St. Louis Symphony Orchestra teams up with 100 choral music educators for free community concert at Powell Hall, November 1
Erin Freeman, Director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, and Kevin McBeth, Director of the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, lead the combined ensemble of local educators, SLSO singers, and the orchestra in music that spans more than 200 years
Media Coverage: Members of the media are invited to cover the concert for use in broadcast or print. Participating music educators will be available for interviews prior to the concert. For more information and to RSVP for the concert as a media guest, please contact Public Relations Director Eric Dundon at ericd@slso.org or call 314-286-4134.
(October 6, 2026, St. Louis, MO) – The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will hold a free community concert on Sunday, November 1, sharing the stage with more than 100 choral music educators in a unique program that celebrates the importance and impact of music education in schools. Led by the directors of the SLSO’s two resident choruses, Extra Credit Choral elevates the talents of music educators alongside musicians of the SLSO and singers in its choruses. The concert is scheduled for 6:00pm on Sunday, November 1, at Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center.
The combined musical forces will perform music including selections from Mozart’s Requiem and Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Nabucco, Eric Whitacre’s Glow, Gwyneth Walker’s “How Can I Keep from Singing,” and more. This event is pay-as-you-wish and seating is first-come, first-served. Free tickets are required and may be reserved by visiting slso.org.
The SLSO’s Extra Credit concerts—a pioneering program in the orchestra industry in which music educators perform alongside professional musicians—began in 2017, with additional concerts in 2019, 2022, and April 2026. The initial concerts featured orchestra and band teachers. The November 1 concert is the first Extra Credit concert to feature choral music educators, who will share the stage with the orchestra and members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus. Erin Freeman and Kevin McBeth, the directors of the two SLSO choruses, will share the podium to lead the concert.
More than 100 educators will participate in Extra Credit Choral from school districts across the St. Louis region and Metro East, throughout Missouri, and as far away as California. More than 40 school districts are represented in the program, with an overall student impact of nearly 25,000.
Extra Credit is one of dozens of free concerts the SLSO performs each year throughout the St. Louis region and at Powell Hall.
SLSO Community Concert | Extra Credit
Sunday, November 1, 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
Free tickets are required. Seating is first-come, first-served.
SLSO education programs presented by Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology. Sponsored by Dana Brown Charitable Trust, U.S. Bank, Trustee.
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