A Symphony Under the Stars — Sophisticated St. Louis

Why the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s annual concert on Art Hill remains one of the city’s most magical traditions

By Grayling Holmes / photos provided by SLSO, Alex Guiterrez, and Russell Jackson

There are certain St. Louis traditions that remind you why you love this city.

For me, one of them happens every September on Art Hill.

I have attended the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s annual Forest Park concert many times, and there is something about the evening that never gets old. Last year, I found my place on the hill among hundreds of fellow symphony lovers and people who simply love St. Louis, settled onto a blanket, poured a glass of wine, opened a picnic basket and watched as one of America’s great orchestras performed beneath the evening sky.

St. Louis gathers for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s annual concert beneath the sky on Forest Park’s Art Hill / photo by Justin Barr

It was sophisticated without being formal. Grand without being pretentious. And wonderfully St. Louis.

Around me were couples sharing bottles of wine and elaborate picnic spreads, families introducing children to orchestral music, longtime SLSO patrons and friends who seemed just as interested in catching up with one another as they were in what was happening onstage. As twilight settled over the Grand Basin and the music carried across Forest Park, it was difficult to imagine a better place to be.

I’m already looking forward to doing it again.

On Wednesday, September 16, at 7 p.m., Music Director Stéphane Denève and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra return to Art Hill for the free community concert that will officially launch the SLSO’s 147th season.

And everyone is invited.

Two St. Louis Institutions Meet on Art Hill

There could hardly be a more appropriate setting.

Art Hill and the landscape surrounding the Saint Louis Art Museum are forever connected to the 1904 World’s Fair, one of the defining moments in St. Louis history. More than a century later, the hill remains one of our great communal gathering places—a magnificent lawn where generations have picnicked, sledded, celebrated and simply admired one of the city's most iconic views.

Art Hill in Forest Park in St. Louis is the site of the concert since 1968/ photo by Justin Barr

Then there is the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, itself one of the city’s most enduring institutions and the second-oldest orchestra in the United States.

So perhaps it is only fitting that year after year, these two pieces of St. Louis history come together.

The SLSO first performed its Forest Park concert in 1968. This year marks the tradition’s 58th anniversary, and what began more than half a century ago remains one of the most welcoming ways to experience the orchestra.

There are no velvet ropes or formal dress codes on Art Hill.

Bring a blanket. Bring chairs. Pack something wonderful to eat. Bring a favorite bottle of wine. Then find your spot on the grass and watch as one of the country’s finest orchestras turns Forest Park into an enormous outdoor concert hall.

Bring a blanket. Bring your own picnic. Bring a bottle of wine or other spirits. Bring your dog. Enjoy the concert under the stars. / Pictured is Russell Jackson with his dog/ photo by Alex Guiterrez

For longtime symphony patrons, it is a joyous reunion before the new season begins. For someone who has never attended a performance at Powell Hall, it may be the perfect introduction.

And for the rest of us, it is simply a beautiful night in St. Louis.

Pack the Picnic—or Let Someone Else Do the Cooking

Part of the fun is deciding how you want to experience the evening.

I happen to love the picnic ritual. There is something wonderfully civilized about sitting on Art Hill with a glass of wine, good food and good company while the orchestra plays below.

Some attendees arrive with simple sandwiches and a bottle of rosé. Others turn the occasion into an alfresco dinner party, complete with charcuterie, flowers, proper glassware and enough provisions to make you wonder whether a caterer might be hiding nearby.

Both approaches work beautifully.

And if packing dinner isn't your idea of fun, you don't have to.

Beginning at 5 p.m., a large collection of local food trucks and vendors will be stationed at the top of Art Hill, offering everything from burgers, barbecue and pizza to tacos, paninis, cheesesteaks, ice cream and other treats. Beer, wine, seltzers, soft drinks and bottled water will also be available.

Families are encouraged to arrive early as well. From 6 to 7 p.m., the SLSO’s Education and Community Partnerships team will host a family fun zone featuring musical activities, including a scavenger hunt and an opportunity for young guests to try their hand at conducting alongside members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra.

Then, at 7 p.m., the hill belongs to the music.

A Musical Celebration of What’s Ahead

Denève has assembled a program designed for precisely this kind of evening: familiar, exuberant and sweeping enough to fill Forest Park.

Long time guest Russell Jackson holds cardboard fan of Denève as concert is about to begin.

The concert will move from Beethoven and Respighi to Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, Carl Orff, John Williams and John Philip Sousa.

Members of the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, which celebrates its 50th anniversary season, and the St. Louis Symphony IN UNISON Chorus will join the orchestra for several selections.

Imagine O Fortuna from Carmina Burana rolling across Art Hill, followed by the unmistakable sounds of Gershwin and Bernstein.

Then comes something for the Star Wars devotees.

The orchestra will perform several John Williams selections, including March of the Resistance, Battle of the Heroes and the magnificent Throne Room and End Title music from Star Wars. Williams’ music will appear throughout the SLSO’s 2026/27 season, making the Forest Park selections a preview of what lies ahead.

And what better way to finish an evening of American music than Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever?

Well, perhaps there is one thing.

Fireworks.

As the concert concludes, the sky above the Grand Basin will erupt in a celebratory fireworks display—one of those picture-perfect moments when the music, the park and the city seem to become one.

The Beginning of Something Bigger

The Forest Park concert isn't merely a stand-alone summer evening. It is the ceremonial opening of an important new chapter for the SLSO.

The 2026/27 season marks the orchestra’s 147th year and Denève’s ninth as The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director. It is also the SLSO’s second season back at the beautifully transformed Powell Hall at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center, which reopened in September 2025 following an extensive two-year expansion and renovation.

The renovation of Powell Hall has enhanced the audience experience in a variety of ways. / photo by Sam Fentress

Just days after the Art Hill concert, the orchestra returns to Powell Hall for performances of the score to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as the film plays overhead. Its opening classical weekend follows September 26 and 27.

But before the formal season gets underway, we gather outside.

And I love that.

For one night, the symphony belongs not only inside one of our great concert halls but beneath the stars, surrounded by the trees of Forest Park and open to everyone.

Meet Me on the Hill

That accessibility may be what makes this tradition so special.

You don't have to know Beethoven's Sixth Symphony from Respighi's Pines of Rome. You don't have to own season tickets. You don't have to know when to applaud.

You simply have to come.

Bring someone you love. Pack your favorite picnic foods. Chill a bottle of wine. Grab a blanket and find your place among hundreds of neighbors who understand that sometimes the best way to celebrate St. Louis is simply to gather together in one of its most beautiful places.

I know where I'll be.

Fern Taylor and others celebrate the night. / photo by Alex Guiterrez

Sitting on Art Hill, glass of wine nearby, picnic spread open, waiting for Stéphane Denève to raise his baton and for that first magnificent note to float across Forest Park.

And when the fireworks illuminate the Grand Basin at the end of the evening, I suspect I will feel exactly what I have felt so many times before:

How lucky we are to call St. Louis home.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Forest Park Concert takes place Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 7 p.m. on Art Hill in Forest Park. Admission is free. Food and beverage vendors open at 5 p.m., with family activities beginning at 6 p.m. The concert concludes with fireworks over the Grand Basin. For information about the SLSO’s 2026/27 season and tickets to upcoming performances, visit St. Louis Symphony Orchestra