Calling PA Composers

For Immediate Release
Aug. 15, 2013

YOUNG COMPOSERS INVITED TO SUBMIT WORKS TO 10TH ANNUAL PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA READING SESSION

PITTSBURGH—Calling all Pennsylvanian composers! The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is looking for composers to submit new works for its annual Reading Session.

To be eligible, applicants must be residents of Pennsylvania at the time of submissions and applicants must be in the early stages of their careers. (As part of an ongoing partnership, submissions from the West Virginia University will continue to be accepted.) Previous participants may not reapply and submitted works must not have received a performance or a reading by a professional orchestra previously. Only one work per composer will be considered.

Submissions will be evaluated by 2013-2014 Year of Pittsburgh Composers adviser David Stock and read by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin on Saturday, March 15, 2014. Following the session, which is free and open to the public, composers will receive feedback from a panel including Stock, Slatkin and the Pittsburgh Symphony musicians.

Since the 2004-2005 season, the PSO has offered an annual reading of works by young composers from area universities as part of its Composer of the Year program. Last year, the program expanded to include composers statewide. Up to four works will be selected for the reading session, with at least one of the spots reserved for students from the universities that have traditionally participated in the program—Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and West Virginia University.

The submission deadline for the 10th Annual Reading Session is Friday, Nov. 8, 2013. This is not a postmark deadline; materials must be received by this date to be considered. Selected works will be announced Dec. 6. For complete eligibility details and submission guidelines, visit http://pso.culturaldistrict.org/event/6236/10th-annual-reading-session  or call 412-392-4828.

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Associate 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

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Remmereit, Shaham Return to Heinz Hall with Walker Work

For Immediate Release

Dec. 5, 2012

GUEST CONDUCTOR ARILD REMMEREIT, GRAMMY-WINNING VIOLINIST GIL SHAHAM RETURN TO HEINZ HALL; PSO PERFORMS COMMISSIONED WORK BY PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING COMPOSER GEORGE WALKER

Violinist Gil Shaham

 PITTSBURGH – Multiple Grammy Award-winner Gil Shaham returns to Heinz Hall to perform Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto in a weekend of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts led by guest conductor Arild Remmereit.

The concerts will begin at 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14 and Saturday, Dec. 15 and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 16. Tickets, ranging from $20 to $93, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900, or by visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

The program also features Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Dreams” Symphony, and Pulitzer Prize-winner George Walker’s “Strands,” co-commissioned by the PSO and three other orchestras. In 1996, Walker became the first black composer to receive the coveted Pulitzer Prize in music for his work, Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra. His works have been performed by virtually every major orchestra in the U.S. and many in England and other countries. He has won numerous awards, including two Guggenheim Fellowships and two Rockefeller Fellowships.

Shaham last performed at Heinz Hall in January 2010. Nicknamed “the Turkish March,” Mozart’s Fifth Violin Concerto begins with a sweet melody and ends with hints of military-Turkish music. Tchaikovsky’s “Winter Dreams” is one of the Russian composer’s earliest and masterful works.
                                             
The PSO would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for their 2012-2013 title sponsorship of BNY Mellon Grand Classics. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the PSO. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the PSO.

Arild Remmereit, Courtesy of RPO

Over a five-month period in 2005, conductor Arild Remmereit made five dramatic debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Milan’s Filarmonica della Scala, Munich Philharmonic, and Vienna Symphony, quickly establishing himself as a major talent on the international scene. The New York Times called his Pittsburgh debut “a breathtakingly dynamic reading of the Schumann [Symphony No. 4]… The only thing listeners seemed to want to talk about afterward was Mr. Remmereit.  ‘Sensational’ was the word heard most frequently.” Remmereit was immediately re-engaged in Pittsburgh, Vienna, Milan and Baltimore and has since conducted many other prominent orchestras, including the Detroit Symphony, where he appears frequently, England’s Hallé Orchestra, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale in Florence, National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa, Dallas Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic, and Seoul Philharmonic. The 2012-13 season includes return engagements with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and NACO, which he conducts in subscription and on tour, and debuts with the Naples Philharmonic and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

