SPEAKER_01 0:00

And we are connecting generations, right? From one generation to another. Because the three year old we are teaching today and nurturing and and will have access to symphony throughout their, you know, elementary and high school educations will become that 24-year-old who wants to take a, you know, take a a date to the symphony for and then we'll become a 32-year-old subscriber and then a 40-year-old board member. And so it's a cycle of life. So I think it's important that we start that cycle very early on.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

The STL Bucket List show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor and the official banking partner of STL Bucket List, Royal Banks of Missouri. Royal Banks is a full-service, independent community bank, locally owned, locally run, and proudly investing in St. Louis since 1964. That's more than 60 years of taking care of the people and businesses who make this city special. From checking and savings to mortgages, business banking, and wealth management, you get real personalized service from neighbors who actually know your name. With 16 locations across St. Louis, St. Charles, Illinois, and Northeast Missouri, there's a branch right around the corner. Royal Banks of Missouri, proudly investing in our communities.

SPEAKER_03 1:08

If you wanna hear about St. Louis, tune into the Bucket List show weekly. Hear what Marissa and Luke say. It drops every Wednesday, got a dope new guest every single week. Buckle up for the ride. Who's it gonna be? Who's on the show today? They rap St. Louis. What to do in the loo on a late night, or maybe what to do on a date night? Yeah. Bucket list as you covered, they know what's going on. What's going on? They'll give you, hey, 18 different things to do on 19. If you need one more to choose, yeah. This city, city, city is a place we call home. A place we call home. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:46

St. Louis, welcome back to another episode of the STL Bucket List Show. I am your host, Luke Farrell. We highlight people, places, and events that make St. Louis special. We've done this over 200 weeks in a row, and I'm here with a very special guest today, the president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Marie Ailen Bernard. Thank you for coming in the studio today.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Good to see you. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

I know, I'm so excited. We are huge fans of what you guys are doing, but I want to talk about your journey to St. Louis first, just to kind of get that out of the way. You came to St. Louis from Boston, was that 2015?

SPEAKER_01 2:18

2015.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

Okay. What surprised you most when you got here about the city's art scene? Because at the time you're on the East Coast, you probably had no idea what was going on in St. Louis. Right.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

And my first visit was in the fall of 2014 when I was exploring the possibility of moving here. And I was blown away. I had lived in New York. Well, I'm from Montreal. Montreal, New York, uh, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland. So, you know, I had moved around the East Coast. And I felt immediately that St. Louis was offering all of the greatest things that East Coast is offering and an extraordinary arts and cultural platform.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

So the Symphony is the second oldest orchestra in the country. What what does it mean for you to carry that type of legacy? I mean, there's a lot of privilege and pressure that comes with that too.

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Uh yes, great pride, but also it's it's really a call for innovation. You know, honoring what came before us, because as an executive, I have a team, I serve a community through the mission of the symphony, but we look back in terms of honoring what shaped this orchestra because orchestras really reflect communities, but my work is very much shaping the future. So I think innovation is very exciting. And I think given what St. Louis's did in 1880, second after New York, they established an orchestra that is now the leading orchestra in the country. I think that's very exciting.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

That is very exciting. And the, I mean, obviously the huge, you know, rebuild that you guys did. Unbelievable. I mean, the first time I think I got to witness it. Well, first of all, our office was at 636 North Grant, right in the On God's Art Hotel. So I got to look out and see the construction. We moved, unfortunately, right before the construction ended. And I think that office is still empty right there. But hopefully a nice gallery gets put in there. But I got to see the construction from the beginning and to see the movie premiere that you guys did. That was the first time I saw the red carpet out there and all this stuff that you guys have created. Um, when you came here in 2015, could you have imagined over the 11 years that that was possible? I mean, that was probably all part of the plan.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

