It’s a good day to plan something fun for spring, with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra back on stage at Powell Hall, a new slate of live Open Air concerts in Grand Center, a monumental sculpture exhibit at Missouri Botanical Garden and riverboat cruises making their return at the Gateway Arch.
WHAT: RIVERBOATS AT THE GATEWAY ARCH
WHERE: St. Louis Riverfront
WHEN: Starting March 13
Capture some of the city’s best views aboard St. Louis Riverfront Cruises, with adventures on the upcoming spring schedule especially designed to keep visitors and staff safe.
The fun begins on March 13, when daily, one-hour cruises set sail, offering stunning cityscape views, as well as a narrated history of the Gateway to the West and the Mighty Mississippi. Specialty cruises – such as the Skyline Dinner Cruise, Decked Out Divas Cruise, Arch View Lunch Cruise, Blues Cruise and Sunday Brunch Cruise – embark in April and May. Also making a return later this spring is Docktails Happy Hour, which features drink specials, appetizers and live music by the river.
Daily cruises: $21 (adults), $11 (children ages 3 – 12), $19 (seniors 60 and older); Specialty cruises from $23 (adults); for a schedule of cruises and to purchase tickets, click here
WHAT: ST. LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SPRING 2021 LIVE CONCERTS
WHERE: Powell Hall
WHEN: March 26 to May 15
Eight weeks of live, hour-long concerts at Powell Hall begin in late March, in front of limited, socially distanced audiences.
Among the performance highlights: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) music director Stéphane Denève leads five weeks of chamber orchestra concerts, including works by J.S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, TJ Cole, Aaron Copland, Arthur Honegger, Ester Mägi, Felix Mendelssohn, W.A. Mozart, Arvo Pärt, Sergei Prokofiev, Camille Saint-Saëns, Dmitri Shostakovich, Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky. Stephanie Childress makes her debut as SLSO assistant conductor, leading works by Sally Beamish, Benjamin Britten and Antonín Dvořák (April 9 to 11), as well as by Luigi Boccherini, W.A. Mozart and Ottorino Respighi (April 16 to 18). Conductor laureate Leonard Slatkin returns to the lead the orchestra April 23 to 25 in works by Benjamin Britten, Alberto Ginastera and Maurice Ravel.
$25 to $50; for a schedule of performances and to purchase tickets, click here
WHAT: OPEN AIR CONCERT SERIES
WHERE: The Grandel
WHEN: Starting April 2
The Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s popular open-air, tented concert series in Grand Center is out with its Spring 2021 schedule, featuring some of St. Louis’ finest artists and musicians.
Live performances next to The Grandel come complete with seasonal food and cocktails served up by local chefs, which are ordered in advance and include a minimum food and beverage purchase per person. Concerts, held Friday and Saturday nights and for Sunday brunch, kick off with blues artist Lady J Huston on April 2. Other acts include a range of musical genres such as singer/songwriter Eldraco and his band, FreeNation, classics crooner Wil Robinson, and rock/country/folk band The Trophy Mules.
Limited, physically distant seating is available, with masks required when not eating or drinking; parties are limited to six guests per table.
Concert tickets start at $10, with additional $30 minimum food and beverage purchase (dinner) or $15 (brunch) per person; for a schedule of performances and to purchase tickets, click here
WHAT: ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN
WHERE: Missouri Botanical Garden
WHEN: April 17 to Oct. 10
“Origami in the Garden,” by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box, uses museum-quality metals to create sculptures that capture the delicate nature of the centuries-old Japanese paper art form.
The custom traveling sculpture exhibit features 18 large-scale pieces installed throughout some of the Garden’s iconic locations and includes flying birds, emerging butterflies, floating boats and soaring paper airplanes. A highlight of the exhibition is called “Master Peace,” a 25-foot sculpture that creates the illusion of 1,000 stainless steel origami peace cranes over water. “Origami in the Garden” also features Kevin Box’s own larger-than-life compositions, as well as collaborations with renowned origami artists from around the world, such as Te Jui Fu, Beth Johnson, Michael G. LaFosse and Robert J. Lang.
Included with regular Garden admission ($14 for adults, free for children 12 and younger); free for members; for tickets, click here
