Jackie Evancho to Perform with PSO

For Immediate Release
Sept. 2, 2014

PITTSBURGH SENSATION JACKIE EVANCHO RETURNS TO HEINZ HALL TO PERFORM WITH MEMBERS OF THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PITTSBURGH – Jackie Evancho, the 14-year-old vocal sensation from Pittsburgh, returns to her hometown to perform with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on February 13, 2015.

Evancho, who first gained fame as a runner up on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” at 10 years old, releases her third studio album, “Awakening,” on September 23. Her performance with the Pittsburgh Symphony will feature the lush classical-crossover compositions for which she has become known, as well as the more contemporary material that can be found on her new album. Evancho also will sing several original songs and music from Broadway.

“Of course there are always going to be some classical pieces but I wanted to reinvent the pop songs and make them my own,” said Evancho of the new album. “The only thing that mattered was that the song spoke to me.”

Tickets, ranging in price from $39 to $179, go on sale September 8 and can be purchased through the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or pittsburghsymphony.org.

Jackie Evancho dazzled American television audiences at age 10, gaining global recognition with her stunning debut on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” She was immediately signed to Columbia Records where she released a string of successful recordings including “O Holy Night,” “Dream With Me,” “Heavenly Christmas” and “Songs From the Silver Screen.” She has since acted in Robert Redford’s “The Company You Keep” alongside Susan Sarandon, Shia LeBeouf and Nick Nolte, and performed as a special guest in Cirque du Soleil’s “One Night for One Drop” benefit at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. She also starred in the fall 2012 GUESS Kids clothing campaign, and in June, she performed the classic film song “Over the Rainbow” at the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Evancho has participated in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., where she delighted President and Mrs. Obama. She performed before 100,000 people in Russia with opera stars Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Sumi Jo prior to the opening of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, and has performed in Japan before the Royal Family at the Imperial Palace. Her first PBS special was one of the top pledge producing performances in PBS history. Her wide-ranging achievements caused Billboard to include her on its list of “music movers-and-shakers under the age of 21 in 2011 and 2012.

Editors Please Note:

Friday, February 13, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

JACKIE EVANCHO WITH THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
JACKIE EVANCHO, vocalist

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Vice President for Communications and External Relations
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@pittsburghsymphony.org
Twitter: @pghsymphony |Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra

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

Travel to Spain Musically

For Immediate Release
Feb. 14, 2014

TRAVEL TO SPAIN AND BACK AGAIN WITH PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra joins with one of the world’s most celebrated violinists, Joshua Bell, and Victor de Sabata Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda for a BNY Mellon Grand Classics program inspired by dramatic tales and far off lands on February 28 to March 2 at Heinz Hall.

Gianandrea Noseda (Sussie Ahlburg)

During this performance, Noseda leads the Pittsburgh Symphony in a daring presentation of two alluring and fascinating pieces. The performance begins with Joshua Bell’s performance of Edouard Lalo’s challenging “Symphonie espagnole.” Although composed at the beginning of the French fascination with Spanish-themed music, this piece took many years to gain the fame it truly deserved. In the second half, the audience is taken through the rarely preformed tale of “A Faust Symphony.” Composer Franz Liszt, inspired by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s drama “Faust,” dramatically portrays the three main characters— the fallen scholar, Faust, his innocent love, Gretchen, and the demon, Mephistopheles—in one beautiful movement after another.

Each BNY Mellon Grand Classics concert is part of the Explore & Engage program, which includes pre-concert talks, exhibits, display boards and interactive activities that illuminate the music, composers and the time in which they created. This weekend, Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh will conduct a pre-concert talk one hour before each performance. Also, on Sunday, March 2, the PSO Book Club with WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham will meet at 1:30 p.m. in the Grand Tier Lounge to discuss “The Violin Maker: Finding a Centuries-Old Tradition in a Brooklyn Workshop” by John Marchese. The book club session is free to all ticket holders to the Sunday afternoon performance, but availability is limited; advance registration is required. To register, call 412.392.4876 or email explore@pittsburghsymphony.org.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets, ranging in price from $25.75 to $105.75, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or by visitingwww.pittsburghsymphony.org.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its 2013-2014 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.

