The Lied Center for Performing Arts will open its 30th-anniversary season with the world-renowned St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, featuring new music director Stéphane Denève, at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19.

The program will showcase Claude Debussy’s “La Mer”; Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major,” performed by piano virtuoso Jean-Yves Thibaudet; and George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” suite. The symphony returns following its landmark “Firebird” collaboration with American Ballet Theatre at the Lied Center in 2018.

Courtesy photo | Andrew Eccles

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

“As I begin my incredible journey with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, we are so excited to open the Lied Center’s 2019-20 season,” Denève said. “I can’t wait to share this remarkable orchestra and our artist-in-residence, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, with the Lincoln community as we perform favorite works of mine by Debussy, Ravel and Gershwin, as well as incredible music of today by Jennifer Higdon.”

Tickets start at $35 for adults and $17.50 for youths. To purchase tickets, click here, call 402-472-4747 or visit the Lied ticket office at 301 N. 12th St.

“The Lied has a national reputation for piano and classical programming, which is reflected by opening this historic season with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Thibaudet,” said Bill Stephan, executive director of the Lied Center.

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest in America, marking its 140th year with the 2019-20 season. In addition to regular concert performances at Powell Hall, the orchestra’s permanent home for more than 50 years, the group is an integral part of the St. Louis community, presenting free education programs and performances throughout the region each year. It presents St. Louis Symphony Live at the Pulitzer, a four-program series at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra also serves as the resident orchestra for Opera Theatre Saint Louis, with 2020 marking the 43rd year of their partnership.

The orchestra’s impact beyond the St. Louis region is realized through weekly Saturday night concert broadcasts on St. Louis Public Radio, acclaimed recordings and regular touring. A sought-after artistic partner by pre-eminent musicians and composers from across the globe, as well as by local and national organizations, the orchestra enjoys a long history of robust and enduring artistic collaborations that have developed and deepened over the years.

For more than three decades, Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 50 albums and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists. He plays a range of solo, chamber and orchestral music — from Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Edvard Grieg, Camille Saint-Saëns, Aram Khachaturian and Gershwin to contemporary composers Qigang Chen and James MacMillan. Since the start of his career, Thibaudet has delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire, from jazz to opera, which he transcribed himself to play on piano. His professional friendships crisscross the globe and have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion and visual art.

Learn more about the Lied Center’s 2019-20 season.