subscribers get first access to every concert this season, priority choice of seats, up to 25 percent savings on all ticket prices, and the flexibility to exchange concerts as needed. Subscribe by April 24 for priority seat selection. Curated series and Compose Your Own subscriptions begin at six concerts.

Single tickets will go on sale July 2026.

Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.