The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra opened its 147th season Wednesday, September 16, with one of the city’s favorite musical traditions: a free community concert on Art Hill in Forest Park.
Music Director Stéphane Denève led the SLSO in a wide-ranging celebration that moved from Ludwig van Beethoven and Ottorino Respighi to Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, and John Williams. For the first time, the event featured two tents to accommodate a full chorus. Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus joined the orchestra for selections including Orff’s O Fortuna from Carmina Burana, music from Porgy and Bess, America the Beautiful, and more. The program also offered a nod to the Symphony Chorus’ 50th anniversary, which the SLSO will celebrate this season.
Performed in memory of longtime SLSO supporter Mary Ann Lee, the evening concluded with John Philip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever and a fireworks display over the Grand Basin, sending the orchestra into its new season in festive fashion.
A beloved civic tradition, the concert drew an estimated 30,000 people to Art Hill. Prior to the concert, audiences enjoyed food trucks, joined a family fun zone with musical activities for children, and greeted Star Wars characters in costume.
Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus await the start of the concert. This was the first time that a full chorus joined the orchestra, requiring a second tent at the bottom of Art Hill. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Music Director Stéphane Denève, with Art Hill a sea of spectators, led the orchestra in a variety of pieces, starting with the opening movement of Respighi’s Pines of Rome. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Symphony Volunteer Association member Jeff Kaplan shows a young visitor a clarinet, part of an instrument exploration activity. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
The sky over St. Louis put on its own show with a stunning sunset. (Photo by Justin Barr)
Violist Emilio Carlo warms up. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
The first Forest Park concert took place in 1968 and is now performed in memory of Mary Ann Lee, a prolific supporter of the SLSO. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
A audience favorite, hand-held fans bearing the face of Music Director Stéphane Denève, affectionately called “Sté-fans” kept the crowd cool on a warm day. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
A favorite of many, a fireworks show concludes the evening. (Photo by Justin Barr)
At the Family Fun Zone, under the watchful eye of the statue of King Louis IX, families marched to the music with a giant parachute. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
As the sun sets over Forest Park, Kevin McBeth, Director of the IN UNISON Chorus, leads the chorus in a number alongside the orchestra. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Erin Freeman, Director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, leads a combined choir of singers from the SLSO’s two resident chorus. The chorus performed on more than half of the program’s selections in a nod to the St. Louis Symphony Chorus’ 50th anniversary this season. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Audience members show their appreciation to the SLSO’s musicians. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
With streamers in hand, young visitors danced and grooved to music at the Family Fun Zone prior to the concert. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Denève dons a St. Louis CITY SC jersey to conclude the concerts. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Art Hill is illuminated by a fireworks display following Sousa’s Stars and Stripes Forever. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
King Louis IX looks over the concert, with audiences filling Art Hill and some in paddle boats in the Grand Basin for the orchestra’s annual event. (Photo by Justin Barr)
Horn players Blaine Dodson (right) and Tod Bowermaster. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Audience members brought our chairs, blanket, and picnic baskets to enjoy the concert. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Chewbacca, the beloved character from Star Wars, conducted members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra at the top of Art Hill. The Forest Park concert included several selections of John Williams’ music to the famous movie series. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Denève and orchestra thank the thousands of attendees at the conclusion of the concert. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
An estimated 30,000 people attended the concert. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Members of the SLSO’s two choruses. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Two tents were at the bottom of Art Hill for the 2026 concert, with a full chorus complementing the orchestra. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
Music Director Stéphane Denève cues the singers in an adjacent tent for the Star-Spangled Banner, which opens each Forest Park concert. (Photo by Virginia Harold)
With the Central West End gleaming in the background, the orchestra’s concert is a beloved St. Louis tradition. (Photo by Justin Barr)
