Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Orchestras
Founded in 1880, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is recognized internationally as an ensemble of the highest caliber, performing a broad musical repertoire with skill and spirit. The Saint Louis Symphony continues to build upon its reputation for musical excellence while maintaining its commitment to local education and community activities.
In December 2003, the SLSO announced the appointment of its 12th, and second American-born, Music Director, David Robertson. He began his inaugural season in September 2005, joining the SLSO after an 18-month international search. Prior to his Saint Louis Symphony appointment Mr. Robertson was Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon and Artistic Director of that city’s auditorium.
The Symphony expanded its audience through frequent tours of the Midwest and the East and West Coasts in the 1980s and 90s. Tours to Europe in 1985, 1993, and 1998, and to the Far East in 1986, 1990, and 1995, spread the reputation of the Orchestra throughout the world. Appearances at New York’s Carnegie Hall continue to garner critical acclaim. Recordings by the Symphony have been honored with six Grammy Awards and 56 Grammy nominations.
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra was founded on the belief that great music should be available to everyone. Through a series of innovative and nationally recognized community-oriented activities, including many education and outreach programs, the musicians of the Symphony have shared their love for music with millions and introduced classical music to those who otherwise might not have been exposed to it. Each year, Symphony musicians participate in more than 250 free performances and events throughout the greater St. Louis area.
As part of this effort, the Symphony participates in the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative, a partnership between the Symphony, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the Saint Louis Art Museum, Young Audiences of Saint Louis, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, and more than 122 schools in 16 area school districts. Based on a 1996 pilot program that was originally funded by the Whitaker Foundation, the Collaborative enhances the music curricula of member schools through various initiatives, including classroom interaction with musicians, faculty, and artists from the participating institutions.
DAVID ROBERTSON
Conductor
American conductor David Robertson is a compelling and passionate communicator whose stimulating ideas and exhilarating music-making produce riveting performances, captivating and inspiring international audiences and musicians alike. Hailed by the press as a brilliant artist and master programmer, he is considered one of today’s most important conductors. His consummate musicianship, fresh stylistic instincts and extensive mastery of orchestral as well as operatic repertoire have secured strong relationships for him with major orchestras worldwide. In fall 2009, Mr. Robertson commenced his fifth season as Music Director of the 130-year-old Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, while continuing as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post he has held since 2005.
Highlights of David Robertson’s 2009-2010 season with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra included a fall tour to Carnegie Hall and a four-city California spring tour. Guest engagements in the U.S. included performances with the San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic, where Mr. Robertson is a regular guest conductor, as well as the Cleveland Orchestra. Internationally, he returned to conduct the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Edinburgh Festival, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Berlin Philharmonic, Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, Israel Philharmonic, and Sydney Symphony among others, many of which are ensembles with which he has on-going relationships.
Over the last two and a half decades, Mr. Robertson has held several postings abroad. Prior to his Saint Louis Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestra appointments, Mr. Robertson was the first artist ever to hold simultaneously the posts of Music Director of the Orchestre National de Lyon and Artistic Director of that city’s Auditorium, positions he maintained from 2000–2004. From 1992–2000, he was Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris, of which Pierre Boulez is Honorary President, and from 1985-1987 served as Resident Conductor of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Additional international guest conducting relationships include the Edinburgh Festival, La Scala, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Berlin Philharmonic, and Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphonieorchester, among others. A popular guest conductor in North America as well, Mr. Robertson regularly guest conducts the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony. Equally successful on the operatic scene with over 45 operas in his repertoire, Mr. Robertson has appeared at many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Opéra de Lyon, Bayerische Staatsoper, Théâtre du Châtelet, Hamburg State Opera and San Francisco Opera.
David Robertson has made numerous recordings for Sony Classical, Naive, EMI/Virgin Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, Atlantic/Erato, Nuema, Adès, Valois and Naxos, in addition to his recent, first-ever recording of Doctor Atomic Symphony for Nonesuch. His download-only “Live From Powell Hall” releases recorded with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra include works by Adams, Scriabin and Szymanowski. Other recordings feature works by such composers as Bartók, Boulez, Carter, Dusapin, Dvořák, Ginastera, Lalo, Milhaud, Reich, Saint-Saëns, and Silvestrov.
Born in Santa Monica, California, Mr. Robertson was educated at London’s Royal Academy of Music, where he studied French horn and composition before turning to orchestral conducting. David Robertson received Columbia University’s 2006 Ditson Conductor’s Award, and he and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra are recipients of two major awards from ASCAP and the American Symphony Orchestra League: the 2008-09 Award for Programming of Contemporary Music, and the 2005-06 Morton Gould Award for Innovative Programming. Musical America named Mr. Robertson Conductor of the Year for 2000. In 1997, he received the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award, the premier prize of its kind, given to exceptionally gifted American conductors. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from Webster University (2009) and Maryville University (2007). David Robertson and his wife, pianist Orli Shaham, are parents of twin boys. Mr. Robertson also has two teenage sons.
Season 2009/2010
