St. Louis Symphony - Bernstein and Robertson - American Reflections

By Sam Wisman

Published March 16, 2026 at 8:44 AM CDT

David Robertson conducts the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

David Robertson, SLSO Music Director from 2005 to 2018, returns to conduct works by four American musical luminaries. Robertson’s own piano concerto, written for and performed by Orli Shaham, Steven Mackey’s Turn the Key, Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Something for the Dark, and Leonard Bernstein’s Second Symphony features a solo piano voice representing the composer’s own introspective journey.

An agreement with the St. Louis Symphony allows us to share audio for this program up to two weeks after the program's original air date. You can find more episodes here.

Host

Rod Milam
St. Louis Public Radio

Commentator

Lauren Eldridge Stewart
Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University

Conductor

David Robertson

Program

Steven Mackey's Turn the Key

David Robertson's Light Forming, A Piano Concerto (First SLSO performances)
Orli Shaham, piano

Backstage intermission interviews with David Robertson and Orli Shaham

Sarah Kirkland Snider's Something for the Dark (First SLSO performances)

Leonard Bernstein's “The Age of Anxiety," Symphony No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra
Orli Shaham, piano

David Robertson's ...A Joyful Noise...

These broadcasts are produced by St. Louis Public Radio and made possible in partnership with St. Louis Public Radio and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.