Yes, uh, it was very much part of the plan. When I was hired, I told the board you really need to preserve Power Hall and make it the home of the future. And there was some resistance, understandably, that's just a massive undertaking. So my first task was to first of all include Power Hall as our home in our strategic plan and really nurture the board's confidence that this is something that was a necessity. The why was very important, and also how to. So, what would be the team? How much money can we? It's fundraising, right? So this project was paid through private investors, foundations, individuals, corporations, our state who also contributed, which also contributed. So I think there's um uh nurturing of that, you know, risk and and and seeing the vision. So I think it's a lot of what my work entails. So the answer is yes, I had a plan, and it, but I had an extraordinarily bored and much support from the community and the team that worked on this project. This this story is a story of St. Louis. I think there's something tremendously proud about our community, our people, the way people show up for one another, for this community. And I think I'd love to see this reflected nationally in a branding of St. Louis as a global destination, but a community that is creative, innovative, has appetite for great things. And I think this is, I think on earth the best place to live.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Yeah, that's so special. And um, when I was reading notes before this and you know, stuff like that, I I read that the the Ferguson movement in 2015 also motivated you to move.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

Yeah, 14, yeah, Michael Brown Brown, and I was interviewing right after, and there was a great sense of discomfort from the team that was interviewing me as if this was something they would just were we're afraid this was gonna brand St. Louis forever. And I said, No, I think it's an opportunity to do better work and to really more deeply understand what it means to serve community, and we are an extraordinary social, cultural agent. And let's see what we can do differently. And I think there was kind of a sigh of relief, like, oh, oh good, she's still and I said, Yeah, I think we're not living in a bubble. I think orchestras again, music is a reflection of life, communities, generational connections. So I think to me, that that coming from Boston, where a lot of things are unsaid, I thought, okay, this community is brave enough to talk about the things that that are painful. So let's get to work.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

That's so special. I love that. So SLSO partners with something like 130 plus local organizations. You mentioned, you know, obviously your partners and everything. How does that web of partnerships, other art groups, universities, community organizations actually help elevate St. Louis in the national conversation?

SPEAKER_01 7:08

It's critical and very important. And I think the spirit of collaboration in our community exists. You need to foster it, to nurture it. And that was also a mandate when I came 11 years ago, is I really wanted to create this sense of community and connection among all industries, not just arts and culture, but sports and social agencies and other large institutions. I think all of us together are stronger. And I think we're all shaping a future St. Louis that it's thriving, where you see populations grow, where people want to move here, where we can sustain large businesses and make this quality of life here is amazing. So this kind of partnership is truly like threefold. Is one is to create access for to music for all. Number two is to spur creativity from all angles, not just the arts and cultural organizations, but you know, our partnership with the zoo or the International Institute or other social agencies, we're all in a creative space together. We're all trying to make life better for people who live here. And the third piece is business. It's like we have a really impressive social economic impact as an organization, but as a sector, the arts and cultural sector has a tremendous impact on how St. Louis can thrive and advance. And I mean the region, just not just the city. So I think if you are able to put forward that narrative, I think it it partnerships be kind of becomes essential.

SPEAKER_00 8:33

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SPEAKER_01 9:24

That was amazing. And Saturday we read the game, and I I gave a quick, you know, interview where I said, when you combine sports and arts together, you win. And we won. It was actually a very good game. Houston is one of the top-rated teams, and St. Louis played beautifully. It was a great match, and they won.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

I know traditionally, people, you know, I grew up in St. Louis all my life, and you think of St. Louis as a sports town, but when you really look at the statistics, we're an arts city. And we're both.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

I think I think it's not one or the other. I think we have to start shaping this kind of understanding that we're both and we're food and we're great cultural, we're we're parks, we are quality of life, we are rivers, we are the climate here, is amazing. I know it's been hot this summer, but I mean we're entering one of the most glorious periods of the season with extraordinary. So we're so many things. We are health, we're education. Look at the quality of our uh public, you know, schools in terms of access. And any player who joins the St. Louis Sinfany and they're young, sometimes first or second job, will tell you uh it's an extraordinary place to live, and they have families and own homes. I mean, where can you in any major cities in the world buy a home as a 26-year-old and just start a family and send your kids to great schools? I mean, I think you can't beat it.

