Music Director Stéphane Denève and the SLSO break out the bubbly for a sparkling New Year’s Eve Celebration, simulcast LIVE on St. Louis Public Radio and Classical KC. Revel in an evening of lively music, from Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Bernstein’s Candide Overture to Bizet’s Selections from L’Arlésienne and more.

Handel’s Messiah draws us in time and time again. Nicholas McGegan, one of the world’s foremost experts on Handel’s music, conducts the SLSO and St. Louis Symphony Chorus in this beloved holiday tradition.

Conductor Pierre Monteux lived a long and active musical life. Among his many accomplishments was conducting the 1912 world premiere of Maurice Ravel’s score to the ballet Daphnis and Chloe. When Monteux made this recording 47 years later, he invested a lifetime of familiarity to create an unforgettable musical experience.

From cathedral organs to carol sing-a-longs, The City Come Again is a uniquely Kansas City performance from inside Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Host Ian Coleman will be your guide through a celebration of holiday music presented by William Jewell College.

Clara Schumann’s Three Romances are wistful and intimate, gracefully opening this concert led by frequent SLSO guest conductor John Storgårds, and Cellist Kian Soltani performs Haydn’s Cello Concerto. Then, a musical kaleidoscope takes shape in Shostakovich’s final symphony.

Over his 89 years, conductor Pierre Monteux led the world’s great orchestras and was chief conductor of over six. His total understanding of the scores and his intimate knowledge of many of the composers he conducted made him a favorite of musicians everywhere. He was both respected and loved by those who played for him and they called him “Maître,” the French word equivalent to the Italian “Maestro.”

The SLSO presents Ludwig van Beethoven’s personal favorite piece—his boisterous Symphony No. 7. We'll also hear Béla Bartók's Dance Suite, and pianist Joyce Yang’s performance of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini centers this concert, which also features conductor Kevin John Edusei’s SLSO debut.

Classical KC Ovation Circle and Advisory Council member Andrew Garton has curated a melodic and dramatic hour of music that highlights the human voice.

Igor Stravinsky’s complete score to the 1910 ballet The Firebird revolutionized orchestral music while reimagining an age-old fairy tale. Adding charge to this program is Guillaume Connesson’s Maslenitsa, whcih brims with the energy of a Slavic holiday festival.

Have you ever heard music by Johannes Brahms conducted by someone who actually met Brahms in person? In the first of three shows about the great French conductor Pierre Monteux, we will hear Brahms’ Second Symphony interpreted by someone who knew the composer. Monteux will also interpret one of the most famous works in the classical repertoire.