One of the foremost violinists of our time, Gil Shaham’s combination of flawless technique with inimitable warmth and a generosity of spirit has solidified his legacy as an American master. In the 2012-13 season, Shaham continues his long-term exploration of “Violin Concertos of the 1930s,” a project beginning in 2010 and comprising performances at some of the most well-established concert venues with the world’s greatest orchestras. “Violin Concertos of the 1930s,” including the Barber, Berg, Stravinsky and Britten Violin Concertos, as well as the Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2 and the Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2, will be performed with the Orchestras of Baltimore, Boston, New York, Chicago, Montreal, San Francisco and Kansas City and abroad with the Orchestre de Paris and the NHK Symphony.

George Walker

Born in June 1922 in Washington, D.C., of West Indian-American heritage, George Theophilus Walker’s first piano lessons began at age 5 under the supervision of his mother, Rosa King. Before graduating from Dunbar High School at age 14, Walker was presented in his first public recital at 14 at Howard University's Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel. In 1937, he was admitted as a scholarship student to Oberlin College, where he studied piano with David Moyer and organ with Arthur Poister. Graduating at 18 from Oberlin College with the highest honors in his Conservatory class, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music to study piano with Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero, teacher of Samuel Barber. He graduated from the Curtis Institute with Artist Diplomas in piano and composition in 1945, becoming the first black graduate of this renowned music school. Walker has published more than 90 works for orchestra, chamber orchestra, piano, strings, voice, organ, clarinet, guitar, brass, woodwinds, and chorus. His awards include the Harvey Gaul Prize, MacDowell Colony, Yaddo and Bennington Composer Conference Fellowships, two Guggenheim Fellowships, two Rockefeller Fellowships, a Fromm Foundation commission, two Koussevitsky Awards, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, a Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Award, the Mason Gross Memorial Award, numerous grants from the Research Councils of Smith College, The University of Colorado, Rutgers University, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New Jersey Council on the Arts. Walker has received important commissions from many ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic (Cello Concerto), Cleveland Orchestra (Dialogus for Cello and Orchestra),  Boston Symphony (Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra), Eastman School of Music (An Eastman Overture) , Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Violin and Piano Sonata No. 2), David Ensemble (Five Fancies for Clarinet and Piano Four Hands), Affiliate Artists and Xerox (Guido's Hand), Pew Charitable Trust (Piano Sonata No. 4), The Boys Choir of Harlem (Cantata), The Cleveland Chamber Symphony (Orpheus), New Jersey Symphony (Pageant and Proclamation), Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust (Modus), New Jersey Chamber Music Society (Wind Set), Maryland International Piano Competition (Bauble), Columbus Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra (Tangents), New Jersey Youth Symphony (Icarus In Orbit), and Network for New Music (Abu).

Editors Please Note:
Friday, Dec. 14 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 15 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
ARILD REMMEREIT, conductor
GIL SHAHAM, violin

George Walker                          Sinfonia No. 4, “Strands”
Wolfgang Amadé Mozart                        Concerto No. 5 in A major for Violin and Orchestra, K. 219
I.                    Allegro aperto
II.                  Adagio
III.                Rondo: Tempo di menuetto
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky              Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Opus 13, “Winter Dreams”
I.                    Allegro tranquillo
II.                  Adagio cantabile man non tanto
III.                Scherzo: Allegro scherzando giocoso
IV.                Finale: Andante lugubre – Allegro moderato – Allegro maestoso

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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Mannheim Steamroller at Benedum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: November 8, 2012
Contact: Diana Roth, (412) 471-8717, roth@trustarts.org

Pandora's Unforgettable Moments Presents Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis
Tuesday, December 11, and Wednesday, December 12, 2012, at 8:00 p.m., Benedum Center

Pittsburgh, PA:  Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis has been America’s favorite holiday celebration for over 25 years.  Grammy Award winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting.  The spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller.  Don’t miss this ultimate holiday tradition from the #1 Christmas music artist in history!

