St. Louis Symphony Orchestra November concerts includes SLSO debut of star pianist and violin prodigy; a celebration of America; and the first St. Louis Symphony Chorus classical concerts of its 50th anniversary season

(September 22, 2026, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced details of its November 2026 concerts, which include masterworks by Sergei Rachmaninoff—featuring critically acclaimed pianist Daniil Trifonov—Dmitri Shostakovich, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary with the US Naval Academy Glee Club and actor John Goodman; two chamber music performances; the St. Louis debut of violin prodigy, Himari; and a free community concert showcasing the artistry of local music educators.

Tickets for all concerts are on sale now. Tickets may be purchased at slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700.  A full concert calendar is available at slso.org or on the SLSO’s mobile app, available for iOS or Android. Audiences can attend a Pre-Concert Conversation, an engaging discussion about the music and artists on the program, one hour prior to each classical concert. SLSO concerts will also be broadcast at 7:30pm CST on November 7, 14, and 28 on 90.7 KWMU St. Louis Public Radio and Classic 107.3.

Sunday, November 1, 2026, 6:00pm CST

Erin Freeman, conductor
Kevin McBeth, conductor
Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

J. Rosamond Johnson / arr. Carter  “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Marianna Martines  Dixit Dominus (First SLSO performance)
W.A. Mozart / comp. Süssmayr Selections from Requiem
Giuseppe Verdi “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco
Eric Whitacre Glow (First SLSO performance)
Gwyneth Walker “How Can I Keep from Singing”
Traditional / arr. Powell “Keep Yo’ Lamps”
Brandon Williams “Fierce Love”
Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens / arr. Hayes “Make Them Hear You” from Ragtime

School vocal music educators take the Powell Hall stage alongside members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, and musicians of the SLSO in this inaugural Extra Credit Choral experience. This pay-what-you-wish community concert celebrates the essential role choral educators play in shaping the next generation through music. The concert honors teachers’ impact while showcasing their artistry, leadership, and dedication on the Powell Hall stage at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. The program spans three centuries and several styles of music from opera and spirituals to sacred pieces and musical theater.

Friday, November 6, 2026, 7:30pm CST
Saturday, November 7, 2026, 7:30pm CST
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 3:00pm CST

Stéphane Denève, conductor
Daniil Trifonov, piano (SLSO debut)

Michael Tilson Thomas Agnegram (First SLSO performances)
Sergei Rachmaninoff  Piano Concerto No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky  Symphony No. 6 

Piano sensation Daniil Trifonov, whose artistry has earned accolades around the globe, makes his SLSO debut performing a soulful concerto written by a teenaged Sergei Rachmaninoff. A noted Rachmaninoff interpreter, Trifonov, “arguably today’s leading classical virtuoso” (The Globe and Mail), rose to fame in 2011 after winning the first prize in the International Tchaikovsky Competition. Music Director Stéphane Denève leads the program, which begins with the SLSO’s first performances of Michael Tilson Thomas’ Agnegram. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, whose Sixth Symphony is still considered one of the most profound, intimate, and moving orchestral pieces of all time, closes this program, an artistic highlight of the SLSO’s 26/27 season.

Tuesday, November 10, 7:30pm CST
At Pulitzer Arts Foundation, 3716 Washington Blvd., St. Louis, MO,63108

Jennifer Nitchman, flute
Kevin Ritenauer, percussion
Peter Henderson, piano
Shannon Farrell Williams, viola
Bjorn Ranheim, cello

Martin Bresnick Ishi’s Song (First SLSO performance)
Donnacha Dennehy  Bridget (First SLSO performance)
Adolfo Mejía Preludio:Luminosidad de las aguas (First SLSO performance)
Adolfo Mejía  El burrito (First SLSO performance)
Julia Wolfe Cloth (First SLSO performance)
Donnacha Dennehy Woven (First SLSO performance)

Art and music come together as SLSO musicians perform adventurous chamber music by composers of today, curated by composer Christopher Stark, within the galleries of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. Inspired by the exhibition Olga de Amaral: Weaving the Infinite, this eclectic program explores the intersections of textiles and folk traditions across the Americas. Hear works composed by Grammy Award–winning composer Donnacha Dennehy, Pulitzer Prize–winner Julia Wolfe, Martin Bresnick, and Adolfo Mejía that feature musical textures echoing the pattern of Amaral’s visionary works.

