Dreanweaver Marketing News, PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES COMPLETE PROGRAMMING LINE UP for FIRST NIGHT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:Shaunda Miles, Director of Public Relations, 412-471-1578/ Miles@TrustArts.org Diana Roth, Communications Manager, 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

Full Media Kit for Highmark First Night 2016 is available for download:
https://pctrust.sharefile.com/d-s3d324fa7e694588b

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

COMPLETE PROGRAMMING LINE UP

FOR HIGHMARK^® FIRST NIGHT^® PITTSBURGH 2016

Thursday, December 31, 2015, 6:00 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. midnight

Cultural District | Downtown Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, PA— The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announced the complete programming roster for the 22^nd annual Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.  Each year, approximately 40,000 people ring in the New Year at hundreds of events within venues throughout the Cultural District.  90% of all events are held indoors.  For the fifth consecutive year, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield will serve as the presenting sponsor for the event, produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

“Take a tour around the world within the Cultural District on First Night,” invites Janis Burley Wilson, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Community Engagement for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. “This year’s Around the Word—Around the ‘Burgh theme event offers guests the opportunity to enjoy sights and sounds from across the globe.”

Highmark First Night Pittsburgh will kick off with children’s fireworks at 6:00 p.m. on the Dollar Bank Stage along with a performance by the 10-piece music machine with a power-house singer, Lyndsey Smith & Soul Distribution, who have been performing in Pittsburgh frequently for the past ​four​​ years.  Crowned “The Goddaughter of Soul” by her loyal Baltimore fans, Smith moved to Pittsburgh seeking advanced medical support to aid with her son’s autism diagnosis.  Watch a video of the band’s performance here. 

At the end of the evening, visitors will enjoy the Future of Pittsburgh Grand Finale: the countdown to midnight, raising of the 1,000 lbs. Future of Pittsburgh ball 150 feet in the air above Penn Avenue Place, and a spectacular Zambelli fireworks finale; they will also be serenaded by the rockin’ sounds of The Wailers on the Highmark Stage. Together with Bob Marley, The Wailers have sold over 250 million albums and have played to an estimated 24 million people across the globe performing an average of 200 dates a year.  The anchor of the band is Aston “Family Man” Barrett, who in addition to being Marley’s most trusted lieutenant and co-producer, played on countless other classic reggae hits throughout the seventies. The authenticity he brings to the Wailers’ sound is indisputable and yet today’s line-up combines old school know-how with lead vocals from one of Jamaica’s most exciting new singers. 

The Wailers are undoubtedly the world’s premier reggae and world music group who bring high energy shows to fans across the globe.

The Wailers epitomize this year’s Highmark First Night Pittsburgh theme, Around the World—Around the ‘Burgh, by bringing to Pittsburgh – the site of Bob Marley’s final performance – a legacy and sound celebrated internationally for more than fifty years.

New attractions taking place throughout the evening include a special vouchered performance by Pittsburgh's premier blues/R&B/soul band, Billy Price Band.Billy Price has been entertaining audiences since performing in Pittsburgh, PA with the Rhythm Kings in the early 1970s.

Drew the Dramatic Fool presents foolish theater for smart audiences during his variety act that combines high-stakes drama with circus skills, magic, and visual theater. The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School will perform withformer Principal Dancer, Christine Schwaner, who stages excerpts from the full length Spanish style ballet, Don Quixote.

Bricolage Production Company presents The Voyage of SeaSoar created by Parag S. Gohel, Ayne Tercia and Cory Talmer.  Follow the adventures of a yellow-bodied winged creature that collects subaquatic data for scientific research. After a devastating crash into the cliffs of the 4th River Gorge, the eclectic crew of the Revelle are docked in Bricolage Bay, scrambling to repair SeaSoar and save the valuable data which holds secret messages from its global travels. But, the crew cannot repair SeaSoar without first deciphering its complex language and they don’t have the key. Do you? Experience this interactive journey and discover how you can have a hand in saving SeaSoar and possibly all of humanity.

Other vouchered performances will include Arcade Comedy Theater, featuring its in-house improvisation team, Improve Arcade.  The jokes will continue in Agnes R. Katz Plaza with Construction Junction – MARC USA.  They will present The Environment is No Joke, an interactive salvaged door display featuring reuse awareness knock-knock jokes.  Player One. J. Russ and Gab Bonesso, stand-out stand-up comedy performers will be showcased at the Cabaret at Theater Square, and Jane’s Jungle Adventure, an interactive, musical theater for kids will be performed by Gemini Children’s Theater in the Highmark Auditorium at Fifth Avenue Place.  Stacyee Pearl’s Dance Project will present PLAYGROUND, which inhabits a playful, fun space reminiscent of early life experiences with movement at the August Wilson Center. Lastly, Williams SING-OFF Competition Winner, Gabby Barrett will perform on the Dollar Bank stage as the opener for Lyndsey Smith and the Soul Distribution.  Barrett was the first Williams sing-off winner ever to be selected to receive the award by celebrity guest judge and legendary music icon, Smokey Robinson.

This year’s FedEx Ground Parade will feature local dignitaries, marching bands, a colorful display of local community artwork in addition to the traditional art cars and giant puppets from Studio Capezzuti. The parade starts at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center at 8 p.m. and runs along Penn Ave before turning right on 6th Street toward the Allegheny River.  Workshops to develop the puppets for the parade are taking place throughout the month of December and can be attended at no cost.  For more information on how to register for a workshop, visit TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH. 

With all of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust galleries offering extended hours, visitors can take in world-renowned exhibitions, and stroll along their own personalized gallery crawl on New Year’s Eve. Visitors can get a final glimpse of the renowned works of Hetain Patel in At Home, and Nandini Valli Muthiah, a central figure in Indian photography,on exhibitat Wood Street Galleries. The installations at Wood Street Galleries were featured during the programmatic focus on India, recently produced by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. 

