St. Louis Symphony - Reflections of Home - Beethoven's 'Pastoral'

By Sam Wisman

Published November 6, 2026 at 8:00 AM CST

Feel the pull of nostalgia, wonder, and melancholy in works by George Walker, Samuel Barber, and Ludwig van Beethoven. Joined by soprano and St. Louis native Julia Bullock—winner of the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album—the SLSO performs Barber’s poignant, brooding reverie on childhood alongside Beethoven’s sublime Pastoral Symphony.

An agreement with the St. Louis Symphony allows us to share audio for each program up to two weeks after the program's original air date.

Host

Rod Milam
St. Louis Public Radio

Commentator

Lauren Eldridge Stewart
Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University

Conductor

Stéphane Denève

Program

Folksongs for Orchestra
by George Walker

Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24
by Samuel Barber
Julia Bullock, soprano

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free (solo encore)
by Billy Taylor
Julia Bullock, soprano

Backstage intermission interviews
Stéphane Denève
David Halen, SLSO concertmaster
Jula Bullock

Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, “Pastoral”
by Ludwig van Beethoven

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.