Watch SLSO Concerts From the Comfort of Home

By Eric Dundon

The splendor of Powell Hall, the sublime acoustics, and most importantly, the world-class performances of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are now at your fingertips.

Beginning February 11, 2021, the SLSO is making concerts available to audiences online, a first in the orchestra’s 141-year history. Available through slso.org, the initial digital concert offerings include six performances filmed in high-definition at Powell Hall between October 22 and November 20, 2020, using the SLSO’s new state-of-the-art camera system.

Music Director Stéphane Denève greets the limited, socially distanced audience at an October 2020 concert in Powell Hall. Chamber orchestra concerts were recorded by the SLSO and will be released in the coming months as part of the orchestra’s digital concert series.

The SLSO kicks off this new chapter in concert accessibility by making its first digital concert available for free. The first concert features Music Director Stéphane Denève leading a chamber orchestra in Richard Strauss’ Metamophosen, the first SLSO performances of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s And birds are still…, and Dvořák’s Serenade for Winds. Denève programmed this concert as an emotional release, ranging from grief to hope.

Subsequent concerts, with one released every two weeks after February 11, are $15 apiece. Patrons can create their own digital concert package for additional savings. Concerts are available for unlimited viewing for 30 days.

“These digital concerts help the SLSO enrich lives through the power of music by making performances accessible wherever our audiences are,” said SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. “We are energized by this first step in our growing library of media offerings.”

Concerts can be viewed on computers, smartphones, and tablets, as well as on smart TVs via Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay. Patrons access concerts by creating an account on slso.org and ordering concerts from the concert calendar page. Concerts may be purchased in advance of their release dates.

Watch how to create your SLSO account here.

“We are so pleased to share these concerts beyond the walls of Powell Hall. Nothing brings us more joy than connecting with people through music,” said Denève.

Concerts include chamber orchestra concerts led by Denève, as well as chamber music concerts, which shines the spotlight on SLSO musicians. Concert repertoire spans genre and time, with beloved favorites including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings and George Walker’s Lyric for Strings to newer works including Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms and Jessie Montgomery’s Strum. Many chamber music works played on the Emerson Concert Stage at Powell Hall are given their first SLSO performances, including Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout, Katherine Hoover’s Reflections, and Germaine Tailleferre’s Sonata for Harp.

Each concert lasts approximately one hour.

SLSO musicians perform a chamber music concert at Powell Hall in November 2020. Chamber music concerts are part of the SLSO’s digital concert series beginning February 11. A new concert will be released every other week and available for purchase at slso.org.

These digital concerts are part of the SLSO’s focus on making music accessible to all and are part of a growing portfolio of online offerings. The SLSO’s Education Team has created additional new online content, connecting teachers and students directly with SLSO musicians through innovative digital events. Last month, the SLSO launched SoundLab, a series of four interactive videos and activities for teachers, students, and families to create music and engage in the science of sound. Previously, the SLSO created several video series to keep the community connected through music, including Songs of America and Songs of the Holidays presented by Mercy. To date, these videos have generated reached more than 500,000 people. The SLSO also continues with concert broadcasts weekly on 90.7 KWMU St. Louis Public Radio and monthly on Nine PBS.

The SLSO plans to release future concerts and will announce those concerts at a later date.

Digital concerts calendar

The SLSO begins its digital series on February 11, with an initial new offering every two weeks through April. The concerts are:

Release date: Thursday, February 11, 2021

This concert was recorded in front of a live audience at Powell Hall on October 22-24, 2020.

This concert is available for free through February 27, 2021.

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Richard STRAUSS Metamorphosen

Takashi YOSHIMATSU And birds are still… (First SLSO performances)

Antonín DVOŘÁK Serenade for Winds

Release date: Thursday, February 25, 2021

This concert was recorded in front of a live audience at Powell Hall on October 31, 2020, and November 8, 2020.

This concert is available for 30 days through March 27, 2021. Single tickets are $15.

Xiaoxiao Qiang, violin

Jessica Cheng, violin

Andrea Jarrett, violin

Asako Kuboki, violin

Jonathan Chu, viola

Andrew François, viola

Jennifer Humphreys, cello

Alvin McCall, cello

Jessie MONTGOMERY Strum

Gabriela Lena FRANK Selections from Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout

Felix MENDELSSOHN Octet in E-flat major

Release date: Thursday, March 11, 2021

This concert was recorded at Powell Hall on November 14, 2020.

This concert is available for 30 days through April 10, 2021. Single tickets are $15.

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Igor STRAVINSKY Dumbarton Oaks

George WALKER Lyric for Strings

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Serenade for Strings

Release date: Thursday, March 25, 2021

This concert was recorded in front of a live audience at Powell Hall on October 29, 2020, and November 7, 2020.

This concert is available for 30 days through April 24, 2021. Single tickets are $15.

Erin Schreiber, violin

Hannah Ji, violin

Shawn Weil, violin

Beth Guterman Chu, viola

Leonid Plashinov-Johnson, viola

Melissa Brooks, cello

Bjorn Ranheim, cello

Richard STRAUSS Sextet from Capriccio

Missy MAZZOLI Vespers for Violin

Arnold SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night)

Release date: Thursday, April 8, 2021

This concert was recorded at Powell Hall on November 20, 2020.

This concert is available for 30 days through May 8, 2021. Single tickets are $15.

Stéphane Denève, conductor

Edward ELGAR Serenade for Strings

Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Andante cantabile

Giacomo PUCCINI I crisantemi (The Chrysanthemums)

Anna CLYNE Within Her Arms

Release date: Thursday, April 22, 2021

This concert was recorded in front of a live audience at Powell Hall on October 30, 2020, and November 5, 2020.

This concert is available for 30 days through May 22, 2021. Single tickets are $15.

Allegra Lilly, harp

Jennifer Nitchman, flute

Ryan Toher, clarinet

Eva Kozma, violin

Rebecca Boyer Hall, violin

Chris Tantillo, viola

Alvin McCall, cello

Katherine HOOVER Reflections

Claude DEBUSSY Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp

Germaine TAILLEFERRE Sonata for Harp

Maurice RAVEL Introduction & Allegro

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Eric Dundon is the Public Relations Manager for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.