Pandora’s Unforgettable Moments Presents Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis will be performing at the Benedum Center on Tuesday, December 11 and Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. For information and tickets ($37.25 - $82.25): visit www.Trustarts.org, call (412) 456-6666, or in person: Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue.  To purchase 10 or more tickets at discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.  The performance is a part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Created and founded by Chip Davis, Mannheim Steamroller is embarking on their 27th tour this Christmas season.   Business Week says, “Mannheim Steamroller Rules Christmas! It’s the top selling act ever in the holiday music category.” And the Dallas Morning News:   "Mannheim Steamroller is the most popular Christmas act of all times…..a lush version of "Deck The Halls" is one of the act's most popular songs." Mannheim Steamroller’s music is best described as 18th Century classical rock with a musical fusion of acoustic, analog, digital and electronic sounds.

Chip Davis, Founder of Mannheim Steamroller

Chip Davis began piano lessons at age four and composed his first piece of music at age six. He graduated from the University of Michigan, School of Music− specializing in bassoon and percussion.  Before founding Mannheim Steamroller, Davis’ early musical career included touring with the Norman Luboff Choir and later working for a Nebraska advertising agency writing jingles.  These included spots for a local bakery featuring the fictional trucker C. W. McCall. The spots were co-written with advertising writer William Fries, who became the voice of McCall. The spots were so popular Davis and Fries were persuaded to begin writing non-advertising songs featuring McCall. The most famous of these is the 1975 "Convoy". The duo released a total of five albums between 1974 and 1979, and Davis was named ASCAP Country Music Writer of the Year in 1976.

Chip Davis overcame across-the-board skeptics to found Mannheim Steamroller and produce a Christmas album.  Named after an 18th Century musical term that now translates as “crescendo,” the group’s popularity began in the 1990s with their album “Fresh Aire.”   When Davis could not find anyone to distribute it, he created his own record label, American Gramaphone.  The album became one of the best-selling independent releases in the U.S. and Europe, and the seventh recording in the Fresh Aire series received a Grammy Award for Best New Age Recording.

In 1984, Davis decided to release a Christmas album which went on to sell 5 million copies.  He approached the Christmas genre very differently than other artists, and its modernized, electronized versions of classic songs like Deck the Halls were very popular with audiences everywhere.  The current show features hits like Silent Night and Angels We Have Heard on High,and the concert will feature the group’s distinctive Christmas music from many of their multi-platinum award holiday albums heard over the past 25 years.  Chip Davis comments, “The music, along with our state of the art multimedia production, is meant to make this an experience for the whole family.”

 The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support.  The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Pre Broadway Tour of Bernhardt on Broadway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Last Word LLC
2132 Pauline Blvd., Suite 208
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Telephone: 734.864.3244
Email:  CDunitz@BernhardtOnBroadway.com
Web site:  www.BernhardtOnBroadway.com
Contact:  Carol Dunitz or Madame Sarah

Pre Broadway Tour of ‘Bernhardt On Broadway: The Musical’ Continues
Learn What Lady Gaga & Marilyn Monroe Learned from Sarah Bernhardt

‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ is a no holds barred exposé about the daughter of a courtesan who overcame countless obstacles to become the most famous woman in the world. Now, almost a century after her appearances in southeast Michigan, audiences can once again experience the wonder of Madame Sarah in the one-woman musical, ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ The show opens with Bernhardt welcoming the audience to her drawing room, a warm and cozy setting for the audience to become rapt in intimate self-disclosures via story and song about the actress’ legendary life.  http://www.oscholars.com/Upstage/issue3/bernhardt.htm

Dunitz is currently in discussion with a major Broadway producer to take ‘Bernhardt on Broadway’ to New York. The show premiered at Maxims in Chicago in October 2010.

Before mass media and modern travel, Sarah Bernhardt ingeniously master marketed her meteoric rise to superstardom. She was the WORLD’S FIRST SUPERSTAR.  Before LadyGaGa and Marilyn Monroe posed nude for national magazines, and Janet Jackson introduced the world to the concept of a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show, Sarah Bernhardt shamelessly posed nude for renowned 19th century photographer Felix Nadar while still in her teens.