Other galleries will showcase the artwork of Sean Beauford (707 Gallery) whose exhibit Poison examines the enduring relationship between drugs and the urban community and Post Erotica: The Anthropology of Motherhood at 709 Penn Gallery which is a visual diary of valuable experiences of being a mom by Fran Flaherty.

Brokn celebrates hope for love amidst brokenness, featuring art by Lynndell Lorenz, Keith Schmiedlin, Michael Lotenero, Brian Holderman, & Matthew Lorenz (937 Liberty, 2^nd Floor) and a traveling exhibition curated by Chris McGinnis, The Mountain and the Bumblebee will also be open at SPACE, featuring selected works by contemporary artists and poets who confront broadly defined notions of landscape as both cultural icon and raw material.

Associated Artists of Pittsburgh will showcase its newest members from the Spring and Fall 2015 New Member Screenings. Visitors will enjoy a variety of works including sculpture, paintings and prints from 30 visual artists which will be on view for the public.

Sail into the New Year at Shaw Galleries with the latest exhibit Pirates! Buccaneers, Privateers and Swashbucklers Revealed. Explore the world of pirates and privateers or guests can sit back and relax as the Pittsburgh Filmmakers presents select classic trailers for New Year's Eve. How many films have you seen over the last 40 years? Now you can see them all again…well not all of them, but at least the trailers to these classics of cinema history!

Kids and kids at heart can enjoy the hands-on activities in the First National Bank Family Tent. There visitors will be able to help The Children’s Museum’s“First Night Resolution Tree” to bloom by writing and posting reflections from the past year and wishes for the New Year. Participants can also create a unique and colorful snowflake with Pittsburgh 

Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center Arts. The Allegheny County Park Rangers will bring a variety of local wildlife animal specimens for participants to study, touch and learn about! Other First National Bank Family Tent collaborators include Gateway to the Arts, Buzzword Pittsburgh and SocialButterflyMagazine.com. Be sure to stop by the tent to say hello to Pirate Parrot, IceBurgh, Social Butterfly and Steely McBeam—Pittsburgh’s favorite mascots!

Citizens Bank Children's Theater Series, EQT Bridge Theater Series, & EQT Children's Theater Festival have fun activities planned at the August Wilson Center.  Tetris, Superheroes, and Storybooks will provide opportunities for young people to try their hand at a game of Tetris, to create a large-scale analog game of Tetris on the walls of the August Wilson Center using pixels and patterns to create incredible collaborative art or to create their very own superhero in a button.  Guests can also enjoy readings and snappy rhymes from Room on the Broom and the classic bedtime tale Good Night Moon or snap a fun selfie with everyone’s favorite gal, Junie B. Jones.

Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse will encourage everyone to start their new year with confidence and flair with their activity—Award Yourself.  The activity will take place in the Multi-Purpose Room at Urban Pathways Charter School.  Visitors can craft a special wearable accolade to showcase something wonderful about themselves or their friends.

Scrappy New Year

Drew Foolhand

There a tons of other activities to enjoy including Gemstone Readings by Professor Styles of the Miracle Elixir Sideshow; First Night Face Painting, awesome one-of-a-kind on-the-spot improvisation-inflation-creations by Giggles the Clown and local Caricaturists—Shawnelle Dodds and Clarence Butler—all scheduled for Fifth Avenue Place and Light Bright Beautiful Puppetry at Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.

For those who want to walk on the wilder side, they can enjoy a four-hour long production featuring the annual live ice carving and fire show at Fire & Ice Plaza located at the 8^th Street parking lot. Experience a one of a kind fire and ice show with chainsaws slicing through ice, fire dancing with music and spectacular lighting featuring Steel Town Fire!

Music lovers will have a vast array of global sounds to choose from this year.  The WYEP music station will return and feature the Appalachian-inspired, three-part harmony group The Early Mays with special guest Rachel Feddy and Pittsburgh native Joy Ike with her percussive, soulful and powerful-pop as well as WYEP Artist of the Year – 2016, Brooke Annibale. 

Other musical performances include Dwayne Dolphin, the standout jazz bassist from Pittsburgh. The

Charlie Akers

Fairmont Hotel will remain a First Night site, featuring Tania Grubbs as part of the Jazz at Andy’s Quartet.  From jazz to classical, Balmoral Pipes and Drums with Highland Dancers will perform at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh and River City Brass will present their Around the World Brasstacular performance featuring selections from their repertoire.

Join Cafe Con Leche to give “despidida” to 2015 as they bring in the New Year with traditions from Latin America and Pittsburgh including live dance performances and lessons from Los Sabrosos Dance Company, Tanguero Alejandro Pinzon, and Yemaya Pittsburgh. Anthony Mitchell Jr. and Tambour Cimarron will bring the beat with music from Africa and Latin America. DS Kinsel will complete live-action painting all night long and the soulful Jacquea Maewill close out the evening with her amazing voice.

Other activities include dance lessons with Arthur Murray Dance Center, Soul Line Dancing with Roland Ford, The Junior Tamburitzans of South Hills and aBellydance Show performed by Susan Goelz of Unsuk Dance in the black box at Pittsburgh CAPA. Matthew Korbanic will be performing the works of Bach, York, and Maggio for 8-string classical guitar in the Courtyard by Marriott hotel lobby and Urban Pathways Sounds of Steel will showcase students from grades 6-12 who will delight audiences with their steelpan ensemble.  There is truly something for everyone!

All programming is subject to change. Updates will be posted online at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH. 

The new Highmark First Night Pittsburgh website provides event details and allows users to sort through the schedule of events and customize plans.  TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH is mobile-friendly and will allow smartphone users to plan on-the-go during New Year’s Eve.

AdmissionHighmark First Night Pittsburgh buttons (worn by attendees) are available beginning the first week in December at Giant Eagle locations; online at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH; by phone at 412-456-6666; or at The Box Office at Theater Square, located at 655 Penn Avenue.  Buttons cost $8 in advance or $10 night-of-event. Children age 5 and under are admitted FREE.

