4 minute read
Culture
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CULTURE
[VIRTUAL EVENTS]
Online Class
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to begin hosting digital concerts
Written by DANIEL HILL
By this stage in what at the very least feels like a never-ending pandemic, most people’s opinions on livestreamed music have hardened.
The dalliance with digital events has proven itself a welcome and much-needed nicotine patch of sorts for those whose relationship with live music could fairly be called an addiction. For others, it’s a poor substitute for the real thing, a less-than-immersive facsimile of a formerly favored pastime.
Two factors can cause music fans to swap from one position to the other, though: the caliber of the musicians and the quality of the presentation. And that’s why the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s new foray into digital concerts is welcome news for those in both camps.
In a press release, the SLSO has announced that it will make full concert performances available online for the first time in its year history.
The series will feature six concerts filmed using the ’s high-definition camera system. he first, released last week and available for free, features performances of Strauss’s Metamorphosen, Yoshimatsu’s And the birds are still..., and vo k’s Wind Serenade. Subsequent concerts will be made available every two weeks and will cost just apiece.
The concert series is just the latest pandemic-era offering from the SLSO. Last month the symphony launched its SoundLab learning initiative, which aims to teach school-aged kids about the science of music through a series of educational videos featuring SLSO performers. The new digital concerts simply serve to expand the SLSO’s portfolio of online offerings.
“These digital concerts help the SLSO enrich lives through the power of music by making performances accessible wherever our audiences are,” President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard says in a statement. “[Music Director Stéphane Denève] and our exceptional family of musicians and staff — with strong support from our Board of Trustees — have championed new opportunities to stay connected with our community. We are energi ed by this first step in our growing library of media offerings and we look forward to sharing future plans for our expanding digital portfolio in the coming months.”
Each concert will be available for viewing at slso.org and will stay online for 30 days. The programs for the first six concerts are currently available at that link as well. ach concert was filmed in front of a (reduced-capacity) live audience between October 22 and November 20.
According to the press release, the symphony plans to make more digital concerts available in the future — hopefully enough to tide music fans over until we can finally once again enjoy the real thing.
“We are so pleased to share these concerts beyond the walls of Powell Hall. Nothing brings us more joy than connecting with people through music,” says Denève. “We hope you enjoy watching these performances as much as we loved creating them for you. We look forward to welcoming audiences back to live concerts as soon as it’s safe to do so.” n
e St. Louis Symphony is putting world-class performances online. | COURTESY SLSO
[OPENINGS]
Game On
Wheelhouse reopens, Start Bar to follow a er city agrees to li yearlong closure order
Written by DOYLE MURPHY
Brunch for bros is back in business.
The Wheelhouse (1000 Spruce St., 314-833-3653) announced on its social media accounts, as legally obligated, that it has made an agreement with the city, reopening this past weekend.
Just last month, the city health department slapped the “party establishment” and its sister venue Start Bar with an order to shut down until 2022 for what it said were repeated violations of COVID-19 protocols — primarily hosting large crowds of unmasked patrons.
The bars, which have the same owners, had already been shut down twice before during the pandemic. After a third strike, St. Louis Health Department Director Dr. Fredrick Echols brought the hammer down with a yearlong closure.
The bars framed the ban as an attack on business and the personal freedom of its customers.
“The City of St. Louis has issued the Wheelhouse and Start Bar a one year business closure for refusing to treat you like children,” read January 22 posts on Wheelhouse and Start Bar Instagram accounts.
In a previous lawsuit the bars filed against the city, owners argued that they couldn’t be the “mask police.” That didn’t turn out to be a particularly persuasive argument as the courts sided with the city. As part of a new consent order negotiated with the city, the bars changed course, agreeing to hire offduty officers to ensure crowds don’t exceed one-third of occupancy.
They’ve also agreed to install additional security cameras so the city can check in on their compliance. If they break the rules again, the bars agree the city can immediately shut them down for six months.
The bars say they’ll be doing table service only.
“We are asking for your assistance in respecting the City’s orders so that we can continue serving our great customers and to ensure that the 137 employees on our team can continue working to support themselves and their families,” the bars said today in a note to customers.
The Wheelhouse reopened at 7 p.m. on Friday. Start Bar is set to open this week, on February 19. The Midwestern, owned by the same group, also plans to reopen on February 19. It had been ordered shut down for 30 days. n