SPEAKER_00 10:40

That's amazing. So we're coming up, September marks the start of your 147th season, the first full season with the new hall fully broken in. You know, you've got it, got it ready to go. So, what are some of the things you're most excited about for this season specifically?

SPEAKER_01 10:54

I think the variety, first of all, the variety of music we bring. That the St. Louis Symphony, and I like to say we stretch the muscles, uh, you know, the symphonic muscles, is that we we have such an agile orchestra. The spirit of our players is truly remarkable. We have two amazing choruses, the Inioniston and the St. Louis Symphony Chorus. We have extensive education programs. I'm just first really impressed with the variety of musical experiences we provide. That's number one. The fact that artists from around the world come to our stage and come to St. Louis because the artistically it's one of the leading orchestras. It's a very rewarding artistic experience. And we continue to advance the core classical repertoire. You know, the Rachmaninoff we love, the Tchaikovsky, the Prokofiev, the Mozart, the Brahms, the Beethoven. So this is the core artistic mission. But around this, it's how we create a different experience every time. The film series, the concerts for families, uh, there's other shows that we bring artists with and without orchestras. I mean, I think if you look at the mosaic of music we present, I'm really excited about that and very proud. Not many orchestras have such a breathing platform. So I always say there's always some some something for everyone at the Symphony, and it's and we mean it.

SPEAKER_00 12:14

You mentioned in Unison, and that's nearly 30 years old now.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

Uh yeah, over it's 32 years a year, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:19

32, and that's built around partnerships with predominantly black churches. And and can you walk us through that? Because I know you mentioned that program, like how that's structured, why that works, and and how special that program is.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

So members get recruited across church communities in the broader St. Louis region. So you say 30, 35 black churches, and we have coordinators who are within each church, really engaging existing membership to join the chorus, and we were hosting uh auditions this week. So I invite anyone who has a good voice to join. And the mission of An Innocent is really to unveil, promote, support the repertoire by brown and black composers of all times. And I think there's a tremendous amount of repertoire there. And then they have three key concerts a year, but we integrate them into other programs. And one is the Gospel of Christmas, which has been a staple of, you know, it's it's a tradition, it's a holiday tradition. We do a lift every voice in February, and we also now do a Juneteenth concert. And this year we did a phenomenal rock show around music that we love. And then in April, we typically do a community concert in one of the churches. So we take several players of the orchestra, and all of this is kind of weaving through engagement from black communities across our region. Interestingly, um the attendance at black churches, at any church in our region, has declined over the years. So and and the Indianist chorus is growing younger. So we're recruiting more, you know, voices. So we are really trying to figure out now, being at the intersection of given the reality of declining attendance in a church, where do we find our people? And I think there's a tremendous following from the community for what we do.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

So I want to talk about the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Yes. And it includes a big new education and community space. Why was that important for you? And it wasn't just a pretty concert hall or anything like that. Like what does that mean? Because we keep going back to like these shows that you do, unbelievable, but the community is really what we keep coming back to and everything that you guys do.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