Some indoor performances also require seating vouchers, which are free tickets.  Events requiring vouchers are listed at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH.  Want your vouchers sooner? The VIP package permits special “First Night Friends,” to enjoy priority seating, access, parking, and more! For more information on becoming a part of this special sponsorship opportunity, please call 412-471-3518.

Sponsors & Media PartnersHighmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016 sponsors as of release date include: Highmark Blue Cross Blue

Shield as the presenting sponsor, Dollar Bank, First National Bank, Giant Eagle, PNC and Bobby Rahal Automotive Group.  FedEx Ground returns as a title sponsor.  Special puppets will be designed by Studio Capezzuti for the annual parade.  Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016 community supporters include The Buhl Foundation, The Fine Foundation, Eden Hall Foundation and The Grable Foundation.

Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016 media partners include KDKA TV, Trib Total Media, and WYEP 91.3 FM/WESA 90.5FM.

Highmark First Night PittsburghHighmark First Night Pittsburgh, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is Pittsburgh’s arts-focused New Year’s Eve celebration. Culminating with the city’s Countdown to Midnight and raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball, the six-hour celebration sprawls downtown’s renowned 14-block Cultural District—inside theaters, galleries, and unique spaces and along city streets on outdoor performance stages. Acclaimed national artists and Pittsburgh’s vibrant artist community ring in the new year for revelers with live music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy, magic, kids’ activities and a signature parade along with two Zambelli Fireworks displays at 6 pm and midnight. Admission Button prices remain among the most-affordable in the nation: $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and kids 5 and under attend for free.

The Wailers, headline musical act for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016, epitomize this year’s theme, Around the World—Around the ‘Burgh, by bringing to Pittsburgh – the site of Bob Marley’s final performance 35 years ago – a legacy and sound celebrated internationally for more than fifty years. Around the World—Around the ‘Burgh will shape the complete line-up attractions on New Year’s Eve as visitors discover international arts and cultural influences alongside the diverse work of Pittsburgh’s regional artists. More at TrustArts.org/FirstNightPGH.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest landmasses curated by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. For more information, visit TrustArts.org.

Follow us on Twitter @CulturalTrust, and like us on Facebook. 

Dreamweaver Marketing News, High School First NightSing Off Winners Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contacts:
Shaunda Miles, Director of Public Relations, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-1578, Miles@TrustArts.orgDiana Roth, Communications Manager, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, 412-471-8717, Roth@TrustArts.org  

Images available: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Press RoomSearch name:  HFNP 2016 SING-OFF Winner

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

GROUP WINNER!

OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL
WILLIAMS SING-OFF COMPETITION 

PART OF HIGHMARK FIRST NIGHT PITTSBURGH 2016

Pittsburgh, PA―Ready, Set, Sing! The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the winner of the sixth annual Williams SING-OFF Competition for talented student singers! The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Sing-Off is part of the upcoming Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016, and is aimed at providing a unique and creative opportunity for young people in the greater Pittsburgh region.  For the first time ever, a group has won!  This year’s Williams SING-OFF Competition winners are Addison Albert and Colin Aikins. Addison is an 11th grade student at Knoch High School. Colin is a 10th grade student at Central Catholic High School. They will open for the River City Brass Band on New Year’s Eve, performing at the Benedum Center from 6:45 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 

About Williams SING-OFF CompetitionSimilar to the format of popular TV talent shows, students from grades 6 through 12 who are affiliated with a middle or high school in Southwestern Pennsylvania, were eligible to submit a video audition performance of two songs. An internal panel reviewed all submissions and five finalists were selected.  Legendary singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson returned to select the winning voice from the top five finalists of this year’s Williams SING-OFF Competition. While Smokey Robinson selected the winner, he is not scheduled to attend Highmark First Night Pittsburgh.  The Williams company is the name-in-title sponsor of this year’s SING-OFF Competition.

Once pronounced by Bob Dylan as America’s “greatest living poet,” Smokey Robinson’s career spans over 4 decades of hits. He has received numerous awards including the Grammy Living Legend Award, NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award, Honorary Doctorate (Howard University), Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts Award from the President of the United States. He has also been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.


The winner of the Williams SING-OFF Competition also receives a $500 cash prize and $1,000 cash donation to their school music department. 

About Williams SING-OFF Competition WinnersAddison Albert has won The Henry Mancini Musical Theatre Awards for two years in a row.  Honorees are represent Beaver, Butler, and Lawrence counties in outstanding achievement in high school musical theatre.  These awards recognize individual artistry and honor the dedication and professionalism of students and educators and their schools’ commitment to performing arts education.

Colin Aikins has been singing for two years. Colin taught himself in Italian and asked his parents if he could take singing lessons.  Colin has been taking lessons with Maria Spacagna, Chair of the Vocal Music Department at Carnegie Mellon University, for a year.  He recently won the Schmidt Youth Vocal Competition at the National Opera Center in NYC and was accepted for a program at the Metropolitan Opera in February. 

To listen to Addison Albert and Colin Aikins performing “The Prayer,” at the 3:06 mark through 3:50 mark, visit https://youtu.be/JIy6L8JFJPw.           

All of the vocal finalists from this year’s Williams SING-OFF Competition have been invited to participate in the FedEx Ground Parade that takes place during Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016.  Finalists confirmed to participate in the parade, as of this press release date, are Tori Cubero an 8^th grade student at Armstrong Junior High School and Mariah Fowlkes a 10^th grade student at Perry Traditional High School.    

 Last year’s SING-OFF Competition winner was Gabby Barrett, a freshman (at the time of the competition) at Serra Catholic High School.  She is performing as part of Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016 on the Dollar Bank Stage this year.  You can find information about Gabby Barrett here: http://gabbybarrett.com. 

