Ella Fitzgerald sang here. Miles Davis was born here. Chuck Berry electrified audiences here.  

Saint Louis has long been a stage for musical greatness, and for Arden Toney, Staff Accountant at Datamax, it’s also home to a lifelong passion that continues to shape her life.

Arden’s appreciation for music began early. “Third or fourth grade I picked up the violin for middle school orchestra,” she recalls. “I still play. That started my whole musical journey.” A pivotal moment came in 2008, when her godmother took her to the Saint Louis Symphony to see world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the Powell Hall. “That started my symphony fascination,” she says. Since then, she has attended countless performances, including concerts by violin legends Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn, her personal favorite.

All in the Family.

Arden’s father, a classically trained jazz pianist, added another layer to her love for the art. “He does gigs all over the city,” she says proudly. “He plays at Sasha’s on the Southside of St. Louis and other smaller venues. It’s good listening to him play jazz, a lot of blues and R&B, too.” Recently, Arden and her sister even joined in the fun at Blue Strawberry, attending small, intimate jazz shows together.

Music:  It’s All Over Saint Louis.

When asked to describe the local scene, Arden doesn’t hesitate. “It’s very vibrant,” she says. She points to events like Music at the Intersection, a multi-day festival in the Grand Center Arts District that blends national headliners with local talent across genres like jazz, soul, hip-hop, blues, and R&B. “Common and Patti LaBelle came through,” she adds.

But the heartbeat of the city stretches beyond festivals. From the Saint Louis Symphony’s grand stage at Powell Hall to free concerts in Forest Park, Arden takes in it all. “Music is one of the greatest communicators we have,” she says. “If I can’t describe how I feel, I can throw on some Bach, and it’s like he literally wrote out what I was feeling.”

All Over The Theater Scene, too.

Beyond symphonies and jazz, Arden has a deep love for theatre. She often visits The Fox Theatre, a landmark in the city. “In a couple of weeks, I’m going to see live music from the video game The Witcher,” she says. “I’m planning to see Phantom of the Opera again next year. I’ve seen it before, but why not see it again??”

Her musical tastes are as wide-ranging as the venues she visits. She’s been to The Factory in Chesterfield, The Pageant in the Loop, and Saint Louis Music Park in Maryland Heights. And her experience spans genres, from annual Christmas jazz concerts at Jazz Bistro to Christian rock tours like Winter Jam, where she saw Skillet, Crowder, and TobyMac.

It’s All Encompassing.

For Arden, music is more than entertainment. It’s connection. It’s joy. It’s community.

“It’s the atmosphere,” she says. “I would like to consider myself a fairly friendly person. I find some people to talk to, and we have camaraderie here. We all love music. It just puts a smile on my face.”

Saint Louis continues to feed Arden’s passion for live performance. And as long as the city keeps playing, she’ll keep listening.