St. Louis Symphony Orchestra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Louis Symphony Orchestra |
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Powell Hall home of the St. Louis Symphony
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| Founded | 1880 |
| Concert hall | Powell Hall |
| Principal conductor | Stéphane Denève |
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is a famous American symphony orchestra located in St. Louis, Missouri. It was started in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society. This makes it one of the oldest professional symphony orchestras in the United States.
The orchestra's main concert hall is Powell Hall, which is in the middle of St. Louis.
Contents
The Orchestra's Journey: A Look Back
Early Days and New Names
The St. Louis Choral Society first performed in the St. Louis Mercantile Library. In 1881, an orchestra of 31 musicians joined the 80-member chorus. By 1893, the group officially became the St. Louis Choral-Symphony.
They performed at the 1904 World's Fair with a large chorus and orchestra. Later, between 1907 and 1921, under the leadership of Max Zach, the group changed its name to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Moving to Powell Hall and Touring the World
Before finding its home at Powell Hall, the SLSO played for many years at the Kiel Opera House. The orchestra has performed often at Carnegie Hall in New York. They have also traveled to Europe and Japan for concerts.
The St. Louis Symphony has made many recordings over the years. They have won seven Grammy Awards and received 58 nominations for their music. Since 1978, the St. Louis Symphony has also been the main orchestra for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Growing Famous and Facing Challenges
The orchestra became much more famous when Leonard Slatkin was its music director from 1979 to 1996. During this time, they made many recordings and toured widely.
Around 2000, the orchestra faced some financial difficulties. Many people worked hard to raise money and help the orchestra. Musicians even agreed to some changes to help the group.
New Leaders and Important Moments
After Hans Vonk left as music director in 2002, Itzhak Perlman helped guide the orchestra for a couple of years. In 2003, David Robertson was chosen as the next music director, starting in 2005.
In 2005, there was a period of disagreement between the musicians and the orchestra's management. After about two months of talks, they reached an agreement. Everyone worked together to keep the music playing.
David Robertson led the SLSO from 2005 to 2018. During his time, the orchestra began broadcasting its concerts live on St. Louis Public Radio. They also performed at The Proms in London for the first time in 2012.
New Ideas and Future Plans
In 2008, Fred Bronstein became the orchestra's president. He brought in new ideas to attract more people to concerts. This included popular concert series like "Live at Powell Hall." These efforts helped ticket sales grow and brought many new fans to the symphony.
In 2015, Marie-Hélène Bernard became the new president and CEO. In 2017, Stéphane Denève was named the next music director, starting in the 2019-2020 season. His contract was extended through the 2025-2026 season.
In March 2022, the orchestra announced plans to update Powell Hall. The renovations began in 2023. While the hall is being updated, the orchestra performs at other venues like the Touhill Performing Arts Center and the Stifel Theatre. The renovated building will be called the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, but the concert hall will still be known as Powell Hall.
Awards and Recognition
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has won nine Grammy Awards and received 60 nominations from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. This shows how much their musical talent is recognized!
| Year | Category | Works | Conductor | Additional Nominees | Result |
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| 1978 | Best Classical Performance - Choral | Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky | Leonard Slatkin | Thomas Peck, Chorus director | Nominated |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Marc Aubort, Joanna Nickrenz | ||||
| Best Classical Performance - Orchestra | Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1 | Nominated | |||
| 1979 | Best Classical Performance - Orchestra | Rachmaninoff: Symphony Nos. 2 & 3 | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Marc Aubort, Joanna Nickrenz | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 | Marc Aubort, Joanna Nickrenz | Nominated | ||
| Best Classical Performance - Choral | Beethoven: "Choral Fantasy," "Elegiac Song," "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage" | Jerzy Semkow | Thomas Peck, Chorus director | Nominated | |
| 1980 | Classical Producer of the Year | Bizet: Carmen Suites 1 and 2; Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites 1 and 2 | Leonard Slatkin | Robert Woods | Won |
| 1981 | Best Classical Performance - Choral | Prokofiev: Music from the films, Ivan the Terrible | Leonard Slatkin | Thomas Peck, Chorus director | Nominated |
| 1982 | Best Classical Performance - Orchestra | Debussy: La Mer, Prelude a l'apres midi d'un Faune, Danses Sacre et Profane | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Classical Album | |||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Robert Woods | Won | |||
| Best Classical Performance - Choral | Rachmaninoff: The Bells, "Three Russian Songs" | Thomas Peck, Chorus director | Nominated | ||
| 1983 | Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Del Tredici: In Memory of a Summer Day (Child Alice, Part 1) | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Marc Aubort | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Marc Aubort, Joanna Nickrenz | Won | |||
| 1984 | Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 | Leonard Slatkin | Won | |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Paul Goodman | ||||
| Best Classical Album | Nominated | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Jay David Saks | ||||
