THE SYMPHONY GOES GLOBAL

By Drew Gieseke

This month, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra will embark on a performance tour of some of Europe’s most celebrated concert halls.

The eight-day, five-city event is years in the making. First conceived in 2017, the tour is SLSO’s first with music director Stéphane Denève and marks the latest European outing in the 143-yearold company’s well-traveled history.

“There’s a lot of pride in having the orchestra abroad and bringing a piece of St. Louis and the state to share the value of our orchestra,” says SLSO president and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. “It says a lot about the investment that our community has made.”

The whirlwind tour will run March 23 through 30 and includes stops at prestigious concert halls across the continent. European audiences will enjoy performances from musicians based in the heart of the Midwest with programs taking place in venues like the Vienna Konzerthaus (Vienna, Austria); BOZAR (Brussels, Belgium, as the finale concert of the Klara Festival); Muzikgebouw Eindhoven (Eindhoven, the Netherlands); Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, the Netherlands); and Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrid, Spain).

Joining the SLSO is Víkingur Ólafsson, a highly regarded Icelandic pianist who will perform Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto. In addition, the program includes “The Love for Three Oranges” by Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances.”

“We look forward to acting as a cultural ambassador for the St. Louis region, sharing common experiences and giving back to communities overseas,” Bernard says. “Traveling together and playing together really creates a special bond among the musicians.”

Although COVID-19 temporarily paused SLSO’s European trips, planning for future performances never ceased. SLSO remained in contact with several European centers throughout the pandemic and started scheduling a new tour once international travel reopened. Fortunately, locals won’t have to book a plane ticket to enjoy the orchestra. On March 16 at 7:30 p.m., the SLSO will perform in Powell Hall during a one-night-only concert event featuring Ólafsson. The showcase serves as a tour kickoff that fans of the SLSO won’t want to miss.

Likewise, upon its return stateside in April, the SLSO kicks off a full schedule of performances at home –including the ever-popular Opera Theatre of Saint Louis season in May and June. This level of dedication to their craft defines the incredible musicians in the SLSO.

“The symphony is the second oldest in the country,” Bernard says. “And I think there’s tremendous pride in that. We’re truly serving as ambassadors, and we like to think that music is a universal language. We’re ambassadors of peace and bring back experiences that will never be forgotten.”

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, slso.org