When the St. Louis Symphony’s 2014-15 season starts tonight, it will mark music director David Robertson’s 10th season. To celebrate, he’s throwing a party.
“I love celebrations with parties,” Robertson said. “The more people you have at a party, the more fun and diverse it becomes.”
This party, however, isn’t a one-night-only affair: It will last the entire season and will spotlight 50 musicians.
“My main wonderful memories are of individual musicians doing something incredible, whether it’s Beth Chu playing the viola solo in ‘Peter Grimes’ at Carnegie Hall, or whether it’s Karin Bliznik incorporating jazz trumpet in a Gershwin piano concerto, or it’s David Halen playing the Brahms Violin Concerto on his 50th birthday. All of these sorts of things, they come together and they make this sense where I thought OK, yes, it’s true it’s my 10th season, but what better way to celebrate it than with these incredible people who make all of this music.”
Throughout the season, 50 such musicians will give solo performances or take part in solo ensembles. The first will be violinist Erin Schreiber tonight and Saturday. The Saturday performance also will be the first of the season to be broadcast on St. Louis Public Radio.
Symphony Anniversaries
- St. Louis Symphony: 135th anniversary
- St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra: 45th anniversary
- David Halen: 20 years as concertmaster with the symphony
- Amy Kaiser: 20 years as chorus director
- Music director David Robertson: 10 years with the symphony
- Daniel Lee: 20 years as principal cellist with the symphony
- St. Louis Public Radio broadcast relationship: 5 years
Related Events
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra opening weekend
- When: 8 p.m. Sept. 12 and 13, 2014
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: Assistant concertmaster Erin Schreiber will be the soloist for Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending”; pianist Yefim Bronfman will perform Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1; Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable” concludes the program. Video artist S. Katy Tucker will light the hall between pieces of music.
- More information
Red Velvet Ball
- When: 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18, 2014
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: Pianist Lang Lang will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Symphony flutist Mark Sparks will be featured in Bach’s Suite No. 2 in B minor.
- More information
“Pirates of the Caribbean 2”
- When: 7 p.m. Sept. 19-20, 2014; 2 p.m. Sept. 21, 2014
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: In a nod to Powell Hall’s past as a movie house, the symphony will provide the live score to the movie as it plays on the big screen.
- More information
“Gladiator”
- When: 7 p.m. Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2014; 2 p.m. Nov. 2, 2014
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: The symphony will provide the live score to the movie as it plays on the big screen.
- More information
A Winter Fable
- When: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 12, 2014; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13, 2014
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: For a third year, the symphony collaborates with Circus Flora to create a classic fairy tale set in a winter world.
- More information
Carnegie Hall Presents St. Louis Symphony
- When: March 20, 2015
- Where: Carnegie Hall, New York
- Program notes: Robertson said returning to Carnegie Hall is “a little bit like the Cards going back to the World Series.” “This is the sort of thing that is a good way of measuring the fact that this orchestra really is one of the world’s top groups.”
- More information
“The Godfather”
- When: 7 p.m. March 27-28, 2015; 2 p.m. March 29, 2015
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: The symphony will provide a live score to the movie as it plays on the big screen.
- More information
“Aida”
- When: 8 p.m. May 7-9, 2015
- Where: Powell Hall, St. Louis
- Program notes: Amy Kaiser will lead the chorus. Video artist S. Katy Tucker will light the hall between pieces of music.
- More information
Guest conductors
- Markus Stenz, Powell Hall debut Oct. 4-5, 2014
- Cristian Macelaru, Powell Hall debut Oct. 10-12, 2014
- Leonard Slatkin, Oct. 17 and 19, 2014
- John Storgårds, Oct. 24-25, 2014
- Hannu Lintu, Nov. 7-8, 2014
- Jun Märkl, Nov. 15-16, 2014
- Nicholas McGegan, Jan. 30-31, 2015
- Stéphane Denève, Feb. 7-8, 2015
- Juraj Valcuha, Powell Hall debut Feb. 20-21, 2015
- Hans Graf, Feb. 27-March 1, 2015
- Semyon Bychkov, April 10-11, 2015
- Vasily Petrenko, April 17-18, 2015
“Cityscape” is produced by Mary Edwards and Alex Heuer and sponsored in part by the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis.