Highmark First Night Pittsburgh
Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, a production of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is Pittsburgh’s arts-focused New Year’s Eve celebration. Culminating with the city’s Countdown to Midnight and raising of the Future of Pittsburgh Ball, the six-hour celebration sprawls downtown’s renowned 14-block Cultural District—inside theaters, galleries, and unique spaces and along city streets on outdoor performance stages. Acclaimed national artists and Pittsburgh’s vibrant artist community ring in the new year for revelers with live music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy, magic, kids’ activities and a signature parade along with two Zambelli Fireworks displays at 6:00 p.m. and midnight. Admission Button prices remain among the most-affordable in the nation: $8 in advance, $10 at the door, and kids 5 and under attend for free. 

The Wailers, headline music act for Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2016, epitomize this year’s theme, Around the World—Around the ‘Burgh, by bringing to Pittsburgh – the site of Bob Marley’s final performance 35 years ago – a legacy and sound celebrated internationally for more than fifty years. Around the World—Around the ‘Burgh will shape the complete line-up attractions on New Year’s Eve as visitors discover international arts and cultural influences alongside the diverse work of Pittsburgh’s regional artists.  For more information, visit: www.TrustArts.org/FirstNight. 

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. www.TrustArts.org 

Dreamweaver Marketing News, Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact:Show Publicist: Diana Roth, Communications Manager, 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

Images available: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Press Room  
Search: 2016 Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School 

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES 

CITIZENS BANK CHILDREN’S THEATER SERIES

PRESENTATION OF
THEATREWORKS USA IN

JUNIE B.'S ESSENTIAL SURVIVAL GUIDE TO SCHOOL 

JANUARY 10 - 17, 2016

SIX PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT PITTSBURGH 

Pittsburgh, PA—The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces the award-winning Theatreworks USA will bring its musical stage production of Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School, to six neighborhood locations throughout the Pittsburgh area, January 10-17, 2016.  This production is part of the Citizens Bank Children’s Theater Series, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.  Citizens Bank is the season sponsor of the series. 

Theatreworks USA’s Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School brings together the creative team from the original Junie B. Jones musical. The book, lyrics, and music are by Marcy Heisler and Zina Goldrich (Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones and Ever After, Dear Edwina, “Taylor the Latte Boy”) based on the best-selling books by Barbara Park. The production was originally directed by Peter Flynn (Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones, Henry and Mudge, Skippyjon Jones) and choreographed by Devanand Janki (Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones and Skippyjon Jones, Off-Broadway: Zanna Don’t, Cupid & Psyche). The scenic design is by Luke Hegel-Cantarella (Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones), and the costumes are by Lora LaVon (Theatreworks USA’s Junie B. Jones). 

Theatreworks USA’s musical adventure, Junie B.’s Essential Survival

Guide to School, is based on the popular books by Barbara Park.  Now that Junie B. Jones has been going to school for over one-and-a-half years, who better to write the book on EVERYTHING you need to know? From bus rules to band-aids, carpools to cookies, Junie B. and friends deliver the definitive word on surviving and thriving in style. With a jillion tips, tricks and trip-ups, Junie B. shares her hard-won expertise and shows us all how school is sometimes scary, sometimes super-fun, and ALWAYS something to sing about! This 60-minute musical is recommended for audiences age 3 and up.

To view scene highlights from Theatreworks USA’s musical production of Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School, visit: https://youtu.be/rJI33GTe-R8.

Individual tickets ($12 at the door; $10.50 in advance) can be ordered online at www.TrustArts.org/kids, by calling 412-456-6666, or purchased in person at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. Group tickets can be ordered by calling 412-471-6930. Subscriptions and Flex Ticket Packages are available by calling 412-456-1390.

Performance Locations

City: Byham Theater, Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. and Monday, January 11 at 10:15 a.m. (student groups only)

East: Penn Hills High School, Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

North: Marshall Middle School, Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

West: Hopewell High School, Friday, January 15, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.

South: Mt. Lebanon High School, Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Butler: Seneca Valley Intermediate High School, Sunday, January 17, 2016  at 2:00 p.m.

Theatreworks USASince 1961, Theatreworks USA has enlightened, entertained, and instructed over 85 million people in 49 states and Canada, now performing for about three million people annually. Every year, the company tours approximately 16 shows from its ever-growing repertoire of 125 plays and musicals. Under the direction of Barbara Pasternack (Artistic Director) and Ken Arthur (Managing Director), Theatreworks USA is the only children’s theatre to receive both a Drama Desk and a Lucille Lortel Award, and they are known for an extensive multi-cultural guest artist roster, including storytellers, puppeteers, poets and magicians.  The company is one of the most honored theatres of its kind, including the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award (2001) and The Actors Fund of America’s Medal of Honor (2000) to Theatreworks USA founders Jay Narnick and Charles Hull.  www.twusa.org

Citizens Bank Children’s Theater Series
The Citizens Bank Children’s Theater, a division of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opens the door for children to experience professional performing arts programming which inspires, challenges, educates, and stimulates respect for and an understanding of all cultures in an entertaining and enlightening way. The series introduces children to the arts early in life sparking their interest and appreciation so they continue to enjoy and support the arts as they grow up. The Children’s Theater is part of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s line of family programming. Other programming includes the EQT Children’s Theater Festival, one of only four international children’s theater festivals in the nation, and the EQT Bridge Theater Series, a new theater series connecting with ages 7+ and presenting professional theater from around the world.

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. For more information, visit TrustArts.org.

Follow us on Twitter @CulturalTrust, and like us on Facebook.

###

Dreamweaver Marketing News, Twirlers, Acrobats and High Wire Performers, Oh My!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact:Diana Roth, Communications Manager, 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

Images available: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Press RoomSearch: 2015 CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE 

PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES

CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE

NEW HOLIDAY STAGE SPECTACULAR FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY

FEATURING 30 PERFORMERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBETWO PERFORMANCES OF 20 ACTS & OVER 300 COSTUMES
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015 | 2:00PM & 7:30PM
BENEDUM CENTER

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 | 7:30PM

TICKETS ARE ON SALE!

