St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association announces winners of 29th annual Picture the Music student art contest
Thousands of elementary school students created pieces of art inspired by classical music; Top 100 pieces honored at awards ceremony at Powell Hall
To download this release, click here.
To download a photo of the Maestro Award winners, click here.
(March 20, 2019, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association announced the winners of the 29th annual Picture the Music contest, in which students Kindergarten through Sixth Grade in the St. Louis area and throughout the region listen to a piece of orchestral music and interpret the piece through art. Awards for the Top 100 winners were presented at a ceremony hosted by the SVA at Powell Hall on February 25.
Two young artists, pictured left, captured the coveted Maestro Award, given to the top pieces of art in two age divisions – Kindergarten through third grade and fourth through sixth grades. Claire Delehanty, a third grader at St. Ambrose Catholic School in Godfrey, Ill., and Savanna Belt, a sixth grader at Northwest Valley Middle School in House Springs, Mo., received the Maestro Awards.
In addition, seven students were given the St. Louis Symphony Award and 25 received the Blue Ribbon Award. To see a complete list of the Top 100 winners, visit https://www.slso.org/en/edu/elementary-schools/picture-the-music/.
Judges reviewed more than 400 entries from dozens of schools to select the Top 100 winners.
Artwork of the Top 100 winners will be displayed at the following locations during the Picture the Music traveling exhibition:
Through March 25 St. Peters Cultural Arts Centre
March 25–April 8 The Magic House
April 8–15 St. Louis Public Library, Schlafly Branch
Picture the Music, a free, annual art competition for St. Louis-area students in grades K-6, is presented by the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association and sponsored by the Employees Community Fund of Boeing. Students listen to a piece of orchestral music, then respond with paintings and drawings that express the thoughts and emotions evoked by hearing the music. This year's piece was Manuel de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance. More than 12,500 students from area public, private, parochial, and home schools participated and 436 pieces of artwork were submitted for judging. The Top 100 pieces were selected by a panel of seven judges with backgrounds in art and music.
Photo cutline: Front row, left to right: Claire Delehanty, Savanna Belt, and Jeff Kaplan, Symphony Volunteer Association President. Back row, left to right: Ron Klemm, Retired Manager of Classic99.com and Bev Cox, Picture the Music Chair.
About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Celebrated as one of today's most exciting and enduring orchestras, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in the country, marking its 139th year with the 2018/2019 season and Music Director Designate Stéphane Denève. Widely considered one of the world's finest, the SLSO maintains its commitment to artistic excellence, educational impact, and community connections – all in service to its mission of enriching lives through the power of music.
In addition to its regular concert performances at Powell Hall, which has been the permanent home of the SLSO for more than 50 years, the orchestra is an integral part of the diverse and vibrant St. Louis community, presenting free education programs and performances throughout the region each year. It presents St. Louis Symphony Live at the Pulitzer, a four-program series at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. The SLSO also serves as the resident orchestra for Opera Theatre Saint Louis, with this season marking the 42nd year of their partnership.
The Grammy Award–winning SLSO's impact beyond the St. Louis region is realized through weekly Saturday night concert broadcasts on St. Louis Public Radio, acclaimed recordings, and regular touring activity. A sought-after artistic partner by preeminent musicians and composers from across the globe, as well as by local and national organizations, the SLSO enjoys a long history of robust and enduring artistic collaborations that have developed and deepened over the years.
Today, the SLSO builds on the institution's current momentum on all fronts, including artistic, financial, audience growth, and community impact, and looks toward the future with Stéphane Denève. Denève, who has been a frequent guest conductor with the orchestra since 2003, begins his tenure as Music Director with the 19/20 season, following this season as Music Director Designate. For more information, visit slso.org.
About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Volunteer Association
Over the past almost 100 years, the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association has actively supported the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in a variety of ways, from unique education programs including Picture the Music/Express the Music and the Instrument Playground, to exciting volunteer opportunities, fundraising projects, and more. Originally founded in 1923 as The Women's Committee of the Saint Louis Symphony Society, the SVA currently has more than 130 active members whose efforts champion the mission of the SLSO: enriching lives through the power of music.
# # #
