Dreamweaver Marketing News, Tony Award-Winner Billy Porter to Trade his “Boots” for a Tux at the 2015 Pittsburgh CLO Guild Ball!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Aja Jones
412-281-3973 ext. 224
ajones@pittsburghCLO.org

Tony Award-Winner Billy Porter toTrade his “Boots” for a Tux at the 2015 Pittsburgh CLO Guild Ball!

Pittsburgh, PA • April 23, 2015 — The Pittsburgh CLO Guild celebrates 60 years of the Guild Ball this year with their most exciting guest star yet!  This festive celebration will be highlighted by a special performance by Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning singer, actor, playwright and director BILLY PORTER.  A Pittsburgh native and CLO alumnus, Mr. Porter was honored with the 2013 Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Actor in a Musical for his unforgettable turn as “Lola” in the Broadway smash hit KINKY BOOTS. Hailed as “a force of nature” by the New York Daily News and praised by the Associated Press for his “touching, sassy, nuanced performance, often in 8-inch heels,” Mr. Porter is an unforgettable talent you won’t want to miss. He will return again in August to reprise his role in KINKY BOOTS for one week only, August 4 - 9!

The 60^th Annual Pittsburgh CLO Guild Ball, chaired by Christina O’Toole, will be held on Saturday, June 6 at the Omni William Penn in downtown Pittsburgh. This year’s theme, “These Boots are Made for Dancin’,” is a celebration of Pittsburgh CLO’s upcoming premiere of KINKY BOOTS and the 2015 Summer Season.  The evening will include the annual sale of “Pink Boxes” and a silent auction featuring several luxury items.
Proceeds from the Ball support Pittsburgh CLO’s Education and Outreach Programs, such as the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater, CLO Summer Internship Program and the CLO Mini-Stars. The Guild also offers college scholarship assistance to deserving students pursuing performing arts training. For additional information or ball reservations, please contact Andrew Frey at 412-281-3973x234 or afrey@pittsburghCLO.org.

Billy Porter as Lola in "Kinky Boots" from
Broadway.com

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Since 1946, the Pittsburgh CLO has been the driving force behind live musical theater in Pittsburgh and the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Under the direction of Van Kaplan since 1997, this not-for-profit arts organization appreciates the support of nearly 200,000 patrons each year and produces a subscription series, educational programs, national tours and develops and invests in new works, including 20 Broadway shows (25 Tony Awards®) featuring the current productions of Kinky Boots and Matilda. Its dedication to the musical theater art form extends to include such programs as the CLO Academy, the CLO Mini Stars, the Gene Kelly Awards, the Richard Rodgers Award, theNational High School Musical Theater Awards, the Construction Center for the Arts and the CLO Cabaret.

Dreamweaver Marketing News, PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 SEASON FOR SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL SERIES

For Immediate Release

April 27, 2015

THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES 2015-2016 SEASON FOR SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL SERIES

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Scottish Rite Cathedral Series celebrates its 15th anniversary during the 2015-2016 season with a diverse selection of concerts that hits all the right notes.

The season opens on Friday, December 18 with one of the most festive nights of the year — Holiday Pops! Guest conductor Daniel Meyer leads the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and a sleigh full of guest artists in favorite carols, cherished holiday tunes, seasonal orchestral pieces and a Christmas sing-along.

Music Director Manfred Honeck comes to the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Thursday, February 25. He leads the Pittsburgh Symphony in Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” which was recorded in the 2014-2015 season for future release. The orchestra also will perform Haydn’s Symphony No. 93 in D major, the first of the 12 “London” symphonies he wrote during a two-year period in the English capital. The remaining piece on the program will be a surprise just for the New Castle audience!

The series wraps up on April 9, 2016 with a celebration of 50 years of movie scores in The Ultimate Oscars. This program features Oscar-winning scores from movies like “The Godfather,” “Star Wars,” “Schindler’s List” and many more. Please note that film clips are not part of this performance.

Three-concert season packages go on sale May 1 and are $33-$150. Packages can be purchased by calling 800-743-8560 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/src. Packages for the 2015-2016 season also can be purchased in person prior to the final concert of the 2014-2015 season, “The Art of Music,” on Wednesday, May 20. Tickets for individual concerts will go on sale this summer.

All concerts are held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle. Pre-concert dinners are held at the cathedral, beginning at 6 p.m., before each performance. Call 724-654-6683 for reservations.

2015-2016 Scottish Rite Cathedral Series at a Glance

Programs, artists and dates are subject to change

Friday, December 18, 2015

Holiday Pops!