Pittsburgh, PA—CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE, directed and conceived by critically acclaimed director Neil Goldberg, lights up the 2015 holiday season with its newest holiday stage spectacular and returns

to the Benedum Center, Tuesday, December 29, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, December 30, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  This show is produced by Cirque Productions.    

From the creators of the groundbreaking Broadway hit CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE is “so full of energy it could end our dependence on oil” according to The New York Daily News and “a delicious confection of charm, sparkle and talent by the sleigh load.”  This is a show not to be missed…it’s a cirque show…Broadway musical…holiday spectacular…and family show all in one. 

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle raves, “Even the Grinch would be impressed with this Christmas wonderland.”  “Stuffed with so much holiday cheer and audacious acts, Scrooge would exit with a big ol’ smile on his face,” hails the Erie Times News about this “Broadway-worthy spectacle.”

“The perfect way to come in from the cold, forget the holiday stresses and find the magic of the season” proclaims The Oakland Press. Don't miss this international sensation that “Dazzled…at The Kennedy Center” according to The Washington Post.

http://www.cirqueproductions.com/cirque-dreams-gallery/

In CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE, Broadway director Neil Goldberg re-imagines the holiday season with over 300 costumes, 20 acts and 30 performers from 12 countries showcasing an endless variety of imaginative, heart-pounding and gravity- defying feats you have to see to believe.  Experience gingerbread men flipping mid-air, toy soldiers marching on thin wires along with snowmen, icemen and penguins, balancing, jumping and spinning in disbelief.  The show celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with singers, choreography and exciting production numbers.  Performers twirl, bounce and soar thru the air to original music and seasonal favorites brought to life within a stage setting of gigantic gifts, colossal candy canes and 30-foot towering trees & soldiers creating a wonderland of amazement.

http://www.cirqueproductions.com/cirque-dreams-gallery/

Says Creator/Director Goldberg, “CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE celebrates our brand of over 20 years with this unique holiday stage spectacle for the entire family.  There aren’t enough shows today where mom and dad can bring the kids and grandparents, make it a date night, fun time for teens and entertain so many generations with…‘how did they do that’, ‘wow’ and ‘amazing’.  This show has something for everyone.”

http://www.cirqueproductions.com/cirque-dreams-gallery/

Tickets are on sale for CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE performances ($39.75-$59.75) and available for purchase at TrustArts.org, by calling 412-456-6666, or in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue.

CIRQUE DREAMS and Neil Goldberg
Over 50 million people have experienced a Cirque Dreams show in theatres, casinos, theme parks, cruise lines, and on Broadway.  Now in its 22nd Year, Cirque Dreams shows have garnered the praise of critics around the country from USA Today, Associated Press and The New York Times to CNN, Today Show and Fox & Friends. Producer and Director Neil Goldberg has been declared “One of today’s leading theatrical impresarios” by The LA Times and “Uniquely ingenious” byThe New York Daily News.  The Cirque Dreams franchise is a globally recognized entertainment brand including, Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy, Cirque Dreams Rocks, Cirque Dreams Holidaze, Cirque Dreams Unwrapped at Gaylord Palms Orlando Resort and Cirque Dreams Dinner onboard Norwegian Cruise Line.  For more information, visit www.cirqueproductions.com.

http://www.cirqueproductions.com/cirque-dreams-gallery/

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies and thousands of private citizens, the Cultural Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts. For more information, visit TrustArts.org. 

Follow us on Twitter @CulturalTrust, and like us on Facebook.

Dreamweaver Marketing Associates, Christmas Classic, Handel's Messiah at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

For Immediate Release

November 19, 2015

                                   

MANFRED HONECK, PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRESENT BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS WEEKEND WITH IMPERIAL PROGRAM

PITTSBURGH – Manfred Honeck leads the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, pianist Yulianna Avdeeva and guest vocalists in a program of classical heavyweights during BNY Mellon Grand Classics: Emperor Concerto on December 4 and 6 at Heinz Hall.

Featuring the Coronation Mass, the Unfinished Symphony and the Emperor Concerto, this weekend’s classical period works are all well-loved and coined with nicknames not given by the composers themselves, but later added to suit their character.

The “Emperor” is Beethoven’s last piano concerto, dedicated to his patron and pupil, Archduke Rudolf, and written while Napoleon Bonaparte attacked Vienna, where Beethoven lived. Dazzling pianist Avdeeva returns to Heinz Hall to perform this work, which is imperial in its size and scope.

Preceding this, Manfred Honeck will lead the orchestra, guest vocalists and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh in a performance of Mozart’s Mass in C major, “Coronation.” This mass is one of the composer’s most famous religious works and, despite its rather short length, is full of brilliance and musical innovations.

To close, Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 (recently renumbered as Symphony No. 7) is one of the composer’s most romantic and heartfelt compositions. With only two movements completed, this symphony was groundbreaking in its treatment of time and tonality, and, despite its “Unfinished” moniker, stands as a complete symphonic experience.

“What a joy it is to present the best of the best of Viennese classical music in this time of preparation for the holidays. Three heroes of the classical period who lived nearly at the same time — Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert,” said Honeck. “And while we hear about the ‘Emperor Concerto’ often, it is amazing that the famous ‘Coronation Mass’ by Mozart will be performed for the first time by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Heinz Hall.” 

