After a year of closings, cancellations, postponements and pivots, we reflect on how quickly everyday life changed. And as vaccines bring a dose of optimism, we look to the future for the arts and entertainment community in St. Louis.
How it started • It was going to be a “vibrant spring†of classical music offerings, according to the headline in our 2020 Spring Arts Guide. The article boasted dozens of classical concerts throughout St. Louis.
Then came the announcements. Like an acoustic rolling blackout, one by one, concert halls went silent as organizations canceled or postponed individual concerts. The day our guide was published, March 13, 2020, the pandemic forced the cancellation of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s weekend performances of “The Damnation of Faust,†which were to include the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and the St. Louis Children’s Choirs. Also canceled was the SLSO Youth Orchestra performance March 15. So much preparation; so many disappointed children.
People are also reading…
Friday the 13th lived up to its reputation.
At first, the cancellations were piecemeal. But eventually the gravity — and longevity — of the pandemic set in, and individual cancellations and delays gave way to the cancellation of the remaining classical music season.
Attention turned to the opera season, but hope faded, and Opera Theater of St. Louis and Union Avenue Opera canceled their seasons. Winter Opera St. Louis held out hope.
All organizations scrambled to address the nightmare of ticket refund policies.
Stéphane Denève conducts a chamber concert Oct. 16, 2020, at Powell Symphony Hall.Â
How it’s going • From full closings to temporary reopenings, from temporary digital forays to permanent digital content, classical music organizations adapted to the changing conditions, evolving as they went.
OTSL announced in October the transformation of its opera center into a filming studio. “We are undaunted by the challenges of our time,†OTSL general director Andrew Jorgensen said, “and are adapting to serve our audiences and community with even more opera year-round.†In addition to Digital Studio content, OTSL is moving its upcoming season outdoors as a precaution for open-air, socially distanced performances on the Webster University campus.
The SLSO installed a 4K camera system to complement its already professional audio recording setup. A first in its history, the orchestra released its digital concert series last month. “We are energized by this first step in our growing library of media offerings,†SLSO president and CEO Marie-HeÌleÌ€ne Bernard said.
The SLSO and other organizations have also evolved to include livestreaming. St. Louis Classical Guitar offers both concerts and workshops broadcast live. The Chamber Music Society of St. Louis now broadcasts concerts live from the Sheldon Concert Hall & Art Galleries.
The Bach Society of St. Louis even reinvented its Christmas Candlelight Concert as a virtual event and will offer all nine 2021 St. Louis Bach Festival events virtually. Many events are interactive with opportunities for Q&As with the performers; one event includes a live virtual tour of Charles Metz’s harpsichord collection in Palm Springs, California.
Others organizations have adopted a hybrid style; the St. Louis Chamber Chorus includes in-person, socially distanced events at the Third Baptist Church in Grand Center that are also livestreamed and recorded as a podcast available to subscribers for 30 days.
Tickets go on sale March 9 for spring season that runs from March 26 through May 15.
Where it’s headed • As the SLSO anticipates the return of in-person chamber music concerts at Powell Hall at the end of March, and as everyone in the universe awaits vaccinations and a return to something that at least resembles normal, the St. Louis classical music scene is poised to return not to business as usual, but to live, in-person concerts enhanced by digital content and new ways of imagining access to classical music and opera. Hybridity will be the way forward for most classical music organizations.
2021 might just provide the vibrant spring we’ve been waiting for.