And we are the connecting generations, right? From one generation to another. And the importance of us being in our schools and really bringing children and their families and teachers from pre-K to college is critical to our mission because the three-year-old we are teaching today and nurturing and will have access to Symfony throughout their, you know, elementary and high school educations will become that 24-year-old who wants to take a, you know, take a date to the Symfony for, and then we'll become a 32-year-old subscriber and then a 40-year-old board member. And so on, it's a cycle of life. So I think it's important that we start that cycle very early on. I think because we feel profoundly that music is transformative, that some families don't have access to all the services. So we come as a social agency that we want your kids and your family to enjoy music because you'll uncover aspects of your own self, creativity, you'll hear sounds that you never thought was were possible. And it's entertainment too. And I think it's important to really bring uh people from all fabric of community and all generations to the Symphony Experience. So our work with teachers is foundational, meaning that we go to teachers and we give them the tools so that teachers, even if they're not music teachers, can make music always part of the curriculum. And that comes with them coming to us, with us going to them and really engaging and hopefully the vision is in a few years from now. I mean, let's call it a decade, that you can see that St. Louis has one of the most robust music education programs in the country, that from pre-K to college, every child raised in St. Louis has sequential access to music education, meaning every grade and every year they move on to, you know, being exposed to music, to learn an instrument, to be involved in in music in in every and in every form. And you don't have to be a genius performer on an instrument. We just want you to just enjoy it. So this is very much led from the heart, and we want kids to just feel like this is this is my jam, and I want to be there and and be part of your education.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

No, that's great. And uh yeah, the children's choir is one of our other partners. We love them and they work with us quite a bit. Yeah, they're gonna have the big holiday concert. And I've since had two little kids, and um, you know, I have two little girls, and it's like being the children's choir providing such a good resource for these kids to be able to get on these stages and unbelievable what what they do. So I read some some stats and I want to talk about this a little bit about the you know, 40% of the audiences this past season were were in a way new to SLSO. What do you think of when what is driving that? Is that the development? Is that the new pro like all this stuff works in together? Because that's an incredible stat to see that.

SPEAKER_01 17:06

It is, it is, and I think our goal is to continue to continuing to invest in that kind of loyalty. If you come once, and if the if if two-thirds of our audience comes once or twice a year, how do you bring them back and what will uh bring them back? I think it's several things. I think the variety of music we we offer, I think the the great pride in the orchestra, the orchestra is an extra, there's nothing like it. There's really nothing like it. The warmth and the experience that that you you have when you come to the symphony. So I think that shows a great interest. Of course, a new building was a driver, but I think we're seeing as much new engagement this coming year. So we're very, very excited about that. And it's for us to get to know our audience better and see what is what is gonna stick. What is it that so if if we're listening very carefully to audiences, we can shape more meaningful programs for them.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

The STL bucket list show is proudly sponsored by Suede Dispensary with 11 Missouri area locations. Suede does so much for the St. Louis community. We've been working with this team for a couple years back since Medical was here, and we're excited to support their new product launches, events, and community initiatives. We couldn't be happier to work with this premier cannabis brand, and we're excited for them to sponsor the show. Enjoy the rest of the podcast. No, it's amazing. And I already got my tickets to the Harry Potter Film Score. September. Taylor Swift, the Symphony Era, the season. So all these different programming. So, like when I I, as a creative, obviously what you guys do on the scale that you guys do is unbelievable. But like I want to look in behind the curtains, like what goes into building a season? Like, what's that team look like? What does that coordinate? I mean, there's so many different talented people that are putting together a season because when you look at it, just like a concert season, it's just like where are the ebbs and flows and all those different things. Like, I just want to learn a little bit more about that process.

SPEAKER_01 18:53

Well, the the core classical season is planned two years out. So right now we are closing 27, 28, and I'm starting to plan 28, 29. So there's part of our business, which is planning way ahead and yet being being able to feel the pulse of today and anticipate in two years, when your kids are six and eight, what's gonna be the hot show that your eight-year-old is gonna want to see. So anything that's family film, more popular series, gets planned a little later. Usually it's within a year. And then we really look at St. Louis as a demand. It's like we have a small population, so we draw concert ticket buyers from way outside of St. Louis and St. Charles region. And we think that about 30% of our ticket buyers come from across the state, neighboring states, way beyond. I met people who live in Iowa who come here several times a year. They have a subscription and they drive down four hours. And so it's anticipating the future and being on the lookout for new talent and really follow cultural trends. And also it's anchored in data. You know, who's coming? Why are they coming? You know, there's a lot of studies that go behind, you know, was it a rainy day? Was there snow outside, the time of the year? Was it school break? You know, we are very sensitive to climate, rhythm, seasons, school schedule, and so on and so forth. And we're still there's a piece of our business that's really exploration that we want to continue to explore and really challenge ourselves. And we survey our audiences quite a bit to see was this a good show? What was missing? What could we do differently? So there's a lot of listening.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:30

