Composed in 1941 during his time in America, Britten’s An American Overture was intended for the Cleveland Orchestra, but was never performed during the composer’s lifetime, receiving its premiere in Birmingham in 1983. Barber’s much-loved Violin Concerto, composed two years earlier, features soloist Charlie Lovell-Jones.

The American Dream

Smith Square Hall

Join composer Christopher Stark, Associate Professor of Composition and violinist Clara Kim for a performance of four works exploring humanity and climate change.

EPSG:4326

Climate Change in Concert

Washington University in St. Louis

Acclaimed musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform an evocative program inspired by the theme of climate change. Christopher Stark’s Seasonal Music—an evocative work that draws on themes from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—is paired with two works by Finnish composers: Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Homunculus and Sibelius’ rarely-performed Piano Quintet in G Minor.

CSO Chamber Music at the University of Chicago

Reynolds Club

Inspired by our city’s past and present, we celebrate, we reflect, we relate. Music invites us to engage with the spirit of our city echoed through the sonic worlds of St. Louis-born Olly Wilson and current resident Christopher Stark. Allison Loggins-Hull prompts us to reflect on our homeland, while Laurence Crane and Cassie Wieland create gentle spaces for continued contemplation.

Live at the Pulitzer: Material and Memory

Pulitzer Arts Foundation

Award-winning duo 48 St. Stephen will perform works by Bach, Walker, Messiaen, and a world premiere of a work by WashU composer Christopher Stark. Free admission. No reservations, tickets, or registration is required. Free parking is available in the garage behind the building.

48 St. Stephen featuring a World Premiere by Christopher Stark

560 Music Center

Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Concertmaster Jessica Lee and pianist Juho Pohjonen play Franck’s emotional A-major Sonata—which ranges from songlike to mournful—and, along with cellist Zlatomir Fung, give the world premiere of a brand-new, Festival-commissioned trio by contemporary composer Christopher Stark, who describes his music as being “deeply rooted in the American West.”

Stark & Dvořák

New Mexico Museum of Art

In this quintessentially American program overflowing with joy, get an orchestral jumpstart from Carlos Simon and his Concerto for Orchestra. Then, two SLSO musicians take the solo spotlight: Principal Clarinetist Scott Andrews showcases the jazz-infused, rollicking Clarinet Concerto by Aaron Copland, and Associate Concertmaster Erin Schreiber introduces us to the music of Christopher Stark, one of SLSO’s longtime artistic partners. Finally, West Side Story features some of Bernstein’s most beautiful music, a lasting vision of what humanity could be.

Christopher Stark

Events

Upcoming events

9 - 11 Apr, 2027

Bernstein and Copland · St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Oct 11, 2026

The American Dream · Sinfonia Smith Square

Feb 24, 2026

Climate Change in Concert · Washington University in St. Louis Department of Music

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Violin Concerto by Barber

Sinfonia Smith Square

Conductor in Harmonielehre by Adams

Sinfonia Smith Square

Conductor in An American Overture by Britten

Sinfonia Smith Square

About

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