Joshua Bell ( Lisa Marie Mazzucco)

Joshua Bell is one of the world's most celebrated violinists. Recently named the music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Bell is the first person to hold this post since Sir Neville Marriner formed the orchestra in 1958. Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and orchestra leader, Bell’s 2013 highlights included performances with the Israeli Philharmonic and at Eastern, Brevard, Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals. In 2014, Bell reunites with his beloved Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, directing Beethoven’s 3rd and 5th Symphonies and recording the violin concertos of Bach. He will also perform the Brahms concerto with the legendary Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Paavo Järvi, and the Sibelius with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Growing up with his two sisters in Bloomington, Ind., Bell was an avid computer game player and placed fourth in a national tennis tournament at age 10, and still keeps his racquet close by. At age four, he received his first violin after his parents, both mental health professionals, noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around his dresser drawer handles. By 12, he was serious about the instrument, thanks in large part to the inspiration Josef Gingold, his beloved teacher and mentor. Two years later, Bell came to national attention in debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His Carnegie Hall debut, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a notable recording contract further confirmed his presence. In 1989, Bell received an Artist Diploma in Violin Performance from Indiana University where he currently serves as a senior lecturer at the Jacobs School of Music. His alma mater honored him with a Distinguished Alumni Service Award, he has been named an “Indiana Living Legend” and is the recipient of the Indiana Governor’s Arts Award. Bell has received many accolades: In 2013 he was honored by the New York Chapter, The Recording Academy; in 2012, by the National YoungArts Foundation, in 2011, the Paul Newman Award from Arts Horizons and the Huberman Award from Moment Magazine. Bell was named “Instrumentalist of the Year, 2010” by Musical America and received the Humanitarian Award from Seton Hall University. In 2009, he was honored by Education through Music and received the Academy of Achievement Award in 2008. In 2007, he was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize and recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame in 2005. Bell serves on the artist committee of the Kennedy Center Honors and the Board of Directors of the New York Philharmonic. He has twice performed before President Obama and returned to the Capital to perform for Vice President Biden and President of the People’s Republic of China, Xi Jinping. Bell performs on the 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin and uses a late 18th century French bow by Francois Tourte.

Gianandrea Noseda is among the world’s most sought-after conductors. Since becoming music director of the Teatro Regio Torino in 2007, he has propelled it into the ranks of leading opera houses. Noseda is chief guest conductor of the Israel Philharmonic, Victor De Sabata Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the BBC Philharmonic. His career took off in 1997 when he was appointed the first foreign principal guest conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre. In 2002, he became principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, a post he held for nearly 10 years. He now visits many of the world’s great orchestras, including regular engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting numerous productions in Torino each season, Noseda’s work with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino includes major recording projects and international tours and residencies he instituted in Asia (Japan and China) and Europe. In May he took his Italian forces to perform the Verdi Requiem at the Dresden Music Festival and then to the Vienna Konzerthaus for the first time. The current season has seen successful debuts in Europe at the Vienna State Opera as well as in the United States with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Born in Milan, Noseda is one of the highest profile Italian cultural figures, and regularly speaks publicly about the need to continue investing in culture despite difficult economic conditions. In March 2012, he was able to communicate the message to a massive American TV audience when he was interviewed on the subject on CNBC’s iconic “Closing Bell” with Maria Bartiromo at the New York Stock Exchange. He holds the Honor of “Cavaliere Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.”

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

Editors Please Note:

Friday, Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
GIANANDREA NOSEDA, conductor
JOSHUA BELL, violin

Édouard Lalo                  Symphonie espagnole for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 21
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Scherzando: Allegro molto
III. Intermezzo: Allegretto non troppo
IV. Andante
V. Rondo

Franz Liszt                     A Faust Symphony
I. Faust
II. Gretchen
III. Mephistopheles

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@pittsburghsymphony.org
Twitter: @pghsymphony |Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra

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

Best Musical Once at the Benedum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh
Show Publicist: Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org      

Electronic Images available: TrustArts.org/press
Search: ONCE 2014

WINNER OF 8 TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL

 ONCE

Based on the 2007 Academy Award-winning film

Music & Lyrics by Academy Award Winners

GLEN HANSARD & MARKÉTA IRGLOVÁ

Book by ENDA WALSH

Direction by JOHN TIFFANY

Movement by STEVEN HOGGETT

Music Supervision and Orchestrations by MARTIN LOWE

Scenic and Costume Design by BOB CROWLEY

Lighting by NATASHA KATZ

COMES TO THE BENEDUM CENTER, PITTSBURGH

MARCH 11-16, 2014

PITTSBURGH, PA:  ONCE, winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical and winner of the 2013 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, will play the Benedum Center for a limited engagement from Tuesday, March 11 through Sunday, March 16, 2014.  ONCE is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony.