Saturday, November 14, 2026, 7:30pm CST
Sunday, November 15, 2026, 3:00pm CST

David Afkham, conductor
St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Erin Freeman, director 

Felix Mendelssohn Psalm 114 (When Israel out of Egypt Came) (First SLSO performances)
Igor Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms 
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 8 

Dmitri Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony oscillates between the brutality of war and the indomitable spark of humanity as the SLSO performs this symphony for the first time since 2014. Though the composer described the work as a wartime requiem and the score is infused with deep sadness, he also said of it that “life is beautiful. All that is dark and depressing will disappear, depart, and the beautiful will reign.” Conductor David Afkham, “a model… of musical grace on the podium” (Chicago Tribune), also leads the St. Louis Symphony Chorus in stirring psalm settings by Felix Mendelssohn and Igor Stravinsky in this first classical performance of its 50th anniversary season.

Powell Hall Presents | The Black Jacket Symphony Presents Led Zeppelin IV

Wednesday, November 18, 7:30pm CST

Led Zeppelin IV, the legendary English rock band’s iconic fourth album, is performed live in its entirety by the Black Jacket Symphony, along with a full set of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits. Released in 1971 and featuring the epic “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin IV is one of the world’s most well-known and influential rock albums, showcasing the seamless blend of heavy metal, folk, rock-n-roll, and blues the band became known for. The album continues to resonate across generations more than five decades later. The Black Jacket Symphony recreates note-for-note a high energy performance of Led Zeppelin IV that captures the power and exhilaration of the original.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra does not perform at this concert.

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 7:30pm CST
At The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Ave., St. Louis, MO,63108

Steven Franklin, curator and trumpet
Jonathan Randazzo, curator and trombone
Peter Henderson, piano

Jacques Castérède Concertino (First SLSO performance)
Peter Henderson New Work (World Premiere)
Steven Franklin Allegro agitato, mo non troppo from Sonata (First SLSO performance)
Juraj Filas Sonata (First SLSO performance)
Dean Wibe  in the shadow of a reflection (World Premiere/SLSO commission)
Joseph Turrin Fandango

SLSO musicians bring new and treasured repertoire to life on The Sheldon stage in this unique chamber music series featuring a dynamic lineup of instruments and players.

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Live at The Sheldon is sponsored by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. Welcomed by Classic 107.3.

Friday, November 20, 2026, 7:30pm CST
Saturday, November 21, 2026, 7:30pm CST

John Morris Russell, conductor
US Naval Academy Glee Club
John Goodman, narrator

Celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary with award-winning actor and St. Louis native John Goodman as he narrates American Mosaic, a multimedia experience that pairs a sweeping orchestral journey with breathtaking visuals of the American landscape. Then, experience the resounding voices of the US Naval Academy Glee Club as these talented midshipmen join the SLSO for an evening featuring Broadway favorites, patriotic anthems, sea shanties, choral classics, and more.

Repertoire to be announced.

Saturday, November 28, 2026, 7:30pm CST
Sunday, November 29, 2026, 3:00pm CST

John Storgårds, conductor
Himari, violin (SLSO debut)

Sergei Rachmaninoff Isle of the Dead
Alexander Glazunov  Violin Concerto
Modest Mussorgsky/orch. Maurice Ravel  Pictures at an Exhibition 

By way of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead and Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, conductor John Storgårds and the SLSO takes listeners into the world of visual art, gathering ideas from famous paintings and using melody and timbre as tour guides. Between these works, violin prodigy Himari steps onto the stage for her SLSO debut. She performs Glazunov’s lyrical Violin Concerto, music charged with deliberate tension.

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