Before Britney Spears and Madonna French-kissed at MTV’s 20th annual Video Music Awards, Bernhardt spread rumors that she studied her parts in a coffin and played croquet with human skulls. Before Elizabeth Taylor was led to the altar seven times and Zsa Zsa Gabor sampled marital bliss with nine men, Madame Sarah received over 1000 proposals of marriage.

Before Joan Crawford and Bette Davis endorsed Lucky Strikes, Sarah Bernhardt touted Ogden cigarettes as well as Vaseline, Pears soap, and Guerlain perfume and got paid handsomely to do it. She was an unrivaled success in the first full length silent film, ‘Queen Eliabeth,‘ before Cate Blanchett and Helen Mirren offered their interpretations of England’s great queen. Before Richard Burton and Sir Lawrence Olivier performed ‘Hamlet,’ Sarah Bernhardt played the young prince at Stratford on Avon in French.

Mark Twain punctuated Sarah Bernhardt’s Avant Garde status when he identified five kinds of actresses: “bad, fair, good, great – and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.” Nicknamed ‘The Divine Sarah’ by Oscar Wilde, Bernhardt was the undisputed queen of theatre during her lifetime.  It is said she almost single-handedly revolutionized the place of women in the theater. Her bravery and bold abandon has become the archetype of successful women to this day.

Playwright, composer, lyricist and lead Carol Dunitz read over 100 books and articles on Sarah Bernhardt before writing ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ Dunitz received her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in Speech Communication and Theater from Wayne State University.  She is the author of several books in addition to ‘Bernhardt on Broadway.’ She has been writing music since she was a child. Her love of musicals dates to her childhood when her mother, who often told her she was ‘a little Sarah Bernhardt,’ took her to see Gypsy.

See video clips at www.YouTube.com or visit www.BernhardtOnBroadway.com. A media kit can be downloaded at http://www.bernhardtonbroadway.com/contact.html.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Mason Bates Wins Heinz Award

For Immediate Release
Sept. 12, 2012
PSO CONGRATULATES COMPOSER OF THE YEAR MASON BATES FOR RECEIVING PRESTIGIOUS HEINZ AWARD

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) congratulates its Composer of the Year, Mason Bates, on being named one of the five recipients of the Heinz Awards. Teresa Heinz and the Heinz Family Foundation on Wednesday announced that Bates, 35, will receive an unrestricted cash prize of $250,000 as the winner of the Heinz Award in the category of Arts and Humanities.

Mason Bates

Bates is the Music Alive Composer-in-Residence with the PSO. Music Alive is a national residency program of the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA. He is one of the youngest-ever recipients of a Heinz Award.

Bates’ music fuses innovative orchestral writing, imaginative narrative forms, the harmonies of jazz and the rhythms of techno. His symphonic music has been the first to receive widespread acceptance for its expanded palette of electronic sounds, and is championed by leading conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, and John Adams. He has become a visible advocate for bringing new music to new spaces, whether through institutional partnerships or through his classical/DJ project Mercury Soul, which has transformed spaces ranging from commercial clubs to Frank Gehry-designed concert halls into exciting, hybrid musical events drawing more than a thousand people.

Bates’ work will be celebrated in four weekends of BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts, including one world premiere and three first performances by the PSO. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra also will present Bates’ classical/DJ project, Mercury Soul, on Friday, April 5, 2013, at STATIC, 1650 Smallman St., in the Strip District, featuring PSO musicians.