ONCE, which was also named Best Musical by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards, is currently running on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre where it started performances on February 28, 2012 and opened March 18, 2012.

ONCE features the Academy Award-winning music and lyrics of Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, a book by award-winning Irish playwright & screenwriter, Enda Walsh (Penelope, Hunger, The New Electric Ballroom), direction by the acclaimed Scottish director of Black Watch, John Tiffany, movement by Steven Hoggett (Black Watch, American Idiot) and music supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe (Mamma Mia!). The set and costume design are by five time Tony Award winner Bob Crowley (The Coast of Utopia, Mary Poppins), lighting design is by Tony winner Natasha Katz (Aida, The Coast of Utopia), and sound design is by Clive Goodwin.

The ONCE tour cast will feature Stuart Ward* (Guy), Dani De Waal (Girl), Ray Bokhour (Da), Matt Deangelis (Švec), John Gardner (Eamon), Donna Garner (Baruška), Evan Harrington (Billy), Ryan Link (Emcee), Benjamin Magnuson (Bank Manager), Alex Nee (Andrej), Erica Swindell (Ex-Girlfriend), Kolette Tetlow (Ivanka), Claire Wellin (Réza), Estelle Bajou, Stephen McIntyre, Zander Meisner, Tina Stafford, Tiffany Topol and Matt Wolpe.

*Stuart Ward is appearing with the support of Actors’ Equity Association. The producers gratefully acknowledge Actors’ Equity Association for its assistance of this production.

ONCE is the celebrated new musical based on the Academy Award-winning 2007 film. It tells the story of an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant drawn together by their shared love of music.  Over the course of one fateful week, their unexpected friendship and collaboration evolves into a powerful but complicated romance, heightened by the raw emotion of the songs they create together.  Brought to the stage by an award-winning team of visionary artists and featuring an ensemble cast of gifted actor/musicians, ONCE is a musical celebration of life and love: thrilling in its originality, daring in its honesty... and unforgettable in every way.

The 2007 Academy Award-winning film, ONCE, was written and directed by John Carney, and starred Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, with original music and lyrics by Mr. Hansard and Ms. Irglová.  The Oscar winning independent Irish film, ONCE was made for $150,000. Shot in 17 days, it went on to gross $20M worldwide becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. It stars Glen Hansard, from the popular Irish Rock band The Frames, and Markéta Irglová. Glen and Markéta won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original song for “Falling Slowly,” the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Music, and the soundtrack was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

ONCE was originally developed at the American Repertory Theater (Cambridge, Massachusetts) in April 2011; Diane Paulus, Artistic Director; Diane Borger, Producer.

A developmental run of ONCE at New York Theatre Workshop (James C. Nicola and William Russo) began performances on November 15, 2011 and opened December 6.  The production broke box office records and concluded a sold out engagement including a two week extension through January 15, 2012.
ONCE is produced by Barbara Broccoli, John N. Hart Jr., Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G. Wilson, Orin Wolf and Executive Producer Robert Cole, in association with New York Theatre Workshop.  For more information visit,www.oncemusical.com.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.  Tickets begin at $29 and are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, by visiting www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-4800.  For group discounts, call 412-471-6930 or Groupsales@TrustArts.org.  To purchase a subscription to the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, call (412) 456-1390 orSubscriptions@TrustArts.org.

PRE-SHOW TALK
 Know The Show Before You Go will take place on Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at 6:30pm, Trust Arts Education Center, 805-807 Liberty Avenue (just around the corner from the Benedum Center) and is free and open to PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh ticket holders. To register: visit: http://www.trustarts.org/events/series/pnc-broadway-across-america/know-the-show-before-you-go

ABOUT BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA is part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com and is operated by John Gore (Owner & CEO).  BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring musicals and plays in North America, operating in 40 markets.  As a leading Broadway producer, BAA is dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre.  Current/upcoming productions include Beautiful, Bullets Over Broadway, Million Dollar Quartet andPippin. Past productions include Hairspray, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Memphis, Promises, Promises,The Producers and War Horse. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

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.  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.

