Soul of a People: A Juneteenth Celebration of Black Music

About this event

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents Soul of a People at the newly renovated $140M Powell Hall, honoring Juneteenth and Black Music Month with a full-orchestra tribute to Black artists who shaped American culture. Conductor Kevin McBeth leads the SLSO and the historic IN UNISON Chorus alongside vocalists LaKisha Jones (American Idol) and Ryan Shaw (America's Got Talent) through arrangements of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Diana Ross, Bill Withers, Gloria Gaynor, Lionel Richie, and Kool & the Gang. The IN UNISON Chorus, founded in 1994, was created specifically to perform music of African and African American composers and remains one of the few symphony-affiliated Black choruses in the United States, anchoring the SLSO's decades-long commitment to community partnership and Juneteenth observance.