We are thrilled to announce that EcoTones Concerts @ Little Creek Nature Area is coming up on Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 10:00am! Co-sponsored by St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home initiative, this full-scale EcoTones features 14 members of the world-class St. Louis EcoTones Ensemble in an all-ages ticketed musical event open to the public. Little Creek Nature Area features a variety of flourishing ecosystems including a pond, forest, and a 40-year-old restored native prairie.
10:00-11:00am Musical Trail
Audience members walk a “Music Trail” through multiple ecotones in the preserve, hearing small ensembles perform music directly inspired by the flora and fauna surrounding each trailside stage, interspersed with naturalists from St. Louis Audubon’s Bring Conservation Home and the Missouri Prairie Foundation providing insights.
11:30am Sit Down Concert
The Music Trail portion of the event is immediately followed by a sit-down concert set at Little Creek Nature Area’s Pavilion, featuring a convergence of all 14 members of the St. Louis EcoTones Ensemble. New music inspired by the prairie ecosystem, its superpower roots, specific native plants, pollinators, and local birds will be performed, including new original compositions and arrangements by five of the ensemble members including Bob Deboo, Danny Campbell, Thomas Jostlein, Alan Ferber, and Jody Redhage Ferber.
The newly crafted creative music of the EcoTones Ensemble creates a musical ecotone across classical music and jazz improvisation. The performance features world-class St. Louis Region professional musicians from the SLSO as well as mainstay players on the regional & international jazz scene including Adam Maness (piano), Alan Ferber (trombone), Ann Choomack (flute), Aska Kaneko (violin), Bjorn Ranheim (cello), Bob Deboo (bass & composition), Danny Campbell (trumpet), Jody Redhage-Ferber (cello & compositions), Kaleb Kirby (drums), Kwanae Johnson (saxophones), Thomas Jöstlein (alphorn, French horn), Tod Bowermaster (alphorn, French horn), Tricia Jöstlein (alphorn, French horn), and Vince Varvel (guitar).
A limited amount of picnic table bench seating will be available for the full-length concert set at 11:30am, but audience members should plan to BYO-EVERYTHING: camp chairs, food and drink etc. Audience members embarking on the Music Trail portion of the event should wear appropriate footwear. In the event of rain, portions of the event will be moved under cover within Little Creek Nature Area. Tickets are Pay-What-You Want with a limited number of free tickets available on a first-come-first-serve basis by emailing ecotonesconcerts@gmail.com (intended for people for whom a Pay What You Want ticket purchase is not possible).
Special thanks to our season nonprofit sponsor St. Louis Audubon Society’s Bring Conservation Home Initiative, as well as our event sponsors Jackson Pianos, Knilling Strings, The Missouri Prairie Foundation, a program support grant from the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis, Top Notch Violins, and generous private donations. We are grateful to these entities for making this innovative live music event a reality!