St. Louis classical calendar for the week of May 20, 2019

This week, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus gives us Hope, New Music Circle gives us a season finale, and the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra closes its season with a concert classic.

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The St. Louis Chamber Chorus

The St. Louis Chamber Chorus presents Hope on Sunday, May 26, at 3 pm. "Romantic literature from Beethoven and Hugo Wolf are contrasted with more contemporary expressions of joy and triumph by Benjamin Britten and Darius Milhaud, while American composer William Schuman offers some humorous versions of advertisements originally placed in the Sears & Roebuck catalog! A highlight will be the world premiere of “Hope” written specially for the occasion by poet Charles Anthony Silvestri and our new Composer-In-Residence Mårten Jansson." The concert takes place at Congregation Shaare Emeth, 11645 Ladue Road. For more information: www.chamberchorus.org.

The New Music Circle presents Natural Information Society and Bitchin Bajas on Saturday, May 25, at 8 pm. "Natural Information Society is a shifting collective led by bassist, composer, and improviser Joshua Abrams. A long-time presence in the Chicago jazz and experimental music community, he's spent the past five years releasing albums-including Natural Information, Represencing, and the recent double LP Magnetoception-that have concentrated on meditative, pulse-driven music. Lead by Cooper Crain -of Chicago-based krautrock revivalists, Cave- Bitchin Bajas' music draws inspiration from the minimalist and new age records of the late '60s and '70s. Their group crafts patient and serene zone-out music that made heavy use of vintage synthesizers and tape loops." The performance takes place at Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp. For more information: www.brownpapertickets.com.

Gemma New

Gemma New conducts the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra on Sunday, May 26, at 3 pm. The program includes Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, featuring concerto competition winner Theo Bockhorst, and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. The performance takes place at Powell Symphony Hall, 718 North Grand in Grand Center. For more information: stlsymphony.org.