The audience at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s January 15 “Beethoven Unpacked” concert for teenagers. Photo by Brendan Batchelor.
In Monday’s (3/30) St. Louis Magazine, Emily Adams writes, “For many teens, music is constant: streaming through headphones while doing homework, the soundtrack for car rides, filling the background of daily life. Rarely do they get the chance to simply sit and listen, though. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is aiming to change that through a new initiative designed for ages 12–18, culminating in its inaugural Concert for Teens, Cinematic Symphony, on April 26 … ‘We like to think we have programming for everybody, but this was a key demographic that was missing,’ says Jessica Ingraham, SLSO’s senior director of education. ‘Teenagers are at a pivotal moment where they begin developing their own musical tastes and exploring their identity. Orchestral music, with its intensity and emotional depth, aligns really well with that stage of life.’ The concert leans into a powerful gateway for young listeners: film music. Featuring works by composers such as John Williams, Joe Hisaishi, and Dmitri Shostakovich, Cinematic Symphony blends familiar movie scores with traditional orchestral repertoire. The goal is to help teens understand how music shapes emotion, both on screen and in the concert hall…. That shift—from passive to active listening—is central to the experience.”
