Join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra for a special two-concert celebration honoring Chuck Berry’s life and legacy.
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) announced additional artist for its two-concert celebration of the life and legacy of Chuck Berry. Concerts take place Friday, October 17, at 7:00pm, and Saturday, October 18, at 2:00pm at Powell Hall at the new Jack C. Taylor Music Center. Born and raised in St. Louis, Berry pioneered American rock and roll with his signature artistry and vocals. The SLSO’s concert includes many of the icon’s hit songs, including “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybellene,” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at www.slso.org or by calling the Box Office at 314-534-1700. A full concert calendar is available at slso.org or on the SLSO’s mobile app available for iOS or Android.
Additional artists
Conductor Anthony Parnther, who led the orchestra alongside EGOT-winning artist John Legend at The Muny in 2024, leads the performance. He will be joined by guest artists including:
- Abraham Alexander is an Academy Award® nominated artist. A rising singer songwriter whose soulful fusion of blues, folk, and gospel has captivated audiences around the world, he turned to music following a career ending soccer injury and personal tragedy. He released his breakout self-titled EP in 2019, earning attention for his emotional storytelling and powerful vocal presence.
- Charles Berry Jr. was born and raised in St. Louis to Charles and Themetta Berry. He traveled the world as part of his father’s band “The Chuck Berry Act” for 14 years. He also participated for 14 years in the monthly residency at the Blueberry Hill. He also contributed to the final studio album “Chuck” released in 2017.
- Charles Berry III is the youngest grandson of Chuck Berry. He has played on the Tonight Show, toured all across the continental US and overseas. He has deep roots in his grandfather’s style of playing but also loves more contemporary styles of modern rock guitar playing.
- Jahi Eskridge is a University City native, and started his musical journey playing trumpet and trombone in elementary school orchestra, jazz, and marching bands. He has performed in and around St. Louis with bands including Big Brother Thunder and the Master Blasters, Kreative Pandemonium, Saint Boogie Brass Band, and FatPocket.
- Valerie June is known for her distinctive voice and singing style. A Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and three-time Americana Music Honors and Awards nominee, June 2 weaves fresh medicinal downloads of love, sweetness, goodness, and joy with songs that have flowed through her for years.
- Zach Person is an electrifying American recording artist and the fresh face of indie rock, renowned for his loud, raw sound and primal connection with fans. SPIN Magazine heralds him as “bringing volume to the masses,” solidifying his reputation as a powerhouse in the contemporary music scene.
- Brian Owens is an Americana Soul artist whose music reflects St. Louis: a city infused with blues, soul, and gospel, resulting in a style that is distinctly his own. He has been featured with fellow St. Louisans Michael McDonald and David Sanborn, both touring and recording. He’s released eight solo albums. In 2025, Owens released “Duets with Dad” with his father, Thomas Owens.
Previously announced artists
Band members from the Rolling Stones, the Pretenders, and Living Colour, will join the show, including:
- Will Calhoun is a two-time Grammy Award–winning musician, composer, and producer best known as the drummer of the groundbreaking rock band Living Colour. Calhoun has collaborated with Harry Belafonte, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter, Mick Jagger, McCoy Tyner, Public Enemy, Lauryn Hill, Herb Alpert, Mos Def, and more.
- Bernard Fowler’s talents as a singer, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist have resonated throughout the span of his extraordinary career in the music industry. He is most widely known by millions of people around the world as the background singer and percussionist for The Rolling Stones, a position he has held for 34 years and counting.
- Chanel Haynes is an American singersongwriter and actress who gained fame as the lead singer of the gospel girl group Trin-i-tee 5:7 in the late 1990s. During The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds Tour in 2023, she provided backup vocals for the band.
- Tim Ries is a saxophonist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator whose performing and recording credits include a who’s who of jazz, rock, pop, and world music icons: The Rolling Stones (from 1999 to the present), Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen, Michael Jackson, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Rod Stewart, Lyle Lovett, and more.
- James Walbourne is the lead singer, songwriter and guitar player in rock ’n’ roll duo His Lordship. He has also been the lead guitar player and co-songwriter (with Chrissie Hynde) in The Pretenders since 2008.
- Doug Wimbish has lent his innovative and creative bass grooves and sounds to a roster of world-renowned musicians from his time as bassist for the legendary rap label Sugarhill Records backing Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five to the pioneering Living Colour.
Complementing this special evening are performances by guest artists who have been inspired by Berry’s career. They include:
- Howlin’ Hurd is an American blues singer, songwriter, harmonica player, and guitarist, originally from St. Louis. Recent accolades include two Top Ten albums on the Billboard blues charts, with Street Sermons and Lowdown Ways (Yep Roc Records) earning five-star reviews from Rolling Stone magazine.
- Patton Magee, best known as the lead singer and founding member of The Nude Party, has spent the past decade bringing their raucous live show to stages across the US and abroad. Alongside his band, Magee has begun carving out a solo path, most recently with his debut solo album Last Cowboy on the Prairie.
- Maggie Rose, a Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter, continues to win over fans and critics alike. She straddles the worlds of pop, rock, soul, Americana, and folk, unencumbered by genre specifics. Her widely acclaimed album No One Gets Out Alive was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album, with Rolling Stone naming it one of the best albums of 2024.
- Lawrence Rothman, born in St. Louis and now based between Los Angeles and Nashville, is known for their genre-bending work as well as their work as a producer and songwriter. Rothman’s collaborators have included artists such as Margo Price, Amanda Shires, Kali Uchis, Bartees Strange, Courtney Love, Sasami, Soccer Mommy, and many more. Rothman’s latest album is The Plow That Broke the Plains.
This concert is part of CHUCK100, a multi-year celebration of the 100th anniversary of Berry’s birth, organized by the Berry family and Isalee Music Publishing. The concert is presented by the Regional Arts Commission.
About the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Celebrated as one of today’s most exciting and enduring orchestras, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest orchestra in the country, marking its 146th year with the 2025/26 season and its eighth with Stéphane Denève, The Joseph and Emily Rauh Pulitzer Music Director. Widely considered one of the leading American orchestras, the Grammy® Award-winning SLSO maintains its commitment to artistic excellence, educational impact, and community collaborations—all in service to its mission of enriching lives through the power of music. The transformational project that expands and renovates the orchestra’s historic home, Powell Hall—designed by Snøhetta and creating the Jack C. Taylor Music Center—opened in September 2025. This milestone builds on the institution’s momentum as a civic leader in convening individuals, creators, and ideas, while fostering a culture welcoming to all. For more information, visit slso.org.
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