Stephanie Childress has come to know St. Louis Symphony well, having started her position as assistant conductor in March 2021 following a delay due to covid. Programme highlights include Schumann’s expansive Rhenish Symphony on 3–4 March and a work by University of Missouri graduate, Oswald Huỳnh, that blends Vietnamese and Western soundscapes.

Following their European tour, Childress returns to conduct the orchestra, where she invites us to explore Elgar’s Enigma Variations in a crafted happy hour concert on 14 April, followed by full-length concerts on 15–16 April to include the Variations paired with Chopin’s Piano Concerto, with soloist Lise de la Salle who makes her SLSO debut, and Barber’s Essay No.2.