Friends of the Symphony

Warren Keller and Julia Oyen-Keller

Warren Keller and Julia Oyen-Keller

Asking Warren and Julia how they became a couple could result in a “Who’s on First?” routine.

That’s because they met at the Met. The Metropolitan Opera, that is.

Both long-time listeners of Met Opera broadcasts on a St. Louis radio station, Warren and Julia just happened to have the same idea at the same time to travel with a tour group to the Met in New York. They married a year and a half later. “Our paths wouldn’t have crossed otherwise,” Warren explains.

In addition to a love of opera, Warren and Julia also share special connections to the St. Louis Symphony. As a music teacher for 20 years in University City, Julia encouraged her students to participate in Picture the Music and Express the Music, creative competitions presented by the St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association. Her son, David, a former member of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra, now teaches bassoon at Morehead State University in Kentucky.

“I’m grateful to the Symphony for what it has done for my own child and the kids I have taught—the quality of the outreach programs is wonderful,” Julia adds.

Warren retired last season from the St. Louis Symphony Chorus after 35 years of singing in the tenor section. Having joined as a charter member, Warren accepted the role of “unofficial historian" and has compiled a detailed history and record of every Chorus program since the group’s formation in 1976. His son, Kevin, also sang for several years with the Chorus making them the only father-son members of the group thus far.

“The quality of this orchestra is phenomenal,” Warren says. “We give to the Annual Campaign because St. Louis needs this orchestra and chorus.”

If you meet Warren and Julia, at Powell Hall or the Met, please thank them for their generous support of the STL Symphony and our mission to enrich people’s lives through the power of music.