Here’s your chance to see the Jack C. Taylor Music Center for free
By Eric Dundon
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s concert home recently reopened following a two-year, $140 million expansion and renovation. The new Jack C. Taylor Music Center, with a renovated Powell Hall at its heart, is ready for its close up. Following reopening celebrations in September, the SLSO invited the community to experience its newly inaugurated concert home at an open house on Saturday, November 8.
This free event invites the community to experience one of the most acclaimed concert halls in the country, in a casual, come-and-go celebration of the St. Louis arts and culture landscape. The open house begins at 10:00am and concludes at 6:00pm.
Serving as a nexus for community connections, social life, and education, the open house offers more than a dozen free performances throughout the day from a variety of St. Louis arts and culture institutions and SLSO partners. The event underscores the institution’s commitment to community collaborations that uplift St. Louis and enrich the local cultural scene.
What to expect
Performances represent a range of disciplines, including symphonic and choral music, jazz, opera, theater, dance, and spoken word. They will take place on Powell Hall’s concert stage, in the new Steward Family Education and Learning Center, and in ancillary spaces throughout the venue.
Presenting institutions and ensembles include musicians of the SLSO, the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Jazz St. Louis, Chamber Music Society of St. Louis Chamber Academy, the Community Music School of Webster University, St. Louis Dance Theater, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, The Black Rep, The St. Louis Children’s Choirs, Vocal Point of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Saint Louis Story Stitchers, Grand Center Arts Academy, The Legend Singers, No-Name Chorale, and the Gospel Symphonic Choir. The full St. Louis Symphony Orchestra does not perform at this event. Food trucks will be on site from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
The Symphony Volunteer Association will lead tours of the expanded and renovated venue, which will showcase the stunning transformation to the existing 1925 building—listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2001—and the Snøhetta-designed, 64,000-square-foot addition. The building opened in September 2025 to sold-out concerts and international recognition.
The Jack C. Taylor Music Center is located at 718 N. Grand Blvd. Paid parking is available at the SLSO’s lot accessible from Samuel Shepard Dr., parking facilities throughout Grand Center, and on the surrounding streets.
Schedule of events
10:00am-6:00pm: Tours of the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, led by the Symphony Volunteer Association
10:00am-noon: Open rehearsal of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
11:00am-noon: Music Quest, a music discovery performance adventure for families with young children
11:00am-6:00pm: Food trucks on site
Noon-1:00pm: Family Fun Zone
Noon-12:30pm: Performance by the Grand Center Arts Academy Jazz Band
1:00-1:30pm: Performance by The Black Rep
1:00-1:30pm: Performance by Chamber Music Society of St. Louis Chamber Academy
1:30-2:00pm: Performance by Cortango, Latin fusion ensemble of SLSO musicians
2:00-2:30pm: Performance by Saint Louis Story Stitchers
2:00-2:30pm: Performance by Community Music School of Webster University Suzuki violin students and Suzuki String Ensemble
2:30-3:00pm: Performance by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
3:00-3:30pm: Performance by Vocal Point, a cappella ensemble of the University of Missouri–St. Louis
3:00-3:30pm: Performance by St. Louis Classical Guitar
3:30-4:00pm: Performance by The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
4:00-4:30pm: Performance by Jazz St. Louis
4:00-4:30pm: Performance by The St. Louis Children’s Choirs
4:30-5:00pm: Performance by The 442s, acoustic instrumental ensemble that includes SLSO musicians
5:00-5:30pm: Performance by The St. Louis Recorder Society’s Stanhope Recorder Consort
5:00-5:30pm: Performance by St. Louis Dance Theatre
5:30pm-6:00pm: Combined multi-chorus sing-in, with St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, The Legend Singers, No-Name Chorale, Gospel Symphonic Choir
The SLSO’s 146th season began in September and continues through June 2026. A year-long celebration of the power of music and the return to the renovated Powell Hall, the season celebrates the people, places, and experiences that make the institution a leading orchestra in the country. The season highlights the signature artistry of the orchestra’s musicians while elevating vital creative voices of the day. Concerts span time and genre, including classical concerts, chamber music, films, special collaborations, holiday specials, happy hour concerts, and concerts for kids.
Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.