And there's a some amount of risk taking that is sometimes nerve-wracking.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

I know it's so tough to plan that far ahead because you're planning for that, but then you also have opening night coming up in a few weeks. So, like you're doing two things at once where it's like we have to deliver on what we planned, but then we also have to set ourselves up for success.

SPEAKER_01 20:45

So I always have three or four seasons running in my head. There's what's happening in two weeks from now when we open three weeks for a spark. The next season, which we're putting to bed. And I had this morning I got a text from our artistic advisor asking me, do we turn right or left? And I just have to think, okay. And then we're starting to plan 28, 29, and also planning the 2030 season, which will be the 150th anniversary.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

That's gonna be special.

unknown 21:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

So I want to, you know, kind of tie everything back to, you know, if somebody hasn't been, we have a lot of listeners that are new to St. Louis. We have a lot of listeners that are in that younger demo, that 21 to 35. Yes. That makes up about 70% of our audience that listen and follow our pages on Instagram. What would you say to get them through the doors this year? I mean, that's that's the the question of the season, Raina.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

First of all, I would always say bring your heart to Symphony, don't worry about what you know or don't know. So uh we send a lot of information in advance, but there's film series that are always very easy to be your first kind of experience at the Symphony. We also have Playlist, which is a very short format, one hour concert. We have three a year. We'll do one this October, which is Beethoven 6. And it's very informal. And we have a young friends group. So I would encourage any young professionals or young persons. To look online for the Young Friends Group. We have a very young team. They're eager to welcome you and bring you in. And again, it's it's very fun. And you are going to develop a network of friends at the Symphony, and it's true of anyone, the amount of friendships that have been shaped and created at the Symphony. And I know people from all walks of life that have their friends network at the Jack C. Taylor Music Center. So I think with all of this, I think we have a platform where we just really want you to come. We have a great wine, liquor, and non-alcoholic beverages and some food, good food options. And the place is just beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Yeah, it's like the most Instagram-worthy picture, right? In that new hall with the big white walls and the stair the staircase and all these different things that you guys are.

SPEAKER_01 22:46

Beautiful old lobby, which is truly they were cleaning the chandeliers this week. And it's just if you're a little bit more than a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

And that's where the red cart, like all the red drapes.

SPEAKER_01 22:54

It's just beautiful. And I love that juxtaposition of old and new. And it's also reflected in the music. Um, and our players are young. So just in terms of for an audience to see people of their generation, our players are well under the age of 35. And that's that's the generation that's shaping the orcas of the future.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

The STL Bucketless show is fueled by Upshot Coffee. My friends at Upshot Coffee have some of the best beans in town. I got some of their new packaging here. Look at this bag. Look how big this is. Um, they have four St. Louis locations: their flagship in Coddleville, the break shop over by Lindenwood in St. Charles, their Clayton location called Hi-Fi, um, and then Flyby over in Tower Grove, their newest location. Um, and they also sell their coffee online everywhere. If you guys haven't added Upshot Coffee to your STL bucket list, it's time to try it. Some of the my favorite people in the industry and some of the best coffee in the game. And all the impact, I mean, you mentioned the couple from Iowa, not just the impact of them driving in and supporting you guys, but the local restaurants that they support, the hotels that they stay in in the district. Absolutely. All that's an ecosystem that you guys are a huge part of. You have your neighbors at the Fox, you have your neighbors at all these different incredible organizations.