Photo Credit:  Joan Marcus
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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

Maestro Gianandrea Noseda Conducts Casella, Prokofiev, Schumann

For Immediate Release
Feb. 7, 2014

MAESTRO GIANANDREA NOSEDA RETURNS TO BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS WITH CASELLA, PROKOFIEV & SCHUMANN

PITTSBURGH—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Victor de Sabata Guest Conductor Gianandrea Noseda join with multi-award winning pianist, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, for a BNY Mellon Grand Classics program infused with the power of hope, comedy and tragedy. The program runs Feb. 21 and Feb. 23 at Heinz Hall.

Gianandrea Noseda (Photo Credit:  Sussie Ahlberg)

Noseda will lead the Pittsburgh Symphony in a dynamic presentation of three beautifully moving pieces. The concert begins with the exotic, witty and vibrantly scored Symphonic Fragments No. 1 and 2 from Alfredo Casella’s La Donna Serpente. Bavouzet will then perform Sergei Prokofiev’s dauntingly complex Concerto No. 5. In the second half, the symphony will perform Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, a remarkably uplifting piece given the composer’s struggle with illness and depression.

Each BNY Mellon Grand Classics concert is part of the Explore & Engage program, which includes pre-concert talks, exhibits, display boards and interactive activities that illuminate the music, composers and the time in which they created. This weekend, Jim Cunningham of WQED FM will conduct a pre-concert talk one hour before each performance.

The concerts will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets ranging in price from $25.75 to $105.75 can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or by visiting pittsburghsymphony.org

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its 2013-2014 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.

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (Photo Credit:  Paul Mitchell)

Multiple-award-winning pianist and ICMA Artist of the Year in 2012, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is renowned for his performances of works by Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev, Bartók, Beethoven and Haydn. He regularly works with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vasily Petrenko, Pierre Boulez, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kirill Karabits, Andris Nelsons, Krzysztof Urbański, Lawrence Foster and Iván Fischer.

Recent and upcoming highlights include a return to the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, where he opened the 2013 festival with a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4 under the baton of Louis Langrée, and a return to the BBC Proms with regular collaborators Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and performances with San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Sydney Symphony and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra.

Other recent collaborations include appearances with the Boston Symphony and Budapest Festival orchestras, the New York Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. In the 2013-14 season, Bavouzet makes his debuts with the Pittsburgh, Seattle and Beijing symphony orchestras, and returns to the Philharmonia Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra (for a Beethoven concerto cycle over two days), Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Tivoli Symphony Orchestra (in a program directed from the piano). He is artist-in-residence with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo in 2014, and further ahead, he returns to the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski. A former student of Pierre Sancan at the Paris Conservatoire, Bavouzet won first prize in the International Beethoven Competition in Cologne and made his American debut through Young Concert Artists in New York in 1987. As well as his performing activities, Bavouzet has made a transcription for two pianos of Debussy’s Jeux, published by Durand with a foreword by Pierre Boulez. Bavouzet is artistic director of the Lofoten Piano Festival in Norway. For more information, please visitbavouzet.com

Gianandrea Noseda is among the world’s most sought-after conductors. Since becoming music director of the Teatro Regio Torino in 2007, he has propelled it into the ranks of leading opera houses. Noseda is chief guest conductor of the Israel Philharmonic, Victor De Sabata Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Conductor Laureate of the BBC Philharmonic. His career took off in 1997 when he was appointed the first foreign principal guest conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre. In 2002, he became principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, a post he held for nearly 10 years. He now visits many of the world’s great orchestras, including regular engagements with the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting numerous productions in Torino each season, Noseda’s work with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Teatro Regio Torino includes major recording projects and international tours and residencies he instituted in Asia (Japan and China) and Europe.