Daniel Meyer, conductor

A sleigh full of favorite carols, cherished holiday tunes, seasonal orchestral pieces and a Christmas carol sing-along are headed to the Scottish Rite Cathedral. One of the most festive concerts of this year, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Daniel Meyer, will delight children of all ages — from 1 to 92.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Tchaikovsky and Haydn

Manfred Honeck, conductor

Music Director Manfred Honeck leads the Pittsburgh Symphony in Tchaikovsky’s emotional and pain-filled Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique,” and Haydn’s Symphony No. 93 in D major. The program includes a third work that will be a surprise just for the New Castle audience!

Saturday, April 9, 2016

The Ultimate Oscars

Celebrate 50 years of Oscar-winning scores—from John Williams to John Barry—with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 119 years, 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. Past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), Andre Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1995-2004).  This tradition of outstanding international music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The orchestra has been at the forefront of championing new American works, and gave the first performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1944 and John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” in 1986. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast on the airwaves coast-to-coast and in the late 1970s it made the ground breaking PBS series “Previn and the Pittsburgh.” The orchestra has received increased national attention since 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900—including 36 international tours to Europe, the Far East and South America—the Pittsburgh Symphony continues to be critically acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest orchestras.

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Vice President of Communications and External Relations
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org

Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@pittsburghsymphony.org

Twitter: @pghsymphony | Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra

Dreamweaver Marketing News, PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NAMES MELIA PETERS TOURANGEAU AS PRESIDENT AND CEO

For Immediate Release:

May 4, 2015

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA NAMES MELIA PETERS TOURANGEAU AS PRESIDENT AND CEO

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced today the appointment of Melia Peters Tourangeau as its new president and CEO. Tourangeau comes to Pittsburgh from Salt Lake City, Utah, where she has served as president and chief executive officer of the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera (USUO) for the last seven years.

Tourangeau, 43, will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in August of this year. She succeeds James A. Wilkinson, who is retiring.

“Throughout her tenures at orchestras in Utah and Michigan, Melia Tourangeau has shown herself to be a creative, collaborative and strong leader,” said Richard P. Simmons, chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Board of Trustees. “We are confident she is the right person to support and grow the world-class artistic excellence for which the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has always been known.”

The search committee spent about eight months conducting a national search for Wilkinson’s replacement. Tom Todd, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra trustee and chair of the search committee, said that Tourangeau met all of the committee’s demanding criteria.

“We were looking for someone with not only proven leadership skills, a passion for orchestral music and a track record of increased earned and contributed revenues, but also a leader who believes in our great Orchestra’s commitment to becoming an increasingly vital part of the fabric of our community and has the capability to effectively communicate our strong case for support to all our diverse constituencies,” said Todd. “Melia fits that bill in all respects.”

In 2008, Tourangeau became the head of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, the only combined 52-week orchestra and opera organization in the United States. Under her leadership, USUO, which has an $19-million operating budget and 85 contracted musicians, increased ticket revenue by more than $1 million, returned its Annual Fund to pre-recession levels and secured millions in bridge funding over a four-year period while holding expense increases to a 6% increase over six years.

Prior to joining USUO, Tourangeau was president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan, where she was responsible for the overall financial, operational and administrative management of the organization. She joined that symphony in 1997 as education director and moved through ranks to director of operations and vice president and general manager before being named president. She began her administrative career with the Akron Symphony Orchestra as education coordinator.

“It gives me great pleasure to welcome Melia Tourangeau as our next president and CEO,” said Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  “I am very excited about the future of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra given her sure-handed leadership, commitment and strategic vision. Melia's deep love and passion for music is obvious and I look forward to working closely together with her.”

Tourangeau received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1994 from the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music with a major in piano performance and a minor in musicology. In 2007, she earned a master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on nonprofit leadership from Grand Valley State University.

“Having a president and CEO who has experience as both a musician and administrator and has shown a real commitment to open lines of communication with all constituencies is an exciting development for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” said Micah Howard, chair of the Orchestra Committee and member of the Search Committee. "The musicians are looking forward to working with a leader who has shown such dedication to advancing symphonic music." 

“The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is one of the finest ensembles in the world and it is an honor and privilege to be chosen as their new president and CEO,” said Tourangeau.  “I am thrilled to work with Maestro Honeck, the musicians, the staff and the Board in continuing to foster the international reputation of this exceptional orchestra, sharing our core work and building strong relationships with our current and future audiences, as well as creating new opportunities to have the orchestra engage in meaningful ways with the greater Pittsburgh community and beyond.”

Tourangeau will move to Pittsburgh this summer with her husband, Mike, and two children, Olivia, 10, and Zacharie, 7.