Looking for some alternative Thursday night entertainment? The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra has the perfect answer: a student only (ages 16-25) concert kicking off the symphony’s season on Sept. 20 at Powell Symphony Hall.
The Sound Check concert is built as a preview for the opening-night concert and allows students to enjoy a symphony concert for a reasonable price in a casual atmosphere. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased from the symphony’s website. The Sound Check concert kicks off the Sound Check program for the year, which allows students to buy tickets for other concerts during the season for $10, when available.
“The program is designed to give students a chance to come down to Powell Hall and experience the symphony,” said Jeff Trammel, Director of Communications for the Saint Louis Symphony. “We hope to encourage students to take part in learning about classical music. There are probably some students who think classical music isn’t for them, or students who have never been to Powell Hall, or think that they have to dress a certain way, act a certain way, and we try to break down those barriers through this concert.”
The music program is identical to that of the opening night’s performance, which is on Sept. 22. The symphony is conducted by David Robertson, the resident conductor, who initiated the Sound Check program.
“[Robertson] feels very strongly about starting the season with a student concert and educating them about classical music for a night,” Trammel said. “He will not only conduct the orchestra but will actually speak from the podium and try to explain the music to the students.”
The program begins with Christopher Rouse’s “Rapture,” is followed by Sibelius’ “Violin Concerto” (performed by Vadim Repin) and ends with Igor Stravinsky’s “Petrushka.” The Stravinsky piece was actually performed during the very first program when Powell Hall opened in January 1967. Vadim Repin is a world-class violinist that has made appearances with the Saint Louis Symphony. Rouse is a contemporary composer and premiered “Rapture” in 2000 with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
For those who have never attended a symphony concert before, the third-annual Sound Check preview will be a great way to become familiar with classical music and explore something new. For those who are classical music lovers, the concert will be a rare treat to hear the orchestra performing live and in the moment. Either way, the night should be enjoyable. The concert begins at 7 p.m., and dress is casual.