Launched in 2001-2002, the PSO created the Composer of the Year program to provide audiences with an unprecedented opportunity to encounter music of living composers, and establish a relationship with the composers through the experience of hearing multiple works and learning about the works through pre-concert talks and chats with the composer. Past participants are Steven Stucky, Joan Tower, John Adams, Richard Danielpour, John Corigliano, Christopher Theofanidis, Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Rouse, Michael Hersch, Krzysztof Penderecki and Rodion Shchedrin. The 2012-2013 BNY Mellon Grand Classics season marks the 12th year of the Composer of the Year program, which is partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Heinz Awards will be presented at a ceremony Oct. 11 in Pittsburgh. Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Heinz Awards celebrate the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him. The awards, administered by the Heinz Family Foundation, annually recognize individuals for their contributions in the areas of Arts and Humanities, Environment, Human Condition, Public Policy, and Technology, the Economy and Employment.

Photo Credit:  Mike Minehan
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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org

Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society to Perform at the Byham

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: September 4, 2012
Contact: Diana Roth, (412) 471-8717, roth@trustarts.org
Production photographs are available for download: www.Trustarts.org Press Room

Esperanza Spalding-Radio Music Society

to perform at the Byham Theater on Saturday, October 6, 2012

Pittsburgh, PA-  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society tour at the Byham Theater on Saturday, October 6, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. Brought to you as part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series. Tickets ($30-$50) may be purchased in person at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.  For group tickets, 10 or more, call (412) 471-6930.

An impassioned young bassist/vocalist/composer, Eperanza Spalding has made a splash in the American music scene and is one of the strongest voices in contemporary jazz. After having her second album top Billboard contemporary jazz charts, she caught the attention of President Barak Obama who invited her to perform at The White House. After appearing at The White House, Esperanza Spalding was also asked to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony. To prove this was no short flash of success her next album Chamber Music Society went on to win a Grammy for Best New Artist (2011).

Esperanza Spalding knew from the time she saw Yo Yo Ma on Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that she wanted to dedicate herself to music. She was five years old and within the year Spalding had become a member of The Chamber Music Society of Oregon. Through her hard work during the next ten years Spalding became a concert master at the age of 15.  It was at this time in her life that Spalding decided to hone her skills on the bass, moving away from the variety of instruments she had formerly played.  Armed with a GED, Esperanza Spalding enrolled in Portland State University’s music program. Learning and growing she migrated to the east coast where she received a Bachelor of Music from the Berklee College of Music. In 2005 Spalding was signed as an instructor at Berklee College; at 20 years old she was the youngest faculty member in the history of the college.

From her creative thoughts formatted on paper or arranged on a sheet of music, Esperanza Spalding’s accomplishments are impressive. Words or notes, however, cannot describe the beauty that comes through as she sings and plays her bass. The only way to truly experience the fruit of her labors is listening to her passionate performance.  Billboard described Esperanza Spalding as one of their “Faces to Watch” exclaiming, “Whether exploding into vocalize or making her bass solo sound like a horn, she’s a spark plug who dances as she grooves through a funked-up and rocked-out repertoire.”

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The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is the cultural and economic development of Pittsburgh’s 14-block Cultural District through public and private support.  The Trust presents and encourages diverse performing and visual arts programs within the District, and is an impetus for additional development in downtown Pittsburgh. www.Trustarts.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Call for New Works from Composers Expands Statewide

For Immediate Release
Aug. 23, 2012

PSO EXPANDS ANNUAL CALL FOR NEW WORKS BY COMPOSERS STATEWIDE

Deadline for score submission is Monday, Nov. 12; Leonard Slatkin will lead PSO in session of chosen works

PITTSBURGH –  The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) this year is expanding its annual call statewide for new works by composers in the early stages of their careers.

Since the 2004-2005 season, the PSO has offered an annual reading of works by young composers from area universities as part of its Composer of the Year program.

In its ninth year, the PSO’s annual reading program expands its call for submissions to Pennsylvania residents and anyone attending a college or university in the state. All applicants must be composers in the early stages of their professional careers and residing in Pennsylvania at the time of the submission. Only one work per composer will be considered. Previous participants may not reapply.

Leonard Slatkin

In the 2012-2013 season, the session will be led for the first time by PSO Principal Guest Conductor Leonard Slatkin.

