Photos and text by Eric Dundon
The weather couldn't have been better for the continuation of an annual tradition: an outdoor welcome back concert at Washington University featuring St. Louis Symphony Orchestra musicians.
This year, the free community concert included an extra special surprise: a collaboration between SLSO musicians and WashU student musicians. Conducted by Darwin Aquino, the Washington University Conductor-in-Residence, the combined forces performed works by American composer Arthur Foote and Astor Piazzolla-the latter featuring solos by SLSO violinist Xiaoxiao Qiang and Associate Principal Violist Alejandro Valdepeñas. Many WashU students gathered near the Bear's Den to watch their peers perform alongside the SLSO musicians.
Prior to the special collaboration, the SLSO musicians, conducted by Aquino, performed music by Felix Mendelssohn, Edvard Grief, and Julio Alberto Hernández. The audience enjoyed free refreshments as the music rose between the buildings at WashU's South 40 campus.