A pre-concert talk, open to all ticket holders and led by Assistant Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, will occur on stage one hour before each concert. Program notes for the weekend are available online at pittsburghsymphony.org/coronation and on the PSO mobile app the day of the concert. On Sunday, a pre-concert performance by students of the Pittsburgh Piano Teachers Association will begin one hour before the concert time in the Grand Lobby.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets, ranging in price from $20 to $94, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/coronation.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its 2015-2016 title sponsorship of BNY Mellon Grand Classics. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

About the Artists

Manfred Honeck has served as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since the 2008-2009

Manfred Honeck, credit Felix Broede

season. Together with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Honeck’s widely celebrated performances and distinctive interpretations continue to receive international recognition. To great acclaim, Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra regularly perform in major music capitals and festivals, among them the BBC Proms, Musikfest Berlin, Lucerne Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Grafenegg Festival, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra have also built a close relationship with the Musikverein in Vienna. Following a week-long residency in 2012, they will return once again for three performances in the course of an extensive tour of Europe in spring 2016.  

Honeck's successful work with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been extensively documented on recordings with the Reference and Exton labels. The first SACD released by Reference Records of Strauss tone poems, drew rave reviews. The second recording, of Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 and the Symphonic Suite from Janáček's opera Jenůfa, conceptualized by Honeck himself, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 was released in February 2015 to critical acclaim and Beethoven 5 & 7 was released on November 13, 2015. Several recordings, among them Mahler's Symphony No. 4, which won a 2012 International Classical Music Award, are also available on the Japanese label Exton.

As a guest conductor, Honeck has worked with the world’s leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Accademia di Santa Cecilia Rome. In the United States, Honeck has conducted the New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra. He is also a regular guest at the Verbier Festival. In 2013, Honeck gave his successful debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, resulting in a CD recording of Dvořák together with Anne-Sophie Mutter for Deutsche Grammophon, which received an Echo Klassik award in 2014. The 2015-2016 season sees him return to Bamberg, Stuttgart, Rome, Stockholm and New York, as well as the Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, among others.

Born in Austria, Honeck received his musical training at the Academy of Music in Vienna. Many years of experience as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and at the helm of the Vienna Jeunesse Orchestra have given his conducting a distinctive stamp. Honeck began his career as assistant to Claudio Abbado in Vienna. Subsequently, he was engaged by the Zurich Opera House, where he was bestowed the prestigious European Conductor’s Award in 1993. Honeck was one of three main conductors of the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig and in Oslo, he assumed the post of music director at the Norwegian National Opera and was engaged as principal guest conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2000 to 2006, he was music director of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stockholm and, from 2008 to 2011, principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he resumed for another three years at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season.

From 2007 to 2011, Honeck was music director of the Staatsoper Stuttgart where he conducted premieres including Berlioz's Les Troyens, Mozart's Idomeneo, Verdi's Aida, Richard Strauss's Rosenkavalier, Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites and Wagner's Lohengrin and Parsifal, as well as numerous symphonic concerts. His operatic guest appearances include Semperoper Dresden, Komische Oper Berlin, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Royal Opera of Copenhagen, the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg and the Salzburg Festival.

Honeck has received honorary doctorates from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania and, most recently, from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Moreover, he has been artistic director of the "International Concerts Wolfegg" in Germany for more than 20 years.

Yulianna Avdeeva,  credit Harold Hoffman

Yulianna Avdeeva rose to fame when she won First Prize in the Chopin Competition in 2010. She has since embarked on a world-class career and her artistic integrity is rapidly ensuring her a place amongst the most distinctive artists of her generation.

A regular performer throughout Asia, this autumn Avdeeva embarked on a major concert tour of Japan, performing concerts with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and featured in solo recitals in Korea, Taiwan and China. Avdeeva will undertake tours of North and South America, including her debut with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and engagements with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo. Other orchestra highlights include international debuts with leading ensembles such as the Chamber Orchestra of Europe at the Lucerne Festival and the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, both under the baton of Anu Tali. 

Recent orchestral highlights have included engagements with NHK Symphony Orchestra, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Finnish Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic and Bournemouth Symphony orchestras, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio and concerts at the Vienna Festival.

An active and committed chamber musician, she has worked with the Kremerata Baltica and members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2016, Yulianna Avdeeva will tour Germany with violinist Julia Fischer and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields appearing at the Kölner Philharmonie, Philharmonie Essen, Konzerthaus Berlin and Laeiszhalle Hamburg, amongst others. In recital, Avdeeva has performed at London’s International Piano Series, Rheingau Musik Festival, Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana, Liederhalle Stuttgart, Philharmonie Essen, Schwetzinger Festspiele and La Roque d'Anthéron Festival.

Avdeeva's Chopin performances have drawn particular praise, marking her out as one of the composer's foremost interpreters. Her long association with the Fryderyk Chopin Institute has won her a huge following in Poland. Avdeeva’s most recent recital recording featuring works by Chopin, Schubert and Prokofiev was released on Mirare in August 2014. She released a recording of the Chopin concertos with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and Brüggen.

Avdeeva began her piano studies at the age of five with Elena Ivanova at Moscow’s Gnessin Special School of Music and later studied with Konstantin Scherbakov and with Vladimir Tropp. At the International Piano Academy Lake Como, she was taught among others by William Grant Naboré, Dmitri Bashkirov and Fou Ts’ong. In addition to her Chopin prize, she has won several other prizes including the Bremen Piano Contest in 2003, the Concours de Genève 2006 and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Poland.

Christina Landshamer was born in Munich and initially went to the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in

Christina Landshamer,
credit Marco Borggreve

the city, where she studied under Angelica Vogel, following which she studied in Konrad Richter’s singing classes and in Dunja Vejzović solo classes at the State University for Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart.

