Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Thompson Named to PSO Board of Trustees

For Immediate Release
Feb. 3, 2014

MAYOR OF WILKINSBURG JOINS PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BOARD OF TRUSTEES


PITTSBURGH—Pittsburgh Symphony Inc. is proud to welcome John Thompson, mayor of Wilkinsburg, to its board of trustees.

Thompson has been an active member of the Wilkinsburg community for many years, including as first president of Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation, involvement with the Community Engagement Committee for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Wilkinsburg Boys & Girls Club; and founder of the 1100 South Avenue Block Club, MADDADS and Wilkinsburg Sanctuary Project. His political career began when he was elected Wilkinsburg Councilman for Ward 2 District 3 and served as vice president of Wilkinsburg Borough Council. He became mayor of Wilkinsburg in 2001 and was re-elected in 2004. Professionally, he has been employed at U.S. Steel Corporation for 37 years and is an active member of local union 1219 United Steelworkers of America. He joined the board in January.


For more than 116 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been an essential part of Pittsburgh’s cultural landscape. The Pittsburgh Symphony, known for its artistic excellence, is credited with a rich history of the world’s finest conductors and musicians, and a strong commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. This tradition was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra continues to be critically acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest orchestras. The Pittsburgh Symphony has made 40 international tours, including 20 European tours, eight trips to the Far East, and two to South America. Under the baton of Gilbert Levine, the PSO was the first American orchestra to perform at the Vatican in January 2004 for the late Pope John Paul II, as part of the Pontiff’s Silver Jubilee celebration. The PSO has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. As early as 1936, the PSO broadcast coast-to-coast, receiving increased national attention in 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International (PRI). The PRI series is produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3 in Pittsburgh and is made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc., a non-profit organization, and is the year-round home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The cornerstone of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, Heinz Hall hosts many events that do not feature its world-renowned Orchestra including Broadway shows, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visit heinzhall.org.

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@pittsburghsymphony.org

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