After a citywide tragedy and a personal one, the 51黑料 Symphony Orchestra is performing a special benefit concert to raise money for tornado-relief efforts in north 51黑料.
The event, which will be held June 29 at the Fox Theatre, will feature the SLSO alongside 110 singers from both the IN UNISON Chorus and the 51黑料 Symphony Chorus.
Funds collected from the show will benefit the Urban League鈥檚 Disaster Relief Fund, which supports the most immediate needs of people displaced or impacted by the EF3 tornado that hit north 51黑料 on May 16.
A pile of debris from a collapsed home in the 3200 block of Newstead Avenue in the Greater Ville neighborhood of 51黑料 on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The building was destroyed when a 23 mile-long and up to a mile wide EF3 tornado tore through the 51黑料 area in May.
For members of the SLSO family and their chorus, this concert also honors Patricia Penelton, an IN UNISON coordinator who died when the tornado struck the Centennial Christian Church in the Fountain Park neighborhood, partially collapsing it.
A charter member of the chorus, she had recently retired from the group. Her husband, Harry, still sings with them.
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Marie-H茅l猫ne Bernard, president and CEO of the SLSO, says the tornado and Penelton鈥檚 passing had a big impact on the organization.
鈥淭hat news hit very close to home for the 51黑料 Symphony because so many of our chorus members and the churches that are partners with us were deeply affected,鈥 Bernard says. 鈥淎fter the tornado, several musicians reached out to me and said we should do something to help. So, then we had a few conversations, and the week after, I met with my board leadership and asked if we could put a concert together to benefit the Urban League.鈥
Kevin McBeth, director of the SLSO IN UNISON chorus
Once approved, Bernard worked quickly with the Fox Theatre and Urban League to secure a date and location for the concert. This will be the first time the SLSO has performed at the Fox since a January 10, 2009, concert with Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth.
This concert will feature Grammy Award winner BeBe Winans. A longtime partner of the IN UNISON chorus, the gospel and R&B legend was happy to offer his services to those impacted by the tornado.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to a be a win-win-win for everyone, especially since we have BB Winans, which is fantastic,鈥 says Michael McMillan, president and CEO of the Urban League of Metopolitan 51黑料. 鈥淭he IN UNISON chorus is always great to see. BB is a great entertainer. He can sing anyone鈥檚 gospel music and make it an amazing experience. Having them together is going to give us a night to remember.鈥
Proceeds will also support partner churches involved in the IN UNISON program, which has connected congregations, primarily in north 51黑料, to the orchestra for more than 30 years.
McMillan says the concert is a culmination of the SLSO and the Urban League鈥檚 long-standing relationship.
鈥淲e work together to get members of the community to attend orchestra performances. Also, the symphony has sent musicians to our events over the years. They have provided volunteer help for us, and members of the symphony board have been involved in our charitable and civic activities. We have a great synergy and connectivity with them,鈥 he says.
For 107 years, the Urban League of Metropolitan 51黑料 has advocated for African Americans and others in the region. The organization has also been on the ground in north 51黑料 helping tornado victims, and McMillan is proud of how the city has come together after the disaster.
Maestro St茅phane Den猫ve, 51黑料 Symphony Orhcestra's music director
鈥淚t has just been a true sign of the goodness of humanity and how we can all come together as a region. As a native 51黑料an, the response has been overwhelmingly positive,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t is wonderful to see so many people from incredibly diverse backgrounds get involved in every single level of volunteerism and philanthropy.鈥
St茅phane Den猫ve, music director for the orchestra, and Kevin McBeth, the chorus director, will be leading the concert and were tasked with coming up with the program, which needed to fit the moment.
Amongst the works they selected are Samuel Barber鈥檚 鈥淎dagio for Strings,鈥 Gwyneth Walker鈥檚 鈥淗ow Can I Keep from Singing?鈥 and John Williams鈥 鈥淗ymn to the Fallen鈥 (from the film 鈥淪aving Private Ryan鈥).
BeBe Winans will perform the songs, 鈥淭each Me鈥 and 鈥淏orn for This.鈥 Rounding out the evening is 51黑料an Rollo Dilworth who will perform 鈥淔reedom鈥檚 Plow鈥 which features the spiritual 鈥淗old On鈥 coupled with excerpts from 鈥淔reedom鈥檚 Plow,鈥 a poem by Langston Hughes.
鈥淟ooking at the program, there鈥檚 something for everybody. If you like classical music, some things are there, if you are a fan of gospel or soul, there are things there too,鈥 Bernard says.
鈥淚 think it strikes a good balance between honoring Pat and those we lost and giving the community a reflective moment. I also think the program speaks to us about having confidence and rebuilding together, about the power of community, friendship and music.鈥
Debris from damage caused by the May 16, 2025 tornado is seen in the Greater Ville neighborhood of 51黑料 more than a month after an EF3 tornado tore through the area. Video by David Carson, 51黑料