In May he took his Italian forces to perform the Verdi Requiem at the Dresden Music Festival and then to the Vienna Konzerthaus for the first time. The current season has seen successful debuts in Europe at the Vienna State Opera as well as in the United States with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Born in Milan, Noseda is one of the highest profile Italian cultural figures, and regularly speaks publicly about the need to continue investing in culture despite difficult economic conditions. In March 2012, he was able to communicate the message to a massive American TV audience when he was interviewed on the subject on CNBC’s iconic “Closing Bell” with Maria Bartiromo at the New York Stock Exchange. He holds the Honor of “Cavaliere Ufficiale al Merito della Repubblica Italiana.”

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, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 23 at 2:30 p.m.

Heinz Hall
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
GIANANDREA NOSEDA, conductor
JEAN-EFFLAM BAVOUZET, pianist

Alfredo Casella              Symphonic Fragment No. 2 from “La Donna Serpente”
 Sinfonia
 Preludio Atto III
 Battaglia e Finale

Alfredo Casella              Symphonic Fragment No. 1 from “La Donna Serpente”
 Musica del sogno di Re Altidor
 Interludio
 Marcia guerriera

Sergei Prokofiev             Concerto No. 5 in G major for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 55
 I. Allegro con brio
 II. Moderato ben accentuato
 III. Toccata: Allegro con fuoco (più presto che la prima volta)
 IV. Larghetto
 V. Vivo

Robert Schumann           Symphony No. 2 in C major, Opus 61
 I. Sostenuto assai - Allegro ma non troppo
 II. Scherzo: Allegro vivace
 III. Adagio expressivo
 IV. Allegro molto vivace

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Contact: Louise Sciannameo, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4866 | email: lsciannameo@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Joyce DeFrancesco, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: jdefrancesco@pittsburghsymphony.org
Twitter: @pghsymphony |Facebook: facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra

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

Love Is In the Air

For Immediate Release
Jan. 30, 2014

PASSION RUNS HIGH AT SECOND SCOTTISH RITE CATHEDRAL PERFORMANCE BY PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

PITTSBURGH – “If music be the food of love, play on” — feed your passions this Valentine’s Day weekend at “Love Is in the Air” with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle, Pa., on Feb. 15, 2014 at 8 p.m.

This Valentine’s pops celebration will be the perfect night out. With romantic music from favorite movies and musicals, warm you heart as Assistant Conductor Fawzi Haimor leads the Symphony and vocalists Christiane Noll and Hugh Panaro in songs like "All I Ask of You" from “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Princess Leia’s Theme” from “Star Wars,” as well as music from ”West Side Story,” “The Godfather,” “Les Miserables” and more!

The performance is at 8 p.m. and tickets range in price from $16 to $59. Tickets for “Love Is in the Air” can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 800-743-8560 or by visiting pittsburghsymphony.org.  The performance is part of the symphony’s child/parent program — student tickets (18 and under) are free with the purchase of a parent or guardian ticket. Symphony staff will be at the Scottish Rite Cathedral on Monday, Feb. 3 from 3 to 6 p.m. Buy tickets in person at the cathedral that day and save 20 percent! The child/parent program will apply to those purchases as well.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral will offer a pre-concert Valentine’s Day buffet dinner on Saturday, Feb. 15 serving between 6 p.m. & 7 p.m. The cost is $22 per person and the reservation deadline is February 7.

Call 724-654-6683 (option 3 then option 2) or email info@cathedralnewcastle.com for reservations or more information.

The final concert in the Pittsburgh Symphony’s Scottish Rite Cathedral series is the “Mozart Extravaganza” on April 28, 2014. The concert will be conducted by Music Director Manfred Honeck and will feature Mozart’s Concerto No. 20 in D minor for Piano and Orchestra, Concerto No. 1 in D major for Horn and Orchestra and Symphony No. 41 in C major, “Jupiter.” Packages to “Love is in the Air” and “Mozart Extravaganza” can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 800-743-8560 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/SRC.

