ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has announced it will return to Powell Hall next week with several in-person concerts.
The symphony will host socially-distant, limited-capacity concerts Oct. 15-18, according to a release. Another set of shows is planned Oct. 22-24. Attendance is capped at 100, and limited tickets went on sale on Tuesday.
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra officials worked with a team of infectious disease specialists from the Washington University School of Medicine to develop protocols to ensure the safety of patrons, musicians and staff members. This plan, approved by the city of St. Louis, includes a socially distanced seat map, and requires audience members, staff, and string players of the orchestra to wear masks at all times, the release said. Though Powell Hall has been approved for a capacity of 300 people per concert, SLSO officials have capped each concert at 100 people.
The Oct. 15-18 performances will feature Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3.” The Oct. 22-24 concerts will be of Richard Strauss’ “Metamorphosen,” Dvorak’s “Serenade for Winds” and the symphony’s first performance of Takashi Yoshimatsu’s “And birds are still….”
The concerts will include a 40-musician ensemble led by Music Director Stephane Deneve. The in-person shows will complement the symphony’s fall slate of outdoor concerts in the community, digital media performances, virtual events and educational resources.
“Last month, we resumed live, in-person performances throughout the St. Louis area. These chamber and solo offerings were heartfelt gifts from the extraordinary musicians of our SLSO, and were enjoyed by small audiences,” said SLSO President and CEO Marie-Helene Bernard. “Stéphane and I are thrilled to now be able to enliven our gorgeous Powell Hall with music. Though we can now safely serve small audiences on site, we are committed to continuing to make music accessible to all through our growing portfolio of digital and live offerings.”
The symphony had fiscal 2018 revenue of $31.9 million, according to its latest IRS form 990 filing available.