| 1985 | Best Classical Album | Prokofiev: Cinderella Suite | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording | |||||
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Paul Goodman | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Prokofiev: Cinderella Suite; Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker | Jay David Saks | Nominated | ||
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker | Paul Goodman, Thomas MacCluskey | Nominated | ||
| 1986 | Best Classical Album | Copland: Billy the Kid and Rodeo | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording | |||||
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Marc Aubort | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Marc Aubort, Joanna Nickrenz | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 | Jay David Saks | Nominated | ||
| 1987 | Best Classical Album | Hanson: Symphony No. 2, "Romantic"; Barber: Violin Concerto | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Hanson: Symphony No. 2, "Romantic" | ||||
| Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra | Barber: Violin Concerto | Elmar Oliveira, violin | |||
| Best Contemporary Composition | Schwantner: A Sudden Rainbow | Nominated | |||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Brahms: Serenade No. 1; Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 | Jay David Saks | Nominated | ||
| 1988 | Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Copland: Appalachian Spring | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Classical Producer of the Year | Joanna Nickrenz | ||||
| Best Contemporary Composition | Bolcom: Symphony No. 4 | Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano | Nominated | ||
| 1989 | Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra | Schuman: Violin Concerto; Bernstein: Serenade | Leonard Slatkin | Robert McDuffie, violin | Nominated |
| Classical Producer of the Year | Patti Laursen | ||||
| 1990 | Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | William Hoekstra | ||||
| 1991 | Best Classical Album | Barber: Symphony No. 1 and Piano Concerto | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra | John Browning, piano | Won | |||
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | William Hoekstra | Nominated | |||
| Best Orchestral Performance | Copland: Symphony No. 3 | Nominated | |||
| Best Classical Performance - Instrumental Soloist with Orchestra | Bartok: Violin/Viola Concertos | Pinchas Zuckerman, violin | Nominated | ||
| 1992 | Best Classical Orchestral Recording | Schuman: Symphony No. 10, New England Triptych, American Festival Overture, Variations on America (orch. Ives) | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Best Orchestral Performance | Ives: Symphony No. 3 | Leoanrd Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Contemporary Composition | Erb: Concerto for Brass and Orchestra | Nominated | |||
| 1994 | Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Bartok: The Miraculous Mandarin and Concerto for Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin | William Hoekstra | Nominated |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Copland: Music for Films | William Hoekstra | Won | ||
| 1995 | Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Anderson: The Typewriter: Leroy Anderson Favorites | Leonard Slaktin | William Hoekstra | Nominated |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Orff: Carmina Burana | William Hoekstra | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Best Classical Album | Copland: Dance Symphony, Short Symphony, Organ Symphony | Leonard Slatkin | Nominated | |
| Best Engineered Recording - Classical | Lawrence Rock, Williams Hoekstra | ||||
| Classical Producer of the Year | Joanna Nickrenz | Won | |||
| 2015 | Best Orchestral Performance | Adams: City Noir and Saxophone Concerto | David Robertson | Tim McAllister, saxophone | Won |
| Best Engineered Album - Classical | Richard King | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | Best Classical Instrumental Solo | Adams: Scheherazade.2 | David Robertson | Leila Josefowicz, violin | Nominated |
St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra
Leonard Slatkin started the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra in 1970. This group helps young musicians develop their skills. The orchestra's assistant conductor also leads the Youth Orchestra.
Many talented conductors have led the Youth Orchestra over the years. Stephanie Childress was the assistant conductor and music director for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons. As of July 2024, Samuel Hollister was named the new assistant conductor and music director for the 2024-2025 season.
Chorus Ensembles
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has two main singing groups: the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and the IN UNISON Chorus.
St. Louis Symphony Chorus
The St. Louis Symphony Chorus was founded in 1977. It performs in major concerts throughout each season. This chorus often sings in choral symphonies, which are large musical pieces for orchestra and choir. Thomas Peck was its first director. Amy Kaiser led the chorus from 1995 to 2022. In July 2024, Erin Freeman became the new director of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus.
IN UNISON Chorus
The IN UNISON Chorus was started in 1994 by Robert Ray. This chorus performs many different styles of music. It especially focuses on music from African-American and African cultures, like gospel music. The IN UNISON Chorus works with several churches in the St. Louis area. Kevin McBeth currently directs this group. The chorus celebrated its 25th anniversary in the 2018-2019 season.
Holiday Festival Chorus
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra also has a Holiday Festival Chorus. This group is made up of high school singers from the St. Louis area. They perform at holiday concerts each season, bringing festive music to the community.
Music Directors
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See also
In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica de San Luis para niños
