St. Louis Symphony Reports Increased Attendance for 2015-2016 Season

The St. Louis Symphony on Wednesday reported increased attendance at their performances. For their recently completed 2015-2016 concert season, the symphony saw an 3.8 percent increase in ticket sales compared with last season. The figures show classical music is alive and well in Missouri.

After much conjecture in the press regarding classical music's slow fade, the St. Louis Symphony's recent news of an attendance boost servers to hearten the orchestral community.

The president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony, Marie-Hélène Bernard, told the St. Louis Business Journal that the improved figures owe to the "talents and hard work of our team and of course on our extraordinary musicians, orchestra and choruses." She added that the numbers demonstrate attendees' increased enjoyment of the symphony:

"I am heartened by these figures because they show distinctly that more people are coming to the St. Louis Symphony to hear this fantastic orchestra perform a wide variety of music, as well as to enjoy the amenities we provide our patrons."

The Vital Voice offers some historical perspective on the St. Louis Symphony's charge with delivering quality cultural enrichment to its patrons:

"Founded in 1880 and now closing its 136th season, the STL Symphony is the second-oldest orchestra in the country and widely considered one of the world's finest. Under the leadership of music director David Robertson, about to begin his 12th season, the STL Symphony strives for artistic excellence, educational impact and community connection while meeting its mission statement: enriching people's live through the power of music."

The city nicknamed the "Gateway to the West" has long been a hotbed for classical music. Apart from just the St. Louis Symphony's stately hundred-year-old tenure, the city saw the return of their classical music radio station, KFUO "Classic 99," due to popular demand in 2013.

However, the St. Louis Symphony concedes that some of the reportedly increased sales for the year are due to their regular Live at Powell Hall presentations, a series of showings featuring non-classical exhibitions of music and films.

Watch the "River City" orchestra perform Beethoven's heralded 9th Symphony on YouTube:

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TagsSt. Louis Symphony, Marie-Hélène Bernard, David Robertson, Ludwig van Beethoven