Submissions will be evaluated by PSO Composer of the Year Mason Bates in consultation with Mentor Composer Patrick Burke, and Slatkin will lead the PSO in the session from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 23, at Heinz Hall. The session is free and open to the general public. Following the session, composers will receive feedback from a panel, including Bates, Slatkin, Burke, and PSO musicians.

Up to four works will be selected for the reading session, where at least one of the spots will be reserved for a student from the universities that have traditionally participated in the program. These include Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and West Virginia University.

The submission deadline for the 9th Annual Reading Session is Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. This is not a postmark deadline; materials must be received by this date to be considered. Selected works will be announced Dec. 5.

For complete eligibility details and submission guidelines, visit www.pittsburghsymphony.org/readingsession or call 412.392.4828.

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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org

Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

PSO Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch

For Immediate Release
Aug. 7, 2012

STATEMENT FROM THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ON MARVIN HAMLISCH’S DEATH

Marvin Hamlisch’s passing is a tremendous shock to all of us at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He was a true and great friend who absolutely loved the PSO, our audiences and this city. He considered it his second hometown and it clearly showed, whether he was taking in a Pirates game, dining at his favorite restaurants or patronizing stores.

His remarkable accomplishments as a musician, composer and conductor are well known and documented. We are indeed fortunate that he spent 17 seasons with us as our PNC Pops Principal Conductor, sharing his talents and creating memorable programs.

But there was another side to Marvin. He was a gentleman who always found a way to brighten our lives with his sharp wit, wonderful sense of humor, kindness and grace.

There is no doubt that our audiences will miss him very much. He cared greatly about them and worked tirelessly to create the best possible experience for our patrons.

Marvin was a unique individual and our world is a less joyful place without him. He will truly be missed by staff and musicians at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Marvin’s family, and his wife, Terre.

“We were lucky as musicians of this orchestra to get to know this man,” said Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, PSO’s principal oboe. “A lot of people didn’t know him, about his kindness to the musicians, staff and, especially, the audience. He really became a part of our city. He loved this city. He was here for so many years that many of us became close friends with him and his wife, Terre. I’ve been lucky that we had the opportunity to know them. We are all shocked and truly saddened.”

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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org


Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

An Evening with Yanni

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: April 9, 2012

Media Contact:
Veronica Corpuz
412-471-6082
corpuz@trustarts.org

Diana Roth
412-471-8717
roth@trustarts.org

An Evening with Yanni

May 9, 2012, Benedum Center, 8:00 p.m.

Pittsburgh, PA:  The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents An Evening with Yanni on Wednesday, May 9, 2012, at 8:00 p.m., at the Benedum Center.  This concert is part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series.  In 2012, Yanni brings his tour to North America, followed by a South American tour in the fall, and a multi-city tour of China in 2013.  The concert will feature Yanni and his world-class musicians and vocalists performing many selections from his extensive music career.

Tickets ($52.25-$152.25) are on sale now at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, by phone at (412) 456-6666 or online at www.trustarts.org. For group ticket sales (10 or more), please call 412-471-6930.

Yanni is known throughout the world as one of this century's most original and successful composers and musicians. His powerful compositions have come to define a new genre of music and over 500 million people in over 140 countries have seen his live performances. Yanni’s concerts are legendary.  Yanni’s concerts have also been seen on public broadcasting television stations around the country as part of station pledge drives and Yanni: A Living Legacy was broadcast on television around the globe.

Yanni was born in the southern Greek metropolis of Kalamata.  Gifted with perfect pitch, he taught himself to play piano and also excelled as a swimmer, setting a Greek national record in the 50-meter freestyle when he was just 14.  He came to the United States to attend the University of Minnesota and was presented with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in 2005.  He studied psychology, but ultimately dedicated himself to music, which he felt was “a time bomb ticking inside” him.