SPEAKER_01 24:07

And jazz, and we have Grant Arts Center Academy across the street, which is a school. We have, of course, Grant Center, which is kind of knitting the whole neighborhood together. We have the Kranzberg um uh foundation with all of the locust area, the development they've done on Washington Avenue, yeah. The Veterans Hospital, who's a great partner, and they are doing their own re-revamping of their campus and Brick Line, which is going to be very, very important. The Brick Line will come around Del Mar and North Springs. So that's gonna be very cool that at some point you'll be able to walk and bike to the hall. And so we have we're really creating a kind of a very neat neighborhood, and of course, down the street is is SLU. So it's walking distance for all the SLU students to get on their shuttle and go up and down, and so there's a lot of opportunity for them.

SPEAKER_00 24:54

And I think that all that creates neighborhood, it creates community and creates connectivity. And it's like if you go a little bit further down Midtown and Locust, you have that huge dining district, and you mentioned the Kransbergs, what they've done with Sophie's Artist Lounge and the Key, the new music venue. And uh, I mean, everywhere I look, they're building new entertainment venue. The dark room, which is right across the street in the basement. The dark room is just great.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

We just need a little bookstore in the corner and then more coffee shops and little place where you can have uh, you know, food, the food business is remarkable here, but it is hard to run a business. So occasionally we'll have food trucks also if we have special events. And that's been also a great partnership that we have with uh people in the food industry.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

So speaking of food, I want to talk about food a little bit. So what is you have a lot of people that probably visit because you're from other town, other towns. Like is there a post-meal or pre-meal or day after a show that you love to bring your friends in from out of town?

SPEAKER_01 25:49

Oh, that's a great question. Uh first of all, I love to cook, so I host people at home sometimes. Sometimes um, so I love to cook at home and and do uh meals, and sometimes it's just the best way to just reconnect. Um, that said, uh at Powell Hall, we do have the ability to do catering and and and meals. So with artists, you know, it's late. When they finish a concert, it's 9:30, 9.45, 10 o'clock. I mean, post-COVID, I think the reality is our restaurants rarely stay, the kitchens don't stay open that late. So we bring food in. So we've worked with a few restaurants locally to make sure to cater to our artists, and everyone has been super, super uh impressed. Uh, I think if you think of the fabric of all the restaurants in the around town, there's so many options. And and I couldn't mention them, but I would be afraid of leaving someone out. But you know, from crossing Indo, Esca, uh Brass Vinish, which is a staple of, and you know, being um my father is Belgian, my mother was uh French Canadian, being raised by Europeans and having really had you know uh the experiences from you know restaurants from around the world. I would say the quality of Brass Viniche's menu as a French also is excellent. And so is Cafe Provencean in Kirkwood, which is a little further and the list is long. I mean, there's so many options.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

So it's so cool to hear that about Brassy. It's such a special little and sitting on the sidewalk there is just such a good energy that you can do.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

And and we we want to support our so we invite all of our restaurant business friends to come to us because if we can't package offers um for our you know concert goers, um I did that a lot in Boston and we've done a little bit here. It's it's a it's a win-win, like a $35 or $45 prefix menu that you can go to a restaurant. Now, what we're developing at Power Hall is that option on site. So that you come, you drive to Power Hall, you park, you come in, you buy your dinner, and you have dinner on site followed by a concert. My team is developing some concepts there that we're gonna pilot this fall. So we'll be in touch and we'll uh inform ticket buyers, this is your opportunity. And we want to see if that works. Um because occasionally you're rushed between work and concert, and you want to have a nice meal, but yet you don't have time to go to a restaurant. So we want to be able to offer that uh amenities.

SPEAKER_00 28:14

So, what's one piece of music that you never get tired of hearing performed live?

SPEAKER_01 28:19

Oh, that's our question. Because I'm a music junkie. I just and I go through phases and I listen to oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 28:27

And different times of the season probably affect it. Like in the summer, you have different energy.