Following initial guest performances at the Stuttgart State Opera, she sang at the Opéra du Rhin in Strasburg under Marc Albrecht (Fidelio/Marzelline) as well as at the Komische Oper in Berlin (Susanna). In 2009, “the triumphant and virtuoso Christina Landshamer” had her very successful debut at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna as Clarice in Haydn’s Il mondo della luna under Nikolaus Harnoncourt. This was followed by performances at the Paris Théâtre du Châtelet (with a stage version of the Messiah) and at the Salzburg Festival in Frau ohne Schatten (Hüter der Schwelle – stage direction: Christof Loy) under Christian Thielemann in 2011. She performed at the Salzburg Festival again the following year as Frasquita in Carmen, this time under Sir Simon Rattle with the Berlin Philharmonic. Also in 2012, she had her debut at the Baden-Baden Festival, again under Christian Thielemann (Ariadne auf Naxos, Najade). Later that year, Landshamer made her highly acclaimed debut as Pamina in Simon McBurney‘s celebrated new production of Mozart’s Magic Flute at the Amsterdam Opera under Marc Albrecht. In 2014, she was seen in Handel’s Rinaldo as Almirena in Glyndebourne. In 2015, she will collaborate again with Christian Thielemann (Freischütz/Ännchen), this time at the Semperoper in Dresden.

Landshamer regularly works with conductors such as Kent Nagano, Marc Albrecht, Marcus Creed, Manfred Honeck, Philippe Herreweghe, Ton Koopman, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Roger Norrington, Stéphane Denève, Pablo Heras-Casado, Christian Thielemann and Riccardo Chailly, and with orchestras such as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Südwestfunk Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Tonhalleorchester, Zurich, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague, the Orchestre des Champs Elysées and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside her operatic projects, she has other important performances during the 2014-2015 season, including a tour with the Gewandhausorchester under Riccardo Chailly with concerts in Leipzig, the Lucerne Festival and the London Proms, concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Alan Gilbert, with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Philippe Herreweghe, the NDR Symphony Orchestr/Thomas Hengelbrock, the Bavarian Radio Choir/Peter Dijkstra and performances with the WDR Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Orchestre National de France/Daniele Gatti.

She is particularly fond of singing lieder: a recital of duets with Maximilian Schmitt at the Vienna Konzerthaus marks her first collaboration with Gerold Huber, with whom she had several guest performances in 2013 with a number of recitals, such as at the “Musik im Riesen” in the Essen Philharmonic and the Rheinvokal, with lieder by Schumann, Ullmann and Brahms.

Corrie Stallings

Corrie Stallings is a second-year resident artist at Pittsburgh Opera in 2015-2016. In 2014-2015, she appeared as Bertarido/rodelinda and Mercedes/Carmen. In 2015-16, she is slated to sing Jo/Little Women and Rosina/The Barber of Seville Student Matinee. In summer 2015, Stallings was a member of the Young American Artists Program at Glimmerglass Festival and appeared as Jazz Trio Girl/Trouble in Tahiti and coveredVanderdunder/Paquette/Candide. Stallings was a festival artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2013 and 2014, where she performed as Third Lady/The Magic Flute under the baton of Jane Glover, and covered Stephanie Blythe in the role of Gertrude Stein in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s 27, both in 2014. She also performed the role of Kate/The Pirates of Penzance in 2013. Additionally in 2013, Stallings was a soloist in Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas production, Welcome, Yule!, as well as the alto soloist cover in Bach’s Mass in B Minor under the baton of Riccardo Muti. In 2012, she was the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah with Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and was a 2013 third place regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council regional auditions. While pursuing her master’s degree at Northwestern University, Stallings performed the roles of Cherubino/Le Nozze di Figaro, Samira/The Ghosts of Versailles and Second Lady/Die Zauberflöte. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Stallings holds a B.A. in vocal performance and art history from Cal Poly State University and a M.M. in opera performance from Northwestern University.

Paul Appleby, credit Dario Acosta

Regarded as one of the most accomplished artists of his generation, American tenor Paul Appleby is a graduate of New York’s prestigious Juilliard School and of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program. Praised for the expressive and interpretive depth of his performances, Appleby has earned his reputation as a fine Mozartian through numerous productions of Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni and, after highly acclaimed productions at both Oper Frankfurt and The Met under James Levine, is considered a leading interpreter of Stravinsky’s Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress).

A regular guest at The Met, Appleby has performed a diverse repertoire including Brian in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys (praised by the New York Post as his “star-making performance”), Chevalier de la Force in Poulenc’s Les dialogues des Carmélites under Louis Langrée, Hylas in Berlioz’s Les Troyens under Fabio Luisi, and, last season, David (Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) under James Levine. Other notable highlights include Tamino (Die Zauberflöte) at Washington National Opera, Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) at San Diego Opera, and his debut at Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Jonathan in Barrie Kosky’s acclaimed production of Handel’s Saul.

A versatile artist, Appleby enjoys a buoyant concert career alongside his operatic commitments and returns this season to the New York Philharmonic in Handel’s Messiah as well as debuting with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel in Mozart’s Requiem. Also this season, Appleby heads back to The Met for a role debut as Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) under James Levine, makes his debut at San Francisco Opera as Tamino and returns to the Glyndebourne Festival in Berlioz’ Béatrice et Bénédict under Robin Ticciati. In recital and alongside Ken Noda, Paul Appleby sings in recital at Carnegie Hall and as part of the Boston Celebrity Series, and makes a debut appearance at London’s Wigmore Hall with Malcolm Martineau.

The recipient of numerous awards and scholarships including the 2011 Richard Tucker Career Grant and George London Foundation Award, Appleby is a passionate advocate of art song, and has performed for the Marilyn Horne Foundation, and at the Aspen Music and Caramoor Festivals with pianist Steven Blier. Paul Appleby has also recorded works by Schubert and Britten as part of The Juilliard Sessions Digital Debut series released by EMI Classics and appeared in recital at New York’s Alice Tully Hall, Washington’s Kennedy Center and as part of the New York Festival of Song. 

Paul Edelmann, credit Horowitz

Paul Armin Edelmann's association with music began at an early age as the second son of the internationally renowned singer Otto Edelmann. As a child, he was a member and soloist of the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir. Later on he reinforced his musical studies by studying voice with his father at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Shortly after completing his studies he became a member of the Opera Theatre in Koblenz in Germany where he sang more than 30 roles.

