See Who’s Singing the Praises of the St. Louis Arts-and-Culture Scene

For the 2024 Visitors Guide, Explore St. Louis spoke with four leaders at the helm of the St. Louis arts-and-culture scene. Here, Andrew Jorgensen, general director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, shares his favorite ways to experience the arts in the Gateway City. See all the content in the official Visitors Guide here.

The question is: How much time do you have in St. Louis? Because the region is a treasure trove of art and culture experiences, with something fresh and exhilarating to discover every night. The scene here is accessible – and extremely dense – making it easy to consume, as well.

My husband, Mark, and I are culture vultures, so outside of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, we try to go to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as much as possible. We also gravitate toward The Sheldon because it offers a complete, fun, unmissable experience. We don’t just love the performances there – although, we’ve seen some awesome, eclectic acts over the years; it’s also a beautiful place to experience art with others. That’s how we feel about Jazz St. Louis, too.

We like to have a drink and listen to a second set at Jazz St. Louis. Often, I don’t know what I’m walking into at either venue – because those art forms aren’t my deep expertise – but I’ve learned to trust that I’ll never have a bad experience. We’ve also become huge fans of The Big Muddy Dance Company, especially under the new artistic leadership of Kirven Douthit-Boyd.

In between performances, we try to see as much art as possible. We go to every new exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation – neither of which has a permanent collection – and I go to the Missouri Botanical Garden almost every weekend. It’s the perfect place to take long walks with our one-year-old son in the stroller because something different is always in bloom.

What did Mark Twain say? When in doubt, tell the truth.

It’s easy for me to talk about all of this because I really believe in the cultural vitality of our community. It’s easy to sing the praises of the St. Louis arts-and-culture scene.