The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has tapped Erin Freeman, a conductor and chorus leader based in Washington, D.C., to head up St. Louis Symphony’s chorus.
She will be just the third chorus director since the ensemble’s founding in 1976.
“My vision for choral music — and here's some geeky, technical stuff — is that we create a really wide palette of sounds, so we can do as many types of music as possible and do every kind of music really well,” Freeman said in a phone interview. “My real strong belief is that you can have the highest level of musical excellence within a supportive and kind and uplifting community. And that you do not need to compromise on either in order to have both.”
She succeeds Amy Kaiser, who retired from St. Louis Symphony Chorus following the 2021-22 season after 27 years at the helm.
Freeman will stay based in Washington, D.C., and continue in her present roles as artistic director of the City Choir of Washington and the Wintergreen Music festival, and as principal conductor for the Richmond Ballet in Virginia. It’s not unusual for leaders in the field to hold simultaneous appointments in multiple cities.
St. Louis Symphony’s Music Director Stéphane Denève also holds leadership positions with the New World Symphony and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
In the upcoming season, Freeman will lead the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Chorus in its preparation for three major pieces: Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and ninth symphony and Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt.” The performances will be at the Stifel Theatre.
Freeman studied conducting with a choral emphasis at Boston University and conducting with an orchestra emphasis at John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute. Her varied experiences made her stand out from other job candidates, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard said.
“We were very impressed that she is a very experienced conductor in the choral world but also has done a lot of ballet conducting and a lot of other orchestra projects. So she has a very broad palette of experiences — and we like that,” Bernard said.
In her new job, Freeman plans to lean into the responsibilities that go beyond the stage and rehearsal room.
“How can we support our music educators in town? How can we inspire young middle school and high school students to continue singing through college and understand that singing is a lifelong art form? How can we,” she asked, “set a great example for the role of symphonic choruses throughout the nation?”
