2024: The State of the Orchestra

SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard looks forward to the year ahead.

Thank you for your enthusiastic and ongoing support of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. With our first season outside of Powell Hall underway, your presence energizes and inspires us as we perform in venues throughout the community. Especially during this time of transition, it means the world to us to see eager audiences at concerts and to hear about your moving experiences with the music.

From September’s thrilling Opening Weekend with Hilary Hahn to Leonard Slatkin’s recent gratifying celebration of George Gershwin, this season has been full of remarkable, transformative moments. We are especially proud of our Education and Community Partnerships team’s work to deepen our impact with new programs and increased accessibility. These achievements—and more—would not be possible without you, our forward-thinking board, and our amazing orchestra musicians, chorus members, staff, and volunteers.

Looking ahead, we continue to make strides in our unwavering commitment to St. Louis and to advancing our orchestral legacy. The renovation and expansion of Powell Hall has progressed considerably, with walls and floors now visible for both the new backstage and the Education and Learning Center. This project is inspired by you: the revitalized Powell Hall will provide an even more welcoming and comfortable experience for all and will be a creative hub that helps us build deeper connections through the power of music. We are already beginning to shape engaging programming for the 2025/2026 season, when we’re back home. You can expect a major announcement regarding the project in the next few months.

This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our IN UNISON Chorus. Soon, we will be announcing a new partnership with local publisher MorningStar for arrangements of choral repertoire, supporting the preservation and performance of music from the African diaspora. In April, Pentatone will release the SLSO’s first recording with Stéphane Denève. This project, with violinist James Ehnes in works by Leonard Bernstein and John Williams, marks the beginning of media projects with the orchestra and Stéphane. We are grateful to Jo Ann Taylor Kindle as well as Penny Pennington and Mike Fidler for co-chairing our May 3 gala featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma in his first performance with the SLSO in more than a decade—an event we know you will not want to miss!

The 2024/2025 season will be announced on February 13. Under Stéphane’s spirited and creative leadership, some of today’s most celebrated artists, composers, and conductors will join our orchestra and choruses to share beloved works, world and U.S. premieres, and meaningful musical experiences unique to St. Louis—hosted at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL, Stifel Theatre, The Sheldon, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts at Lindenwood University, and other venues in the community.

We look forward to making new memories with you this year as we share the joyous and transformative power of music throughout the region. With your support, this year promises to be as fulfilling as the last. We are grateful for your enduring engagement; it propels us forward and inspires us in all we do.

Warmly,

Marie-Hélène Bernard

President and CEO