Highlights from Yanni’s Music Career
Yanni performed with the group Chameleon while he was in school.  He moved to Los Angeles and released his first album Optimystique, in 1980.   Yanni delved into instrumental composition, and had his first platinum album with Reflections of Passion in 1990.  Two years later, Dare To Dream was Yanni's first Grammy Award nomination; its follow up, In My Time, was also Grammy nominated. A major career breakthrough came in 1993 with Yanni Live at the Acropolis, an album/video/PBS special project, seen by half a billion people in 65 countries, and sold more than 7.5 million albums worldwide.  It marked the beginning of Yanni’s long association with PBS that now includes Yanni: Live at El Morro, and past event highlights such as Live at Royal Albert Hall and Tribute, which featured 1997 concerts at the Taj Mahal in India and the Forbidden City in China—Yanni was the first western artist to perform in both countries.

Yanni has sold more than 35 million albums globally and his 2003 autobiography, Yanni In Words, made the New York Times bestseller list. His music is also a staple as a soundtrack for television, especially major sporting events—it has been featured in broadcasts of Olympic Games since 1988, as well as ABC’s Wide World of Sports, the World Figure Skating Championships, the Tour de France and many other events.

Yanni Voices, was the musician’s 14th studio album and 5th live DVD, released in 2009. The album debuted on Billboard's Top 200 and #1 on the New Age chart. The Spanish version, Yanni Voces, debuted at #2 on Billboard's New Age chart, #5 on the Latin Pop chart, and #13 on the Latin overall chart.  The DVD release: Yanni Voices: Live in Concert reached Amazon’s number one best seller list within the first week of sales and was a fundraising success for PBS television.

Yanni Mexicanisimo, released in October 2010, was dedicated as a tribute to Mexico, a combination of Mexican music with Yanni’s style, it became the #7 selling album that year.

Truth of Touch, Yanni’s 19th studio recording, was released in February 2011 and went on to become a top-selling album.

Highlights from Yanni’s Concert Tours
Yanni Live in South America tour 2010 included performances in Santiago, Chile, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Hato Rey, Puerto Rico.

During 2011, Yanni and his world-class musicians and vocalists performed over 60 concerts through the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico and Panama; and toured 15 stops in Eastern Europe and Asia.  Yanni was embraced and honored by the country of China when the government invited Yanni to adopt a panda during his time in Chengdu. Traditionally such privilege is reserved for countries rather than personalities. He affectionately named her “Santorini” in honor of the word’s embedded Greek meaning, “Peace,” for Greece’s most beautiful island and after one of Yanni’s most well-known compositions.

Yanni’s performance in December 2011, filmed at Castillo San Felipe Del Morro, a recognized UNESCO Heritage Site in Puerto Rico, will be aired during the spring of 2012 exclusively in the United States on PBS television as a CD/DVD pledge drive, followed by a later worldwide release.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

JacobTV and Fulcrum Point Ensemble Perform Reality Opera

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Dutch avant-pop composter remixes THE NEWS in unprecedented time capsule of modern culture & media

JacobTV and Chicago's Fulcrum Point Ensemble will perform world premiere at the Byham Theater on Friday, April 27, 2012

 

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum’s Off the Wall performance series proudly presents the world premiere of THE NEWS, a 90-minute “reality opera” by avant-pop Dutch composer JacobTV based on non-fiction footage from the international media. This special premiere sponsored by Joan Humphrey is part of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Distinctively Dutch Festival which runs through May 20, 2012.

THE NEWS is a remix of musical composition, video production and social commentary through live performances designed for two vocalists, nine musicians, soundtracks and videos. The drama is constructed using broadcasts, sampled speeches and sound bites from newscasters, politicians, scientists, televangelists, athletes, movie stars and celebrities discussing a vast array of socio-political issues. From global warming to the credit crunch, as well as matters of war and peace to mundane trivialities, THE NEWS exposes western society's obsession with public image, fame, catastrophe and morality.

Featured artists include: Kristien Kerstens (videos); Jan Boiten (stage design, lighting, videos); JacobTV (concept, music, lyrics, direction); “anchor women” Josefien Stoppelenbrug (soprano) and Lori Cotler (alto); Fulcrumpoint New Music Project; and conductor Stephen Burns.