SPEAKER_01 28:31

So I hear I hear a lot of classical music because I work at the symphony, so I rarely sit home listening to a Brahms symphony. I save that for for work, but I would say the music of Bach never tires me. It's um it's it's music for eternity. Uh, in a realm of Baroque music, Bach is uh and and I would invite anyone who doesn't know anything about music to start there because it's profoundly beautiful. Oh my gosh, music that I can't, oh my there's so many things. Just listen to it. Um this weekend I was I'm driving my husband's sports car. Yeah, and he's a huge country fan, but I heard Shinedown on the radio the other day, and they have a new album, Searchlight, and I was like, this is not country. You know, it's interesting. The intersection of what is country and shine down was sometime before was more yeah. And I thought, whoa, they're playing Shinedown on the country, you know. I love Luke Combs. Again, I've been driving the Little Miara for a few days. I have been listening, and he has a new album out. And I love when he re-released um Tracy Chapman's. Oh, that was what a beautiful, and for me, that's what music is about. It's about talent. Is when you hear an artist, no matter what their genre is, when you listen to talent, I think it's just it fills your heart. And that's why I do the job I do is to support artists, but also when I get to hear someone who's so talented, it's just like, oh, and that talent might be the three-year-old or four-year-old that's gonna come to Symphony with their mommy or their school and will become the Luke Hombs in 20 years, who knows? You never know. Like musical gene does not grow in musical families. Usually, most of the time, people who pursue a career in music uh don't come from a musical family. Yeah, they just have this. So if I can be with my team and teachers and families, the kind of and you know, investigate or just initiate that talent, which could be one day an engineer at Boeing, or could be an executive or wealth manager, who knows? But I think I want music to always be part of people's lives.

SPEAKER_00 30:40

Yeah, and I feel like you guys have created that. And and I feel like when you when you witness a show, it's all walks of life. And you mention all these different people, it's like that corporate companies, the creative, the athletes, all these different people can all connect. You just mentioned you know Luke Combs song. It's like, even if you don't love country, you hear a song like that and you're like, wow, and then you hear a Shinedown song, and then you hear a hip-hop song or a poet and all these different genres. And I I know you guys partnered with some uh Master Camp and Mastermind last year, and I thought that Julia was actually there. She filmed that night when you guys were out there, and I thought that that was really cool to just give access to those people. It's like, hey, like you're just because you're performing in a studio in your basement doesn't mean you can't have musical experience with what you're creating. But you guys, what you guys have built is amazing, and I can't wait for the first of all to kick off. Walk me through the the next couple months. So, like we got September just to wrap up here.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

So September 16th at Forest Park. Uh, come early if we can get there before by five. We have food trucks, you can't just do picnic, bring your dog, bring your family, and then the show begins at seven. Um, ordering good weather this year, so we all have to order good weather together. And that weekend is Harry Potter, so I think you guys are coming. And then we opened the season the week after with Yefim Bronfman, who's uh a masterful pianist, one of the leading pianists in the world, uh Russian, uh very a big personality. He's coming to play Liszt second piano concerto, which everybody knows is the kind of music you've heard before, but when you see it on paper, you don't know you you you you know it. And then our music director, Stefan Deneve, opens um the season with him, and second half is Respigy, Pines of Rome. So it's a very gent, gentle way to launch the season. And then we have concerts every weekend and then films and family shows. And so we can check slso.org and you get all of the information.

SPEAKER_00 32:26

And you guys have a great newsletter too. So for those that are interested in in joining that, I get your newsletter updates all the time. So I I love to get those. But I wish we could talk all day. I want to hear about all these shows, but I'm gonna see you at um. I know we were there last year, but um the Harry Potter show where my wife's a huge fan. So we're super excited. I mean, we bought tickets, I think, like whenever they dropped, like eight months ago or something. So um, but I appreciate you and I appreciate everything you do and your commitment to St. Louis as well.

SPEAKER_01 32:52

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

A pleasure. And we'll see you guys next week. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 32:54

Yep.