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St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra
782px-Powell Symphony Hall.jpg
Powell Hall home of the St. Louis Symphony
Former name
  • St. Louis Choral-Symphony
  • Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Founded 1880; 145 years ago (1880)
Concert hall Powell Hall
Principal conductor Stéphane Denève

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is a famous American symphony orchestra. It is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Joseph Otten started it in 1880 as the St. Louis Choral Society. The SLSO is the second-oldest professional symphony orchestra in the United States. Only the New York Philharmonic is older. Their main place to perform is Powell Hall, in the middle of St. Louis.

History of the St. Louis Symphony

The St. Louis Choral Society first performed at the St. Louis Mercantile Library. This was in downtown St. Louis. By 1881, an orchestra of 31 musicians joined the 80-member chorus.

In 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, under Max Zach, they changed their name to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Concert Halls and Tours

Before moving to Powell Hall, the SLSO played for many years at the Kiel Opera House. The orchestra often performs at Carnegie Hall in New York. They have also traveled to Europe and Japan for concerts.

The St. Louis Symphony has made many recordings. They have won seven Grammy Awards and been nominated 58 times! Since 1978, the SLSO has also been the main orchestra for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. The St. Louis Symphony Chorus, started in 1977, also performs with them.

Growth and Challenges

The orchestra became very famous when Leonard Slatkin was their music director. This was from 1979 to 1996. During this time, they made many recordings and toured around the world.

However, the orchestra faced money problems in the early 2000s. They worked hard to raise funds and manage their costs. Musicians even agreed to shorter work seasons and lower pay to help.

In 2005, there was a disagreement between the musicians and the management. This caused concerts to be cancelled for two months. After talks, they reached an agreement, and the musicians returned to playing.

David Robertson became the music director from 2005 to 2018. During his time, the orchestra started broadcasting its Saturday night concerts live. They also performed at The Proms in London for the first time in 2012.

The orchestra worked to get more people to their concerts. They added new types of shows, like "Live at Powell Hall." These efforts helped increase ticket sales and bring in new fans.

In 2017, Stéphane Denève was chosen as the next music director. He officially started in the 2019-2020 season. His contract has been extended through the 2025-2026 season.

Awards and Recognition

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has won nine Grammy Awards. They have also received 60 nominations from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Year Category Works Conductor Additional Nominees Result
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. The assistant conductor of the main orchestra also leads the Youth Orchestra. Many talented conductors have led this group. In 2020, Stephanie Childress was named the next assistant conductor and music director for the Youth Orchestra. She started in the 2021-2022 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 1976. It performs in major concerts throughout the season. They often sing in choral symphonies, which are symphonies that include a choir. Amy Kaiser was their director for many years.

IN UNISON Chorus

The IN UNISON Chorus started in 1994. This group performs many different types of music. They mostly focus on music from African-American and African cultures, like gospel music. They also work with several churches in the St. Louis area. Kevin McBeth is the current director of the IN UNISON Chorus. The group celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018-2019.

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 year.

Music Directors

  • Joseph Otten (1880–1894)
  • Alfred Ernst (1894–1907)
  • Max Zach (1907–1921)
  • Rudolph Ganz (1921–1927)
  • Vladimir Golschmann (1931–1958)
  • Edouard van Remoortel (1958–1962)
  • Eleazar de Carvalho (1963–1968)
  • Walter Susskind (1968–1975)
  • Jerzy Semkow (1975–1979)
  • Leonard Slatkin (1979–1996)
  • Hans Vonk (1996–2002)
  • David Robertson (2005–2018)
  • Stéphane Denève (2019–present)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica de San Luis para niños

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