Photos: The SLSO's 22/23 Season in Review

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra photographers captured thousands of photos in the 2022/2023 season, showing the power music has to connect communities and building bridges "from one heart to another," as Music Director Stéphane Denève says.

Here are some of our favorite photos from this season, both in Powell Hall and throughout the St. Louis region.

September 2022–

Guest artist Nathalie Joachim–composer, vocalist, and flutist–opened the classical series with performances of her Fanm d'Ayiti (Women of Haiti), which was inspired by the music and people of her native Haiti. The performance aptly opened the season, which Music Director Stéphane Denève designed as a musical journey to cultures around the world. These were the first performances of Joachim's music on an SLSO classical concert.

The annual concert in Forest Park draw thousands of people to Art Hill for a perfect night of music under the stars.

October 2022–

Onlookers watch intently as Jacob Buchek, St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra tuba player, demonstrates his instrument. The demonstration was part of a scavenger hunt before a Family Concert–Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

Audience members greet a participant in the Extra Credit On Stage concert, a community concert where SLSO musicians share the stage with music educators from the region and as far away as Texas and Florida.

November 2022–

Violinist Andrea Jarrett whistles as she plays during a concert at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, part of a nearly two-decade-long concert series collaboration that presents bold and adventurous musical voices of today.

Double bassist Sarah Hogan Kaiser demonstrates her instruments for Jennings High School students at Logan University. The students visited the St. Louis County institution as part of SLSO College Connections, a program that builds bridges between middle and high school music programs and higher education institutions.

Violinist Leila Josefowicz bows after giving the U.S. premiere of Helen Grime's Violin Concerto, one of several important premieres given by the SLSO this season. Other notable world premieres include works by Guillaume Connesson, James Lee III, and Kevin Puts.

December 2022–

A young conductor reacts to being invited on stage to lead the SLSO's performance of Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride alongside conductor Byron Stripling. This performance was at the J. Scheidegger Center for Performing Arts at Lindenwood University.

The audiences gives an enthusiastic response to G. F. Handel's Messiah, a cornerstone of the choral orchestra repertoire.

January 2023–

Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus join together for an inaugural concert that honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Music Director Stéphane Denève shared the podium with IN UNISON Chorus Director Kevin McBeth.

Principal Timpanist Shannon Wood performs on the world premiere of Kevin Puts' Concerto for Orchestra.

February 2023–

Conductor and composer James MacMillan leads a selection of orchestra students at Ladue High School. In addition to SLSO musicians, several guest artists connected with the St. Louis community outside of Powell Hall.

Music Director Stéphane Denève demonstrates how to hold a baton with youngsters attending a Tiny Tunes concert–a special experience in which Pre-K students engage with SLSO musicians and music on stage at Powell Hall.

Erhu player Rulin Olivia Zhang performs during the Family Concert: Music Without Boundaries, a musical sampling of cultures from around the world.

SLSO double bassists are silhouetted in Powell Hall during performances of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

March 2023–

The SLSO returned to Europe for the first time since 2017 on a five-city, four-country tour. Music Director Stéphane Denève led pieces by Sergei Prokofiev, Edvard Grief, and Sergei Rachamaninoff. The tour started at the Vienna Konzerthaus in Vienna, Austria.

April 2023–

Associate Principal Flutist Andrea Kaplan played the alto flute in acclaimed performances of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The concerts saw two full houses.

Denève leads performances of The Rite of Spring.

Tenor Michael Spyes, singing as Faust, made his debut in performances of Hector Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust to close the classical season. These performances were three years in the making. Original performances were cancelled in March 2020 due to COVID-19.