In 1998, Edelmann went freelance and moved back to Vienna. Since then he has sung at the Vienna State Opera, the Vienna Volksoper, the Teatro Real Madrid, the Komische Oper Berlin (Fürst Ottokar in Weber’s Der Freischütz), the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels (Dottore Malatesta in Don Pasquale), the San Diego Opera (Dr. Falke and Papageno), the New National Theatre in Tokyo, the Opéra de Rouen, the Lincoln Center Festival in New York (Sciarrino’s Luci Mie Traditrici), the state theatres in Darmstadt and Wiesbaden, and the opera houses in Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Leipzig, Dublin and the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, as well as the Palau de les Arts Valencia, the San Sebastian Festival, Hongkong Opera and the Center of the Performing Arts, Beijing.

More recent performance venues have included the Opera National de Montpellier, the Prinzregententheater München, the Deutsche Oper Düsseldorf and (in 2010) his debut as Eisenstein in J. Strauss's Die Fledermaus at the Staatsoper Stuttgart. He has also recently sung at the Teatro de la Maestranza Sevilla, Philharmonie Berlin, Teatro Massimo Catania, Opera Montpellier, the Opera National du Rhin Strasbourg, Bregenzer Festspiele, Victoria Hall Geneve, KKL Lucerne, Tonhalle Zürich and the Winter Festival Sochi.

2014 saw Edelmann´s debut at the Musikfest Hamburg, the Rheingau Music Festival, his return to the Bregenzer Festspiele for Mozart's Zauberflöte and the release of his Schumann-recital album with pianist Charles Spencer and a new recording of Johann Strauss´ Die Fledermaus with Edelmann as Eisenstein. Both recordings on the classic-label Capriccio. Projects for 2014-2015 season include Die Fledermaus (in concert) with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozart’s Requiem with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, a concert at the Kurt Weill Festival in Dessau, Mahler’s Lied Von Der Erde with Opéra National de Paris and a new production of Korngold´s Die tote Stadt at the Warsaw Opera.

Edelmann has previously given concerts and recitals in many notable venues including the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Vienna Musikverein, the Festival Hall in Salzburg, the Brucknerhaus in Linz, the Salzburg Mozarteum, the Cologne Philharmonie, the Philharmonie am Gasteig in Munich, the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Palau de la Música in Valencia, Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, the Vatican in a concert honouring Pope John Paul II (Haydn’s The Creation) in 1998 and again in 2006 with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Mozart's Coronation Mass).

Edelmann has given recitals in Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, the United States, Canada, China and Japan and has worked with such well-known conductors as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lorin Maazel, Michel Plasson, Ivor Bolton, Paolo Carignani, Kazushi Ono, Miguel Gómez Martínez, Julia  Jones, Ralf Weikert, Karel Mark Chichon, Vladimir Fedosejew, Leopold Hager and Manfred Honeck.

Hailed as one of the finest choruses in the country, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) is proud of its long artistic partnership with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and looks forward to another exciting season at Heinz Hall. Primarily a volunteer chorus, the Mendelssohn Choir is composed of more than 100 singers whose passion and commitment enables them to perform alongside the world’s greatest musicians. In addition to its performances with the PSO, the Mendelssohn Choir produces its own concerts in the community and operates the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, the region’s premier young adult chorus. The Mendelssohn Choir began its 2015-2016 season with an all-Duruflé concert on October 11 at East Liberty Presbyterian Church, and bid farewell to Betsy Burleigh, MCP’s much beloved music director. Burleigh is universally acknowledged for building upon the legacy left by Music Director Emeritus Robert Page, and taking MCP to new levels of excellence during her 10-year tenure with the Choir. Under her direction, MCP has earned high praise for its mastery of the great choral classics. The Mendelssohn Choir is engaged currently in the search for its next music director, who will be its seventh in its 108-year-old history. For the remainder of the season, Maria Sensi Sellner will be acting music director and will prepare the Choir for its forthcoming performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

As the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s “chorus of choice,” the Mendelssohn Choir has performed with some of the world’s foremost conductors including Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Michael Tilson Thomas, Claudio Abbado, Mstislav Rostropovich, Leonard Slatkin, Charles Dutoit, André Previn, Sir Neville Marriner, Yan Pascal Tortelier, Helmuth Rilling, Ingo Metzmacher, Richard Hickox, Zdenek Mácal and Manfred Honeck. Performances of the Choir with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra are heard locally over WQED-FM (89.3) and distributed nationally by PRI. Committed to fostering the choral art form, the Mendelssohn Choir has numerous recordings, commissions and premieres to its credit, including works by Ned Rorem, Nancy Galbraith and Derek Bermel. The Choir’s most recent recording released in fall 2011 is Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Children’s Festival Chorus of Pittsburgh with Manfred Honeck conducting.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 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.

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 also hosts many other 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

Editors please note:

Friday, December 4 at 8 p.m.

Sunday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS: EMPEROR CONCERTO

MANFRED HONECK, conductor

YULIANNA ARDEEVA, piano

CHRISTINA LANDSHAMER, soprano

CORRIE STALLINGS, mezzo soprano

PAUL APPLEBY, tenor

PAUL ARMIN EDELMANN, bass

MENDELSSOHN CHOIR OF PITTSBURGH

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart                    Mass in C major, K. 317, "Coronation"

                                                                                   I. Kyrie

                                                                                   II. Gloria

III. Credo

IV. Sanctus

V. Benedictus

VI. Agnus Dei

Ms. Landshamer

Ms. Stallings

Mr. Appleby

Mr. Edelmann

Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh

Franz Schubert                                      Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759, "Unfinished"

I. Allegro moderato

II. Andante con moto

Ludwig Van Beethoven                          Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 73,

"Emperor"

I. Allegro

II. Adagio un poco mosso

III. Rondo: Allegro

Ms. Avdeeva

###

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

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