Kevin McBeth celebrates 15 years as Director of the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus

By Iain Shaw

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra celebrates the 15th anniversary of Kevin McBeth’s first concert as director of the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus. McBeth was appointed at the beginning of 2011, succeeding founder Dr. Robert Ray to become only the second director in the history of the IN UNISON Chorus. McBeth reflected on the chorus’ achievements under his leadership and shares his hopes for the future.

McBeth came to the IN UNISON Chorus as a longtime fan and admirer of the chorus. He had no prior affiliation to the IN UNISON Chorus, but McBeth was a familiar face around the SLSO, having sung with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus for many years, including several seasons serving as assistant conductor under former SLSC director Amy Kaiser. McBeth’s credentials also included his longstanding role as Director of Worship Arts at Manchester United Methodist Church (a position he has now held for over 30 years) and stints as Adjunct Professor of Choral Music at Webster University and Music Director of the St. Louis Metro Singers.

McBeth was in no doubt that Ray was a hard act to follow.

“He was incredible, and continues to be very well-loved in St. Louis,” he said.

Ray was encouraging and supportive of McBeth, but the ambitious new director had to navigate a learning curve. That involved picking up what he calls the “secret handshakes” of the chorus—signature arrangements and intricate details within performances that had become traditions under Ray’s leadership.

Many symphony orchestras in the United States perform with choirs that are grounded—as the IN UNISON Chorus is—in the musical traditions of Black American communities. However, the partnership between the SLSO and the IN UNISON Chorus is unique: the IN UNISON Chorus is a resident chorus, making it an integral, vibrant voice within the SLSO.

Building on and evolving that relationship with the orchestra has been a vital aspect of the IN UNISON Chorus’ development under McBeth’s leadership.

“One of the very first meetings that we had of the chorus’ advisory committee was about this understanding of the IN UNISON Chorus being an equal partner [within the SLSO],” McBeth said. “As the artistic department has changed, as leadership has changed, as our CEO has changed, we have become more and more integral.”

Under McBeth’s tenure, the IN UNISON Chorus has featured in the SLSO’s classical concert programming more frequently. In May, the chorus will perform the world premiere of Nathalie Joachim’s Family, which the SLSO commissioned to mark the chorus’ 30-year anniversary.

“It is a beautiful way to be honored,” McBeth said. “It began with Nathalie interviewing members of the chorus, and from those conversations came the text. The idea of this chorus as a family, of this orchestra as a family, was the running theme.”

Collaborating directly with the orchestra allows the chorus to give voice to work by emerging composers and facilitate the development of what McBeth calls “gospel symphonic music.”

“It’s the melding of two expressions that aren’t seen together all that often,” McBeth said. “You’ve got a Black gospel choir, which really has its own presence and typically performs with a band, and that’s paired with a symphony orchestra.”

McBeth said representation has always been a significant aspect of the  IN UNISON Chorus and its partnership with the SLSO, and with Bayer Fund, which has provided vital support for the IN UNISON program since the program’s early days. The chorus’ standing within the SLSO creates an opportunity to appropriately contextualize the various strands of Black musical expression within the overall American musical tradition.

“Part of our responsibility is to continue to tell those stories,” McBeth said. “Those stories come through our music: the spirituals, gospel music, classical music. But reminding our audiences every time that Black music, the music that we do from the African American side of things is American music. It’s the original folk music.”

Since 2024, the SLSO and the IN UNISON Chorus have partnered with MorningStar Music Publishers to put more music by Black choral composers and arrangers into the world. The MorningStar series is designed to include both new commissions and existing work that has not yet been published, with three releases to date and a fourth on the way.

“It’s really an area of representation that has been desperately needed,” said McBeth, who serves as Music Editor for the MorningStar series.

In the past, the scarcity of published choral work by Black composers meant finding work to perform was a challenge.

“Now we’re actively commissioning and working with composers to make sure that their works are available and out there in the mainstream,” McBeth said.

Reflecting on all this and other landmark achievements, such as the chorus singing at the ribbon-cutting for the reopening of Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center in September 2025, McBeth describes his 15 years as director of the IN UNISON Chorus as “extremely rewarding, incredibly gratifying, and humbling.”

And he’s not done yet.

“As we continue to raise the level of what we’re doing, we’re seeking more opportunities, more subscription concerts. And there are lots of talented people out there and big-name stars that we’d love to perform with,” McBeth said.

Iain Shaw is the SLSO’s Content Manager.