The St. Louis summer drew to a close last Wednesday night as several hundred St. Louisians piled in to enjoy the St. Louis Symphony give its first free performance of the 136th season. The evening’s program included an eclectic but familiar blend of music, with a lineup that included a couple of patriotic classics, a popular spiritual hymn, one of Mozart’s most recognizable tunes and “Raider’s March” from “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

Offering a very accessible repertoire for those who might not consider themselves classical music enthusiasts or experts, this program served to demonstrate the prevailing relevance of a musical genre that some might consider outdated or increasingly limited in popular appeal. In the words of David Robertson, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s music director, “Everyone’s home is in music.”

The concert began with a spirited rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and transitioned into Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks” and Beethoven’s “Egmont” Overture. Robertson introduced each piece with historical trivia, brief analysis or a personal story, noting the transformation of Mozart’s “Eine kliene Nachtmusik” (in English, “a little serenade”) from a chamber piece written for a string quartet to a widely performed orchestral piece featured in children’s entertainment and recognized by toddlers. He injected a bit of humor when he commented that Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers,” made popular by “The Nutcracker,” has been “ruined” for him by its newfound status as a holiday classic.

Arguably the most powerful moment of the show came in the form of a quiet rendition of “Wade in the water.” Though audience members were invited to sing along, many were held in captive silence by the emotion and range of St. Louis vocalist Brian Owens. The performance highlighted a perfectly symbiotic relationship between the vocals and instrumental accompaniment—a soft accompaniment allowed a subtle vocal performance to shine as the orchestra swelled in support of increasingly joyful crescendos and pulled back to allow moments of stillness to communicate the pain and hope flowing through each lyric.

After an excerpt from “Dvorak’s New World Symphony,” the energy of the crowd picked up as the concert drew to a close with a preview of the upcoming performance of the complete score from “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which was met with audible audience excitement and smatterings of applause throughout the performance as listeners hummed along with the familiar themes. The audience clapped in time with John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” and, as the piece concluded, a silence fell over the crowd as a slew of fireworks exploded behind the stage.

This concert was just one of several free chamber concerts planned by the St. Louis Symphony this year as part of a larger outreach program, which aims to encourage the integration of classical music in schools, churches and local communities. These concerts provide brief previews of full-length performances coming to St. Louis’s Powell Hall, demonstrating the diverse array of programming put on by the Symphony each year and providing a light and informative introduction to classical music in a casual and dynamic environment. The St. Louis Symphony is especially interested in drawing young patrons to Powell Hall, and Washington University students, faculty and staff members between the ages of 25 and 45 are eligible to join Young Friends of the St. Louis Symphony to sign up for a three-concert subscription and purchase discounted tickets.

The St. Louis Symphony has a disparate and intriguing series of events planned for the upcoming months including a tribute to Prince, Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances,” Disney in Concert, “New World Symphony” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” and Wash. U. students will have a chance to preview some of these offerings when the St. Louis Symphony presents a chamber concert on the South 40 on Monday, Sept.19, at 6 p.m. Under the new leadership of president and CEO Marie-Helene Bernard, the St. Louis Symphony has made a laudable effort to expand their repertoire beyond the classical canon and make the symphony both musically and financially accessible for college students—student tickets for select concerts are available for only $10. Whatever your musical tastes, the opportunity to experience “A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop” with St. Louis icon Nelly is almost surely priceless.