A pay-as-you-wish community concert celebrating the role of choral educators, featuring the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is introducing a new event, Extra Credit Choral, at Powell Hall on Sunday, November 1. It's a community concert with a specific focus: putting school vocal music educators on the stage alongside the professional choruses. The lineup brings together the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus, and the SLSO musicians, all conducted by Erin Freeman and Kevin McBeth.
That's a lot of voices on one stage. The St. Louis Symphony Chorus is the oldest of the bunch, founded in the 1976/1977 season by Music Director Jerzy Semkow. It's celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and operates as an equal partner to the orchestra, made up primarily of volunteer singers from around the St. Louis region. The IN UNISON Chorus joined the family later, founded in 1994, and focuses on music from African American and African traditions. Having them both on the bill, plus the orchestra, means the sound will be massive.
The whole thing is built around the teachers. The SLSO describes it as a way to celebrate the role choral educators play in shaping the next generation through music, and to honor their artistry, leadership, and dedication. By bringing them out of the classroom and onto the Powell Hall stage, the concert makes the people who usually stay behind the scenes the center of the evening.
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It's a pay-as-you-wish community concert, so you give what you can. The performance is presented by the Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology, with the education programs sponsored by the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, U.S. Bank, and Trustee. It starts at 6 PM on Sunday, November 1, at Powell Hall.
