A season ends, a new era opens

The countdown is on for a finale that carries special meaning for the St. Louis orchestral community. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is preparing to close its 146th season with a program entrenched in community, legacy and sound — each element resonating differently in this new era for the institution.

Scheduled for May 8–10, the closing weekend marks the orchestra’s first full season finale inside the newly opened Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Under music director Stéphane Denève, the program brings together the orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and the IN UNISON Chorus — a rare moment when all three musical voices share the same stage. For longtime patrons, the weekend also celebrates what the new space has already made possible: a renewed closeness between performers and audience, and a sense that the orchestra is building toward something larger than a single season.

Instead of a traditional finale built solely on familiar classics, the program leans into collaboration and storytelling. The evening opens with “Virelai,” a work by St. Louis native and composer-in-residence Kevin Puts — a nod to the city’s creative spirit from the first note and a reminder that the institution’s future is tied to the artists who call this place home.

The emotional heart of the night is “Family,” a 12-minute work by Nathalie Joachim, performed with the IN UNISON Chorus. Joachim’s Haitian American background, Juilliard training and Princeton scholarship shape a piece grounded in lived experience and shared memory. Her writing often blends classical form with cultural storytelling, and “Family” continues that tradition with intention.

“‘Family’ was written for our chorus, and the lyrics came from conversations she had with our members,” said Kevin McBeth, director of IN UNISON. “It makes the chorus co-creators. Their stories are in the music.”

“This is a first for us,” he added. “We’ve premiered new works before, but never one created from our chorus’s own experiences.”

Commissioned in 2020, the piece took shape during the pandemic, when themes of family and community surfaced repeatedly in early conversations. Joachim wove those reflections into the text, pairing them with her signature, ethereal percussion writing.

“Her approach to percussion is heavenly,” McBeth said. “She imagines sounds echoing through the hall and enveloping the audience.”

He noted that Joachim doesn’t shy away from complexity. “Even with love and admiration, families go through difficult moments. She leans into that.”

“Family” is followed by “Beautiful City,” conducted by McBeth, tying the program’s themes into a spiritual reflection on unity and belonging — a quiet reminder of what connects people inside and outside the concert hall. In many ways, the pairing mirrors the season itself: moments of challenge, moments of joy and a collective movement toward something hopeful.

The second half shifts toward grandeur. The Symphony Chorus joins the orchestra for Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, a sweeping 55-minute masterpiece that closes the evening on a monumental scale.

“For Daphnis and Chloé, the Symphony Chorus sings no lyrics,” McBeth said. “They become part of the orchestra — singing ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ to create dramatic moments.”

All four works come together as the SLSO concludes a meaningful year in its new home — a season that feels less like an ending and more like a beginning. 

Tickets are available at slso.org.

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.