St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concludes 143rd season with classical blockbusters, family and film concerts, April 29-May 14
(April 20, 2023, St. Louis, MO) – Today, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra announced details of its April and May concerts at Powell Hall, the orchestra’s final concerts in Powell Hall before the historic venue undergoes a major expansion and renovation project. With concerts led by Music Director Stéphane Denève and Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress, programming features some of the most popular pieces of orchestral music, a family concert, the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, and performances of the score to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther.
Tickets are free for the Youth Orchestra concert, and start at $9.50 for the Family Concert, $15 for classical concerts, and $35 for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther. 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. Saturday classical concerts will be broadcast live on 90.7 FM KWMU St. Louis Public Radio, Classic 107.3, or online (stlpr.org). 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 in the auditorium.
The SLSO’s 143rd season runs through May 2023. The SLSO’s 144th season begins in September 2023, with primary residencies at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri–St. Louis and Stifel Theatre in downtown St. Louis.
The Rite of Spring
Saturday, April 29, at 8:00pm
Sunday, April 30, at 3:00pm
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Piotr Anderszewski, piano
Gabriela Lena FRANK Apu
Béla BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 3
Igor STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
Presented by the Thomas A. Kooyumjian Family Foundation.
Music Director Stéphane Denève explores the crossroads of human, spirit, and nature in a program that concludes with Igor Stravinsky’s groundbreaking The Rite of Spring. Known for its virtuosity and primally rhythmic composition, The Rite of Spring was originally scheduled for performances during Denève’s COVID-19-shortened inaugural season as music director. Opening the program is the first SLSO performances of Gabriela Lena Frank’s Apu, which recounts mischievous sprits from Andean Peru. Pianist Piotr Anderszewski, who collaborated with Denève in his first appearance guest conducting the SLSO in 2003, returns for performances of Béla Bartók’s Third Piano Concerto. Tickets start at $15.
The Damnation of Faust
Friday, May 5, at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 6, at 8:00pm
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Isabel Leonard, soprano | Marguerite
Michael Spyres, tenor | Faust (SLSO debut)
John Relyea, bass | Méphistophélès
Patrick Guetti, bass | Brander (SLSO debut)
St. Louis Symphony Chorus | Patrick Dupré Quigley, guest director
The St. Louis Children’s Choirs | Barbara Berner, artistic director
Hector BERLIOZ The Damnation of Faust
Presented by Mary Pillsbury.
In what has been described as a “desert island” work for Music Director Stéphane Denève, the SLSO, St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the St. Louis Children’s Choirs, and a cast of acclaimed soloists will perform Hector Berlioz’s monumental The Damnation of Faust. Rescheduled from Denève’s COVID-19-shortened first season as Music Director, the performance includes most of the originally scheduled cast of renowned vocalists: soprano and Grammy Award winner Isabel Leonard in her role debut as Marguerite; Missouri native Michael Spyres makes his SLSO debut as Faust; bass John Relyea in the role of Méphistophélès; and Patrick Guetti as Brander in his SLSO debut. Premiered in Paris in 1846, Berlioz described the work as a “dramatic legend” based on Goethe’s tragic play, Faust. The monumental work follows the tale of Faust as he falls in love with Marguerite and must make a deal with the devil to save her soul. Tickets start at $15.
Family Concert: Powell Hall Playlist
Sunday, May 7, at 3:00pm
Stephanie Childress, conductor
Omega D. Jones, actor
Chrissie Watkins, actor
Abigail Konopik, horn (SLSO debut)
Tai Oney, tenor
Alayna Epps, soprano
G.F. HANDEL Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN Finale from Symphony No. 5
Franz STRAUSS Allegro moderator from Horn Concerto
J. Rosamund JOHNSON (arr. Smith) “Lift Every Voice and Sing”
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY March from Nutcracker Suite No. 1
Richard RODGERS (arr. Mueller) Selections from The Sound of Music
Ferde GROFE “Mardi Gras” from Mississippi Suite
SLSO Education Programs are presented by the Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology.
The final Family Concert of the season is a celebration of Powell Hall, which will undergo a community-centered expansion and renovation at the conclusion of the 22/23 season. This 45-minute concert, designed for children ages 5-10 and their families, examines Powell Hall through the lens of memories. In this concert, the audience will be whisked through history from one generation to the next and discover their own family playlists. Enjoy a pre-concert scavenger hunt through Powell Hall with members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. Tickets start at $9.50.
Marvel Studios’ Black Panther in Concert
Friday, May 12, at 7:00pm
Saturday, May 13, at 2:00pm & 7:00pm
Stephanie Childress, conductor
Massamba Diop, drum soloist (SLSO debut)
Ludwig GÖRANSSON Marvel Studios’ Black Panther
In 2018, Marvel Studios’ Black Panther quickly became a global sensation and cultural phenomenon, showing a new dimension of what Superhero films could be. Now you can relive the excitement of T’Challa becoming king and battling Killmonger all while the SLSO performs Ludwig Göransson’s Oscar®-winning score live to picture. The performances feature talking drum soloist Massamba Diop and are led by Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress. Tickets start at $35.
St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
Sunday, May 14, at 3:00pm
Stephanie Childress, conductor
Richard WAGNER Prelude to Tristan and Isolde
Claude DEBUSSY Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”
SLSO Education Programs are presented by the Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology.
Youth Orchestra programs are presented by Kathleen Clucas.
Supported by G.A., Jr. and Kathryn M. Buder Charitable Foundation, Gateway Metro Federal Credit Union and the ESCO Technologies Foundation.
The St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra captivates audiences with their energetic and spirited performances—join them for the finale of their 53rd season. YO Music Director and SLSO Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads the musicians, aged 12 to 22, in a pair of preludes by Richard Wagner and Claude Debussy before leading Antonín Dvořák’s most-celebrated symphony: his ninth, which combines European structure with flavors of American music. Tickets are free, reservations are requested.