JacobTV
JacobTV (Jacob Ter Veldhuis 1951) started as a rock musician and studied composition and electronic music at the Groningen Conservatory, where he was awarded the Composition Prize of the Netherlands in 1980. He became a full time composer and soon made a name for himself with melodious compositions, straight from the heart and with great effect. Long queues at the box office of the four-day Jacob TV Festival in Rotterdam in 2001 confirmed his growing popularity. The NRC called him the ‘Jeff Koons of new music’ and his ‘coming-out’ as a composer of ultra-tonal, mellifluous music reached its climax with the video oratorio Paradiso, premiered the day after 9-11 and released on CD and DVD by British record label Chandos.

In the last decade JacobTV’s boombox music, for live instruments with a grooving soundtrack based on speech melody, became internationally popular. Although JacobTV is one of the most performed European composers, he is still an outlaw in the established modern classical music scene, and was recently accused of ‘musical terrorism’ after a premiere at the World Harp Congress in Amsterdam. According to the Wall Street Journal his newest work ‘makes many a hip-hop artist look sedate’. In 2007 the ‘box set trilogy, an anthology of his work with 12 hours of audio and video, was released by Basta and presented at a three-day JacobTV mini festival at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City.

“JacobTV is preoccupied with American media and world events and draws raw materials from those sources. His work possesses an explosive strength and raw energy combined with extraordinarily intricate architectural design,” notes Limor Tomer, Concerts & Lectures General Manager of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Fulcrum Point New Music Project
Formed by trumpet virtuoso and conductor Stephen Burns in 1998, Fulcrum Point New Music Project champions new classical music and highlights contemporary composers who are inspired and influenced by popular culture, including literature, film, dance, folk, rock, jazz, blues, Latin and world music.  Through multi-disciplinary concert performances and educational programs, the Fulcrum Point ensemble seeks to encourage audiences to make cross-cultural connections between new music, art, technology and literature, gaining greater insight into today’s diverse world.

JacobTV will premiere THE NEWS at the Byham Theater (101 Sixth Street, Cultural District) on Friday, April 27, 2012, at 9 p.m. The world premiere culminates a two-day series of Distinctively Dutch events. On Thursday, April 26, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Carnegie Mellon University's Remaking Cities Institute and World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host a panel discussion on "Rethinking Cities in the 21st Century." Panelists include Donald Carter, Director of the Remaking Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU); Vivian Loftness, University Professor at CMU’s School of Architecture; Paul Scheffer, Professor of Urban Sociology, Tilberg University, Netherlands; Rijk van Ark, Director of Economic Affairs, City of Amsterdam; and moderator Rob de Vos, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

On Friday, April 27, from 5:30-9 p.m., The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's free Gallery Crawl will have a Dutch focus with four galleries exhibiting work by visual artists from the Netherlands. Featured exhibition Global Navigators, supported by the Mondriaan Foundation, highlights multimedia installations and videos at Wood Street (601 Wood Street), SPACE (812 Liberty Avenue) and 707 Penn Gallery. Dutch photographers Rachel Nieborg and Ine Mulder will present the explosive exhibition Guns'N'Girls at 709 Penn Gallery.

Tickets ($20-$30) for THE NEWS and information on all festival events are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at trustarts.org/dutchfestival and by calling 412-456-6666. Groups can obtain discounts by calling 412-471-6930. Student tickets are $15 and available at the Box Office and through the phone room.

For more information on JacobTV visit http://www.jacobtv.net/index.html

Trailer and information at http://dutchfestival.pgharts.org/fest_event/jacobtv/

Following the world premiere at the Distinctively Dutch Festival, THE NEWS will be performed in Chicago at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Avenue, on Friday, May 4, at 6 and 9 p.m. For more information on the Chicago performances and the Fulcrum Point New Music Project, please visit www.fulcrumpoint.org.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s Distinctively Dutch Festival is supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Performing Arts Fund NL, Music Center the Netherlands and Theater Instituut Nederland. In addition, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust gratefully acknowledges the Carol R. Brown Performance Fund for support of the Festival, as well as media partners Pittsburgh City Paper and 90.5 Essential Public Media.

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Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh