PSO Looking for a Few Good Dogs

For Immediate Release
March 6, 2014

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD DOGS
Canine musicians needed for June 9 Point State Park concert

PITTSBURGH — Does your dog have what it takes to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra? The Pittsburgh Symphony is looking for four canine “musicians” and their handlers to participate in its annual free Point State Park concert on June 9.

As part of the concert, the symphony will perform Leopold Mozart’s “Jadg-Sinfonie,” a piece that calls for barking dogs to collaborate with the horn soloists.

Please visit pittsburghsymphony.org/dogauditions to fill out an online application form and submit a link to a Youtube video demonstrating that your furry friend can sit, stay, bark and be silent on command.

Deadline for submission is April 16. Notification of those chosen for the final audition will be made via email on April 30. Final live auditions will occur on May 13 at Heinz Hall.

Following the final audition, four dogs will be selected to perform with the symphony on June 9.

For more than 116 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been known for its artistic excellence. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a rich history of the world’s finest conductors and musicians. This tradition was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900, the Pittsburgh Symphony is critically acclaimed as one of the world’s greatest orchestras. They have made more than 35 internatiaonal tours, and recently returned from their 2013 European Festivals Tour, where enthralled audiences filled the PSO’s concerts in Grafenegg, Berlin, Bucharest, Paris, Düsseldorf,Frankfurt, Lucerne and Bonn.

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

Scottish Rite Cathedral Hosts PSO Concerts

For Immediate Release
Feb. 14, 2013
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES
2013-2014 SEASON OF CONCERTS AT SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL

Featuring Holiday Pops, Valentine’s Day-themed concert, PSO Music Director Manfred Honeck conducting works by Mozart

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) will mark its 13th season at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle with two concerts featuring popular music and one classical music concert of Mozart’s works led by Music Director Manfred Honeck.

Three-concert subscription prices for the 2013-2014 season range from $33 to $150. Student subscription packages are available for $24. Subscriptions can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall Box Office toll-free at 1.800.743.8560, or visiting the PSO at www.pittsburghsymphony.org/src.

The season opens with the popular Holiday Pops concert at 8 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 19. The audience will get to celebrate the season with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and an all-star cast of guest artists in a spectacular concert of popular carols and much-loved holiday music. The program will include Here Comes Santa Claus, A Holly Jolly Christmas, O Holy Night, Silent Night, We Wish You a Merry Christmas and many more favorites, as well as an appearance by Santa. Hailed by The New York Times as one of “Broadway’s electric conductors,” renowned conductor Todd Ellison leads this festive concert. Ellison is currently music director and conductor of the new Broadway production of Annie.

Fawzi Haimor

In the second concert of the season, PSO Assistant Conductor Fawzi Haimor will lead the orchestra in a performance of love-themed songs to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The concert, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 15, will feature John Williams’ “Princess Leia’s Theme” from Star Wars, Elton John’s “Can you Feel the Love Tonight” from The Lion King, as well as music from West Side Story and The Godfather. This concert will showcase Ryan Silverman and Tony Award-nominated Melissa Errico as guest vocalists. Called “one of the most valuable assets of the musical theater” by The New York Times, Errico’s career began as Cosette in Les Misérables, when she was only 18. Later, she starred as Eliza Doolittle in Howard Davies' daring and unusual revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway. Silverman played Raoul in the Broadway and Las Vegas productions of The Phantom of the Opera, and has performed with the Cincinnati Pops, New York Pops and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

The PSO’s season at the Scottish Rite Cathedral concludes when Music Director Honeck conducts a concert of Mozart’s music at 8 p.m., Monday, April 28, featuring soloists Robert Levin on piano and PSO Principal Horn William Caballero. The program includes Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, better known as the “Jupiter Symphony,” and Concerto No. 4 for Horn and Orchestra.

Manfred Honeck

“The audiences in New Castle have always been so welcoming and appreciative, and I am excited about conducting this wonderful orchestra there again,” Honeck said.

Manfred Honeck was appointed the ninth Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in January 2007, and began his tenure at the start of the 2008-2009 season. His contract was extended for the second time in February 2012, now through the 2019-2020 season. In October-November 2012, he and the PSO toured Europe, with performances in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Luxembourg, and Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart in Germany. During a week-long residency at the Musikverein in Vienna, the PSO performed four concerts. Honeck's successful work with the PSO is captured on CD by the Japanese label Exton, with Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben being released to critical acclaim. Their recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 won a 2012 International Classical Music Award (ICMA). Born in Austria, Honeck is an accomplished violinist and violist, and spent more than 10 years as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra.

Fawzi Haimor is the newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra beginning in the 2012-2013 season. Prior to his Pittsburgh appointment, he was the Assistant Conductor of the Alabama Symphony for two seasons. In Alabama, he conducted subscription, pops, education, and outreach concerts. Additionally, Haimor worked with numerous orchestras, including the Amman Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and Orquestra Sinfonico do Porto, and has collaborated with famous artists such as Bela Fleck, Bobby Horton, Diane Schuur, and Luciana Souza.  He has also served as a cover conductor to esteemed conductors including Justin Brown, Marvin Hamlisch, Grant Llewellyn, Michael Morgan, Robert Spano, Stefan Sanderling, and Michael Stern. Extremely passionate about the education of young musicians, Haimor was the first music director of the newly formed Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra, where he was involved in the development of a brand new premier level youth orchestra for the state of Alabama.

The 2012-2013 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) Season represents William Caballero’s 24th year as its Principal Horn. Before joining the PSO in May 1989, Caballero previously held Principal Horn positions with the Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera and Hartford Symphony. He held Third Horn positions with the Montreal Symphony, Montreal Opera, and acting Third Horn with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops. He has also performed as guest Principal Horn with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the St. Louis Symphony. Caballero is the Associate Teaching Professor of Horn at Carnegie Mellon University School of Music and chairs the Brass Department. Previously, he held teaching positions at Indiana University Bloomington, Rice University in Houston, Texas, and Duquesne University. He has been invited and presented master classes throughout the world, including Northwestern University, Colburn School of Music, New England Conservatory, University of Indiana Bloomington, Cleveland Institute of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New World Symphony, and the Beijing and Shanghai Conservatories. This past summer, he joined the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival as performer and teacher. For the previous seven summers, Caballero was on the faculty at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. In January 2012, Caballero began collaborating with the Internet music teaching company, ArtistWorks.com, based in Napa, Calif. Caballero’s complete horn teaching curriculum is available on the ArtistWorks.com website for horn students worldwide. Caballero is also in demand as a chamber musician collaborating with musicians such as violinists Gil Shaham, Joseph Silverstein and Philip Setzer, and pianists André Previn, Christoph Eshenbach, Orli Shaham and Andre Watts.

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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

Mothership, Tchaikovsky Featured in Concert

For Immediate Release
Nov. 20, 2012

MANFRED HONECK LEADS PSO IN PERFORMANCES OF MASON BATES’ IMAGINATIVE ‘MOTHERSHIP,’ TCHAIKOVSKY’S SYMPHONY NO. 4

PSO Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek is featured soloist, performs Mozart’s Concerto in A major for Clarinet and Orchestra

Manfred Honeck

PITTSBURGH – Music Director Manfred Honeck introduces the music of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Composer of the Year Mason Bates and revisits classics from Tchaikovsky and Mozart in a weekend of BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts this month.

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

Mason Bates (Photo: Mike Minehan)

The program begins with Bates’ Mothership, commissioned and premiered by the YouTube Symphony at the Sydney Opera House. Bates says this “fast-paced opener imagines the orchestra as the mothership that is ‘docked’ by several virtuosic soloists.”

PSO Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek will be the featured soloist, performing Mozart’s Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra. He was last featured as a soloist in November 2010.

The program’s second half features Honeck leading the PSO in Tchaikovsky’s vibrant Symphony No. 4.

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.

Manfred Honeck was appointed the ninth Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in January 2007, and began his tenure at the start of the 2008-2009 season. After a first extension in 2009, his contract was extended for the second time in February 2012, now through the 2019-2020 season. Following their successful European Tour in 2010 and the European Festival Tour 2011 with appearances at the major music festivals, such as BBC Proms, Lucerne, Grafenegg, Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein or Musikfest Berlin, Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will return to Europe in October-November 2012. This year’s tour took them to Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Luxembourg, and Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart in Germany. During a week-long residency at the Musikverein in Vienna, the orchestra performed four concerts. Honeck's successful work in Pittsburgh is captured on CD by the Japanese label Exton. So far, Mahler's Symphonies Nos. 1, 3, 4 and 5, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 and Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben have been released to critical acclaim. Their recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 won a 2012 International Classical Music Award (ICMA). Honeck was born in Austria and studied music at the Academy of Music in Vienna. An accomplished violinist and violist, he spent more than 10 years as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra.

The music of Mason Bates fuses innovative orchestral writing, imaginative narrative forms, the harmonies of jazz and the rhythms of techno. Frequently performed by orchestras large and small, his symphonic music has been the first to receive widespread acceptance for its expanded palette of electronic sounds, and it 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 such as his residency with the Chicago Symphony, 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 over a thousand people.

Michael Rusinek joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 1998 as Principal Clarinet. Born in Toronto, Canada, his early studies were with Avrahm Galper at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He later attended The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Upon graduation, he was appointed by Mstislav Rostropovich to the post of Assistant Principal Clarinet with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In addition to his position in the Pittsburgh Symphony, he has performed as guest Principal Clarinet with the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, the St Louis Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Rusinek has performed as a soloist with many orchestras and as a recitalist across Canada, on CBC Radio, and throughout the United States and Israel, including appearances with the Czech Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Belgrade Philharmonic, Royal Conservatory of Music Orchestra, National Symphony, Aspen Chamber Symphony, the Grand Teton Music Festival, and the Symphony Orchestra of The Curtis Institute of Music.

Editors Please Note:
Friday, Nov. 30  at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 2 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
MANFRED HONECK, conductor
MICHAEL RUSINEK, clarinet

Mason Bates                              Mothership for Orchestra and Electronica

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart            Concerto in A major from Clarinet and Orchestra, K. 622
I.                    Allegro
II.                  Adagio
III.                Rondo: Allegro

Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky                         Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36
I.                    Andante sostenuto
II.                  Andantino in modo di canzona
III.                Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato
IV.                Finale: Allegro con fucco

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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

Mozart's Don Giovanni Opens on the 3rd

Pittsburgh Opera presents a Mozart favorite in a new production: Don Giovanni opens November 3

What:               Wolfgang Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni

Where:            Benedum Center for the Performing Arts
                        7th Street and Penn Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh

When:              Saturday, November 3, 8:00 PM                 Tuesday, November 6, 7:00 PM
                        Friday, November 9, 8:00 PM                     Sunday, November 11, 2:00 PM

Run Time:        3 hours, 10 minutes, including 1 intermission

Language:       Sung in Italian with English titles projected above the stage

Tickets:           Start at $10 for all performances.
                       Call 412-456-6666 for more information or visit pittsburghopera.org

               
Pittsburgh, PA…Pittsburgh Opera presents the Mozart favorite Don Giovanni, November 3 – 11 at the Benedum Center. Based on the Don Juan legend and starring Michael Todd Simpson as Don Giovanni, the opera showcases a sterling ensemble cast and a new production built in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Opera presents at least one new production every season, but it is unusual that the company presents three new productions in a single season. Its Don Giovanni is the first built-in-Pittsburgh production for the 2012-13 season. At press time, the distinctive “bullring” set is near completion in Ambridge, PA, and costumes and wigs are being fitted at the company’s Strip District headquarters.

Don Giovanni is the story of a dissolute nobleman who chafes against the repressive culture of his native Seville, and pays the ultimate price for his philandering and lack of remorse. Featuring the popular duet “La ci darem la mano” and the humorous “Catalog” aria, the opera blends humor, drama, and the supernatural. Mozart and librettist Lorenzo da Ponte drew from an earlier Don Juan opera as well as Moliere’s play and other works to craft the opera. Mozart presumably worked on the overture right up to the night before the opera’s first performance. While it was obviously completed under some stress, the opera made a lasting impression on the likes of E.T. A. Hoffmann, Kirkegaard, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin, all of whom created homages to the opera: a popular classic.

The ensemble cast features debuts by Wayne Tigges as Leporello and Caitlin Lynch as Donna Anna, and returns for former Resident Artists Sean Panikkar (The Pearl Fishers, 2011) and Jennifer Holloway (Romeo & Juliet, 2006). Also returning are Michael Todd Simpson (The Marriage of Figaro, 2010; La bohème, 2009), Sari Gruber (The Marriage of Figaro, 2010; Cosi fan tutte, 2006) and Hao Jiang Tian (Turandot, 2011); Resident Artist Joseph Barron appears as Masetto. Music Director Antony Walker returns to conduct; Justin Way debuts as stage director. Mr. Way gives an overview of his vision for the opera in a video found at www.pittsburghopera.org.

Tickets to Don Giovanni start at $10, with all performances at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts, 7th Street and Penn Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh. For additional information or to purchase tickets call 412-456-6666 or visitwww.pittsburghopera.org.

Facts about the opera

      The Don Giovanni libretto was written by Lorenzo da Ponte, who shared some characteristics with the title character: he was friends with Casanova, and trained for the priesthood before falling out with the establishment for his libertine leanings. He had affairs with married women, and declared bankruptcy. However, his legacy of 28 librettos and his passion for teaching came with him to the U.S. when he became the first professor of Italian Literature at Columbia College (now Columbia University).
      In rehearsals for the premiere, Mozart was dissatisfied with the scream given by his Zerlina when the Don makes advances to her. Mozart sneaked up behind her and gave her a hard pinch at the right moment. Zerlina gave a very realistic shriek, and Mozart said he was finally satisfied.

The story, in brief
Don Giovanni, a dissolute nobleman of Seville, kills the Commendatore in a duel after he tries to seduce the Commendatore’s daughter, Donna Anna. Giovanni escapes, and Anna makes her fiancé, Don Ottavio, swear vengeance on the killer. Outside a tavern, Giovanni flirts with Donna Elvira, whom he once seduced and who has been looking for him ever since. Giovanni’s servant Leporello distracts Elvira by reciting his master's long catalog of conquests. Peasants arrive, celebrating the wedding of Zerlina and Masetto; Giovanni joins in and applies his charm to the bride, but Elvira whisks the girl away. When Elvira returns to denounce Giovanni as a seducer, he is caught between her and Anna, now in mourning. Anna recognizes him as her attacker.

Preparing for the wedding feast he has planned for the peasants, Giovanni exuberantly downs champagne. Outside the palace, Zerlina begs Masetto to forgive her apparent infidelity. Giovanni manages to corner Zerlina again, and when the girl cries for help, Giovanni blames Leporello. No one is convinced, and Elvira, Anna and Ottavio confront the Don, who barely escapes Ottavio's challenge.

Later, at Elvira’s inn, Leporello exchanges clothes with Giovanni to woo the lady in his master's stead. Leporello leads Elvira off, leaving Giovanni free to serenade Elvira's maid. When Masetto comes by with a band of peasants bent on punishing the Don, the disguised rake gives them false directions and beats up Masetto. In a courtyard, Elvira and Leporello are surprised by Anna, Ottavio, Zerlina and Masetto, who, mistaking servant for master, threaten Leporello. Frightened, he unmasks and escapes.

Leporello catches up with his master in a cemetery, where a voice from the Commendatore’s statue warns Giovanni of his doom. The Don proposes that Leporello invite the statue to dinner. When the servant stammers an invitation, the statue accepts. Leporello is serving Giovanni's dinner when Elvira rushes in, begging the Don, whom she still loves, to reform. But he waves her out, and her screams announce the arrival of the statue. Giovanni boldly refuses warnings to repent, Hell opens before him, and he is drawn in. Arriving too late, the others plan their future and recite the moral: such is the fate of a wrongdoer.
Don Giovanni opens Saturday, November 3 and continues November 6, 9, and 11, 2012. Tickets start at $10.  Call 412-456-6666 or visit www.pittsburghopera.org .

The Pittsburgh Opera 2012-2013 season is generously sponsored by PNC Foundation.
 
Tickets and Group Discounts
Tickets for all performances of Don Giovanni start at $10. Group discounts are available. For tickets, call (412) 456-6666 or visit www.pittsburghopera.org. For discounted group tickets (6 or more), contact Randy Adams at 412-281-0912, x 213.

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

Don Giovanni Cemetery Walk

For Immediate Release  October 11, 2012

Contact:
Debra L. Bell, Director of Marketing and Communications
Office: (412) 281-0912 ext 214 or dbell@pittsburghopera.org

Pittsburgh Opera and Venture Outdoors collaborate
in Don Giovanni Cemetery Walk, October 21

What:            Pittsburgh Opera/Venture Outdoors Don Giovanni Cemetery Walk

Where:        Allegheny Cemetery entrance, 4734 Butler Street, Lawrenceville
                     
When:         Sunday, October 21, 10:30 a.m., rain or shine

Tickets:         $8 for Venture Outdoors members; $12 non-members; $6 children.
                   Register at the Venture Outdoors website or call 412-255-0564

Pittsburgh, PA…Pittsburgh Opera’s upcoming production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni inspired a winning partnership between the opera company and Venture Outdoors. Don Giovanni, the unrepentant rogue of the Don Juan legend, has an important scene in a cemetery and is visited by a graveyard statue in the dramatic finale. What better occasion to collaborate on a tour of Allegheny Cemetery, visiting the graves and hearing stories of some notorious Pittsburgh philanderers buried there? The walking tour will be led by a Pittsburgh Opera guest leader, and is set for Sunday, October 21, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The tour is rated “easy” by Venture Outdoors and registration is now open at the Venture Outdoors website. The Cemetery Walk partnership is made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pittsburgh Opera’s 2012-2013 season continues a 74-year tradition of excellence in opera. As part of the Company’s continued efforts to make opera accessible to all members of the community, single tickets for the 2012-2013 season again start at just $10, withsubscriptions starting at just $43 for four operas.

2012-2013 Season
Rigoletto October 6, 9, 12, 14, 2012
Don Giovanni November 3, 6, 9, 11, 2012
Il matrimonio segreto January 26, 29; February 1, 3, 2013
Cabaret 2013 February 22, 23, 24, 26, 2013
Madama Butterfly March 16, 19; 22, 24, 2013
La cenerentola April 27, 30; May 3, 5, 2013

For ticket information visit our website www.pittsburghopera.org or call (412) 281-0912
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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

Mozart's Comedy The Abduction from the Seraglio Concludes Opera Season

For Immediate Release
April 3, 2012

Contact:
Debra L. Bell, Director of Marketing and  Communications
Office: (412) 281-0912 ext 214
dbell@pittsburghopera.org

Pittsburgh Opera  season concludes with Mozart’s  comedy

The Abduction from the  Seraglio

Opera to be sung  in English

 What: Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Mozart’s The Abduction from the  Seraglio

When: Saturday, April 28, 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, 7:00 p.m.
Friday,  May 4, 8:00 p.m. Sunday, May 6, 2:00 p.m.

Where: Benedum Center for the  Performing Arts, 7th Street and  Penn  Ave., Downtown

Tickets: Start at $10. Call 412-456-6666 or visit  www.pittsburghopera.org

Pittsburgh, PA… Pittsburgh Opera concludes the  2011-12 season with an effervescent comedy from Wolfgang Mozart,  The Abduction from the  Seraglio. On stage April 28, May 1, May 4 and May 6 at the  Benedum Center, Abduction will be sung  in English,  with English texts projected above the  stage. Set in a pasha’s harem aboard the  luxurious  Orient Express train and  featuring showpiece arias such as “Martern aller arten” (featured in the  film Amadeus, 1984), the  opera also provides plenty of physical  comedy. The fine and  funny ensemble cast  features David Portillo  and Paolo  Pecchioli  (both  appeared in The Barber of Seville,  2010), Pittsburgher Joseph Gaines (Turandot, 2011), and  debuts by Lisette Oropesa and  Ashley Emerson. Music Director Antony Walker conducts; Michael Shell directs. Tickets  start at $10. Call 412-456-6666 or visit www.pittsburghopera.org.

Events  associated with The Abduction from the  Seraglio (* = FREE event):
• Brown Bag concert, Saturday, April 14, 12:00 p.m.,  Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters, the  final Brown Bag concert of the  season, featuring Mozart arias and  ensembles*
• Opera Up Close,  Sunday, April 15, 2:00 p.m.,  Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters*
• Paolo  Pecchioli  in Concert, Monday April 16, 6:00 p.m.,  Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters
• Meet the  Artists,  Tuesday, May 1, after the  performance. Free  to Tuesday ticketholders.*

Pittsburgh Opera’s 2011-2012 season continues a 73-year  tradition of excellence in opera and is the first green opera company in the  U.S.* As part of the  Company’s continued efforts to make opera accessible to all members of the  community, single  tickets for the 2011-2012 season again start at $10.

*U.S. Green  Building Council awarded LEED® Silver certification in June  2011 in the Operations and Maintenance category.

For ticket information visit our website www.pittsburghopera.org or call (412) 281-0912
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2425 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
www.pittsburghopera.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

Music for the Spirit Concert at Rodef Shalom

For Immediate Release
March 2, 2012

MUSIC DIRECTOR HONECK, PSO CELEBRATE ‘MUSIC FOR THE SPIRIT’ WITH FREE CONCERT AT RODEF SHALOM

Tickets available Monday, March 5

PITTSBURGH – Music Director Manfred Honeck will lead the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) in a free Music for the Spirit concert that is part of an annual program of concerts that celebrate the spiritual and universal message of music.

The special concert will begin at 7:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 16, at Rodef Shalom Congregation, 4905 Fifth Ave., in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The program will include works of Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn, Ravel and Bloch and more.

The concert will feature the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Betsy Burleigh, and PSO Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley, Principal Cello Anne Martindale Williams, Principal Viola Randolph Kelly, and Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek as soloists.

General admission tickets are free to the public and will be available starting at 9 a.m., Monday, March 5. Tickets are limited to four per household and can be reserved by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900.

Honeck is deeply committed to and excited about Music for the Spirit, which explores the power of music to promote dialogue between religious faiths. Each season, the PSO plans two performances with spiritual roots. One concert is at Heinz Hall as part of the BNY Mellon Grand Classics subscription weekends. The second concert is in the community and rotates venues, bringing the PSO and Music for the Spirit to churches, synagogues, mosques and community centers. Last season, the free concert was at St. Paul Cathedral.

The repertoire for future Music for the Spirit concerts will vary each season, but will feature spiritual works appealing to all music lovers regardless of their faiths. There also are plans to offer programs throughout the year in the community that will deeply impact the spiritual and musical lives of Pittsburgh-area residents.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra thanks Roy & Susan Dorrance, Catharine M. Ryan & John T. Ryan III, and Mr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Donahue for their support of Music for the Spirit.
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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 Embarks on European Tour

For Immediate Release

Feb. 26, 2012

MUSIC DIRECTOR MANFRED HONECK LEADS PSO ON 2012 EUROPEAN TOUR – 12 CONCERTS, 8 CITIES

Tour includes week-long residency at Vienna’s famed Musikverein

Pianist Rudolph Buchbinder, violinist Nikolaj Znaider join tour

PITTSBURGH – Music Director Manfred Honeck will once again lead the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) on a 12-concert tour of Europe, which includes a week-long residency at the prestigious Musikverein in Vienna.

The tour, from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10, will take Honeck and the PSO to Barcelona, Madrid, Vienna, Paris, Luxembourg, and Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart in Germany.

During the tour, the PSO will have the rare honor of a four-concert residency at the Musikverein, which will feature Honeck’s stunning interpretation of Mozart’s Requiem.

Viennese favorite, pianist Rudolph Buchbinder, will perform with the PSO in Vienna. Danish violinist Nikolaj Znaider, described by Gramophone magazine as “one of the greatest artists of his generation,” also will join the PSO on this tour. Znaider was the guest soloist at PSO concerts Feb. 17-19 at Heinz Hall, and returns to conduct the PSO March 2-4.

The tour opens in Spain, with a performance Oct. 25 at the Palau de la Musica Catalana in Barcelona, followed by concerts on Oct. 26 and 27 at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid.

After a week in Vienna (Oct. 29-Nov. 3), the PSO will perform at the Salle Pleyel in Paris (Nov. 5), before heading to Germany for concerts at the Philharmonie in Cologne (Nov. 7), Alte Oper in Frankfurt (Nov. 8), and Liederhalle in Stuttgart (Nov. 9). The final concert of the tour will be Nov. 10 at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg.

In addition to Mozart’s Requiem, the tour repertoire features Steven Stucky’s Dreamwaltzes, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”), Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, the world premiere of Herbert Willi’s Violin Concerto, commissioned by the Musikverein for the PSO, and Willi’s Abba-Ma.

“Touring with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is always a fantastic experience,” Honeck said. “It is very special that we are returning to cities where the PSO has performed before to great success. It is also wonderful to return to Vienna and my musical roots, to the city where I grew up and played professionally for so many years.”

“On the previous tour to Europe, Manfred Honeck and the Orchestra played to sold-out houses and received great acclaim,” PSO President and CEO James A. Wilkinson said. “It is a tremendous honor for an orchestra to be invited for a residency at the Musikverein, and it speaks volumes about how highly our music director and musicians are thought of throughout the world.”

International touring is made possible, in part, by the Hillman Endowment for International Performance.

The PSO also continues its partnership, now entering in its seventh year, with the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) to promote the Pittsburgh region in Europe.

“Pittsburgh is internationally recognized for collaboration. We work together like no place else,” PRA President Dewitt Peart said. “Here, organizations, such as a symphony orchestra and an economic development agency, partner to promote our region, which National Geographic Traveler has called a ‘must-see, best-of-the-world destination’ in 2012. The region has a world of opportunity to offer, and its people make Pittsburgh experiences – from visits to significant business ventures – authentic and successful. The ‘Power of Pittsburgh’ is its people, and we’re delighted to personally showcase the region through its musicians, business leaders and other partners who are passionate about Pittsburgh – when the PRA tours Europe alongside the PSO.”
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In Pittsburgh:

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

Contact: Philip Cynar, Senior Communications Specialist, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
Phone: 412.281.4783, ext. 4573
email: pcynar@pittsburghregion.org

In New York:

Contact: Mary Lou Falcone
Phone: 212-580-4302
email: mlfpr@mlfpr.com

In Europe:

Contact: Gabriele Schiller
Phone: +49 221 38 10 63
email: office@pr2classic.de

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

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Celebrates Wilkinsburg Borough's 125th Birthday

For Immediate Release
Feb. 24, 2012

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CONCERT IN WILKINSBURG KICKS OFF BOROUGH’S 125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Wilkinsburg High School, March 6 at 7 p.m.


PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s Community Engagement Concert at Wilkinsburg High School next month will kick off the borough’s 125th birthday celebrations.

The concert, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 6, at Wilkinsburg High School, will be led by PSO Assistant Conductor Thomas Hong, and will feature PSO trombone James Nova as soloist. The program includes works of Mozart, George Bassman, Henri Tomasi and Edward Elgar.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Ten adult tickets are available for a discounted price of $75. Tickets may be purchased by calling Wilkinsburg High School’s Music Department at 412-871-2282 or 412.371.9504 ext. 2717. Tickets also will be available at the door on the night of the concert.

The PSO’s Community Engagement Concerts in Wilkinsburg have raised more than $55,000 since their inception. All ticket proceeds from the concert in Wilkinsburg will continue to benefit the Wilkinsburg School District's music programs.

The March 6 concert is one element of the PSO’s larger Community Engagement relationship with the Wilkinsburg area. The PSO’s interaction with Wilkinsburg includes the presence of PSO musicians at neighborhood schools and regular meetings with a Community Engagement Committee, which includes Wilkinsburg students, business leaders, faith-based representatives, music teachers, and other community representatives from the area.

Through Community Engagement Programs, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra builds connections between the PSO and Pittsburgh communities via ongoing and multi-leveled relationships. These successful programs help to educate the PSO about its audiences and their home communities. PSO Community Engagement Programs are specifically designed to build relevance between community residents and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Thomas Hong

Thomas Hong is presently the assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was assistant conductor of the Seattle Symphony, the Orchestre National de France and also associate conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. As an educator, he was on the faculty of The Shepherd School Pre-College at Rice University, teaching piano to young students. He was also a part of the Just for U Music Program (JUMP!) at the university, dialoging and interacting with children as well as performing for them.

James Nova

James Nova joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as its Second/Utility Trombone in fall 2009. Before joining the PSO, Nova served eight seasons as the Assistant Principal/Second Trombonist of the Utah Symphony Orchestra. After graduating high school in 1992, he attended the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Jim received his Bachelor's Degree there studying with the Philadelphia Orchestra's then Principal Trombonist Glenn Dodson. In 1996, Jim moved to Boston to pursue a Master's Degree on a full scholarship at the New England Conservatory of Music, studying with the Boston Symphony Orchestra trombonist Norman Bolter. In addition to his college education, James attended the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan in 1994 and was also a member of the Tanglewood Music Center Fellowship Orchestra for three summers, from 1996-1998. After finishing his Masters degree in 1998, he freelanced in Boston for several years, substituting on a regular basis with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra, often making recordings and television broadcasts with both groups. In 2001, Jim moved to Salt Lake City to join the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

Editors Please Note: Tuesday, March 6 at 7 p.m. Wilkinsburg High School Auditorium



PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA THOMAS HONG, conductor

JAMES NOVA, trombone

Wolfgang Amade Mozart Overture to Die Zauberflöte, K. 620 [The Magic Flute] George Bassman (arr. James Nova) I’m Getting Sentimental Over You

Henri Tomasi Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra

Andante et Scherzo

Nocturne

Final- Tambourin

Edward Elgar Variations on an Original Theme, Opus 36 “Enigma Variations”

Enigma: Andante

Variations:

i. “C.A.E.” L’istesso tempo

ii. “H.D.S.-P.” Allegro

iii. “R.B.T.” Allegretto

iv. “W.M.B.” Allegro di molto v. “R.P.A.” Moderato

vi. “Ysobel” Andantino

vii. “Troyte” Presto

viii. “W.N.” Allegretto

ix. “Nimrod” Moderato

x. “Dorabella – Intermezzo” Allegretto

xi. “G.R.S.” Allegro di molto

xii. “B.G.N.” Andante

xiii. “***-Romanza” Moderato

xiv. “E.D.U.” – Final e

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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