Six Reasons Why You Can’t Miss the SLSO’s March 2026 Concerts
By Eric Dundon
March 2026 stands out as one of the most ambitious and wide-ranging months of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s milestone 2025/26 season. From historic returns and world premieres to family programming and cinematic favorites, the month captures the orchestra at its most versatile and compelling. Here’s why March deserves special attention.
A Landmark Return and a Celebration of American Voices
The return of former SLSO Music Director David Robertson marks an important artistic moment for the orchestra. His March 6-7 program, subtitled American Reflections, reunites him with the SLSO for the first time since the end of his tenure in 2018 and centers on themes of change, renewal, and introspection. Featuring first SLSO performances of works by Steven Mackey and Sarah Kirkland Snider alongside Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, the concert bridges generations of American composers. Robertson’s own piano concerto, written for and performed by Orli Shaham, adds a deeply personal dimension to the program.
Beethoven as a Unifying Thread—From Intimacy to Heroism
Beethoven’s music anchors March from multiple perspectives. Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson inaugurates a new recital series with a program that places the music of Beethoven alongside Bach and Schubert, revealing the composer’s introspective and experimental side. Later in the month, Beethoven’s majestic “Emperor” Piano Concerto crowns a full orchestral program led by Music Director Stéphane Denève. Together, these performances offer a panoramic view of Beethoven’s emotional range, from private reflection to radiant grandeur. Beethoven’s music also gives a nod to the opening of the Jack C. Taylor Music Center—his Consecration of the House Overture (performed March 26-27) was written for the opening of a new theatre in Vienna in 1822.
A Spotlight on Today’s Composers and First-Time Performances
March is rich with premieres and contemporary voices, underscoring the SLSO’s commitment to shaping the future of orchestral music. Works by Kevin Puts, Jasmine Guo, Steven Mackey, Avner Dorman, and Sarah Kirkland Snider receive their first SLSO performances, each bringing a distinct perspective shaped by modern life, identity, and connection. These new works are thoughtfully paired with established repertoire, allowing audiences to hear how today’s composers converse with the past. More than 40 percent of pieces on classical programs this season are by living composers.
Storytelling Through Sound: Myth, Memory, and Imagination
Several March programs are united by their sense of narrative. The March 14-15 concerts featuring Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade immerses listeners in sweeping musical storytelling inspired by myth and legend, while Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto offers a deeply personal meditation on loss and remembrance. Conducted by Anna Sułkowska-Migoń in her SLSO debut and featuring violinist Leila Josefowicz, a recording partner of the SLSO under David Robertson, the program highlights music’s ability to convey powerful emotional and dramatic arcs without words.
From the Concert Hall to the Cosmos: John Williams and the YO Take Center Stage
Film music fans have two chances to experience the enduring impact of legendary composer John Williams. The final Playlist: Symphony Happy Hour concert of the season offers a relaxed, social setting for iconic selections from Star Wars, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, complete with insights from Denève. Later, Williams’ music expands into a full symphonic context alongside John Adams’ Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Kevin Puts’ Contact, performed with the genre-defying trio Time for Three.
Plus, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra takes audiences on a sweeping journey of cosmic imagination in its second performance of the season (March 29), featuring Kevin Puts’ radiant Hymn to the Sun and Gustav Holst’s monumental The Planets, performed with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus in its first YO collaboration.
Music That Welcomes Everyone
March also emphasizes accessibility and community. The March 1 Concerts for Kids program, Music Without Boundaries, invites families to explore musical traditions from around the world, while chamber and coffee concerts offer more intimate entry points into the orchestral experience. All of this unfolds in the newly renovated Powell Hall, making each concert part of a broader celebration of connection—between artists, audiences, and the music itself.
Eric Dundon is the SLSO’s Public Relations Director.
