Each December, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra welcomes 40,000 members of the St. Louis community to Powell Hall for a grand celebration of the holidays. With garlands hanging from the balconies, beautiful wreaths lining the Emerson Concert Stage, and a massive Christmas tree standing tall in the Wightman Grand Foyer, Powell Hall offers a warm and festive environment for patrons to create memories with loved ones this holiday season. From the annual Gospel Christmas concert to live renditions of much-loved movie scores, the SLSO is excited to offer the community another year of joyful musical experiences to commemorate the end of one year and the beginning of another.
Purchase your holiday concert tickets here.
Kicking off the holidays at Powell Hall is the Gospel Christmas concert, performed every year for more than 25 years by the SLSO and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, a chorus dedicated to the preservation and celebration of African and African American music and culture. On December 9, IN UNISON Chorus Director Kevin McBeth will lead the group in a soulful celebration of holiday spirit alongside songstress Oleta Adams, a chart-topping vocalist who has performed with Tears for Fears and Phil Collins, and who last performed with the SLSO and IN UNISON Chorus in 2018.
Another beloved SLSO tradition, the Mercy Holiday Celebration is jam-packed with holiday classics and features an appearance by Santa Claus himself. Conducted by Bob Bernhardt, the concerts also star Canadian jazz vocalist Denzal Sinclaire. In his last SLSO collaboration in 2019, Sinclaire performed in a tribute concert for Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole. This year, he returns to Powell Hall to add his signature smooth tone to several holiday favorites.
For the first time, the Mercy Holiday Celebration hits the road, with the SLSO spreading holiday cheer for two performances at the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts at Lindenwood University in St. Charles on December 15-16, before returning home for five performances at Powell Hall on December 17-19.
Movie lovers and families alike are invited to experience the power of film music performed by the SLSO. On December 11-12, the SLSO brings Miles Goodman’s score to life in Disney in Concert: The Muppet Christmas Carol. This adaptation of Charles Dickens’ famous novel follows Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation on the big screen through Christmases past, present, and future, while the SLSO performs the music live. Then on January 2, 2022, the SLSO performs Michael Giacchino’s Grammy®, Golden Globe®, and Academy Award®-winning score to Disney and Pixar’s Up, the tale of a retired salesman who is whisked away on a journey of a lifetime by thousands of balloons tied to his house. SLSO Assistant Conductor Stephanie Childress leads both musical adventures with the SLSO while the films play on Powell Hall’s big screen.
Finally, holidays with the SLSO include yet another treasured tradition: the annual New Year’s Eve Celebration concert. For the first time, Music Director Stéphane Denève rings in 2022 with not one, but two surprise-filled concerts: a matinee and an evening performance.
Join the celebration this December. Single tickets for the holiday concerts go on sale July 22, along with single tickets for all fall concerts, including ten classical music programs, designed by Denève to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. Tickets are available for purchase on slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700.