Assistant Conductor Fawzi Haimor

Fawzi Haimor is in his second season in the position of assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his Pittsburgh appointment, he was the assistant conductor of the Alabama Symphony for two seasons. In Pittsburgh, he conducts a variety of concerts including subscription, pops, education and outreach. Haimor also has worked with the Jacksonville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Amman Symphony in the Middle East and, in Europe, Orquestra Sinfonico do Porto. He has also served as a cover conductor to esteemed conductors including Manfred Honeck, Leonard Slatkin, Gianandrea Noseda, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Yan Pascal Tortelier. In the current season, his guest engagements include the Erie Chamber Orchestra and a return to Alabama and Jacksonville Symphony Orchestras, as a guest artist. 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. He was also the founder and first music director of the Davis Summer Symphony, an organization geared towards the education and outreach of classical music to residents of the Davis, California community. He has subsequently been invited to guest conduct youth ensembles across the United States. He is also a committed advocate of contemporary music and has performed works by composers such as Kevin Puts, Bela Fleck, Mohammed Fairouz and Avner Dorman. Born in Chicago in 1983, Haimor was raised in the Middle East and the San Francisco Bay Area. He began playing the violin at the age of 4 and completed his training at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana University. He has earned bachelor’s degrees in both music and neurobiology, physiology, and behavior, and a master’s degree in conducting from the University of California-Davis before completing his second master’s in instrumental conducting from Indiana University.

Christiane Noll

Christiane Noll starred on Broadway in the Kennedy Center Revival of “Ragtime,” receiving Tony and Drama Desk award nominations and winning a Helen Hayes award for her portrayal of Mother. Broadway and national tour appearances include “Chaplin,” “Urinetown” (Ovation Award), “The Mambo Kings” (pre-Broadway), “It Ain’t Nothin’ but the Blues,” “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Grease,” “Miss Saigon” and “South Pacific” (Australia/Thailand). She is a frequent guest soloist with symphony orchestras around the world, including the National Symphony, Cincinnati Pops, Jerusalem Symphony, Philadelphia Pops, Boston Pops and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, as well as international appearances with Sinfonica Brasileira in Rio, China Philharmonic with concert pianist Lang Lang and orchestras in Hong Kong, Czech Republic and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with Skitch Henderson, in his last pops performance with The New York Pops and more sang with Steven Reineke for Stephen Sondheim's 80th Birthday Celebration at Carnegie Hall. She made her Hollywood Bowl debut singing with Julie Andrews and her opera debut with Placido Domingo in “The Merry Widow.” She has made appearances with Town Hall’s Broadway By the Year, Lincoln Center American Songbook Series, at Feinstein's, Joe’s Pub, 54 Below and Birdland. Her solo recordings include “A Broadway Love Story,” “Live at the West Bank Café,” “The Ira Gershwin Album,” “My Personal Property” and “Gifts: Live at 54 Below.” For more information: ChristianeNoll.com.

Hugh Panaro

Hugh Panaro is currently starring as the Phantom in “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway. He also has the distinction of having played both Raoul and the Phantom, a role he performed more than 1,000 times. Also on Broadway, Panaro has been seen as Gaylord Ravenal in the Harold Prince revival of “Show Boat,” Marius in “Les Miserables” and created the roles of Buddy Foster in “Side Show,” Julian Craster in Jule Styne’s final musical “The Red Shoes” and the title role of the seductive vampire in Elton John’s musical “Lestat.” Panaro made his West End debut as Gaylord Ravenal in “Show Boat” and went on to perform the title role in “Martin Guerre.” Some of Panaro’s Off-Broadway credits include “White Lies” at the Triad Theater, “Noa Noa” at Playwright’s Horizons, Heathcliff in “Wuthering Heights” at the John Housman Theatre, “Children of Eden” at the Actor’s Playhouse and the role of Robert in “Little Fish” at Second Stage Theatre. An active concert artist, Panaro has performed with numerous symphony orchestras including the Dallas, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Houston, Calgary, Utah and the London Sinfonietta among many others and had the privilege of performing in the world premiere of Penderecki’s “Te Deum” at Carnegie Hall. Panaro was a guest soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic, conducted by Marvin Hamlisch. His recordings include Jerome Kern Treasury, the original cast recording of “Side Show,” “Tap Your Troubles Away” (Herman), “The Centennial” (Weil) and “Life on the Wicked Stage” (Kern), among others. His first solo CD, recorded with Sony/BMG, was released in summer 2007. Panaro toured throughout Europe with the legendary Barbra Streisand. He performed the role of Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” in Philadelphia. A native of Philadelphia, Panaro graduated from Temple University and was awarded the Boyer College of Music Certificate of Honor for his impressive career in musical theatre.

Editors Please Note:

Thursday, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.

Scottish Rite Cathedral, New Castle, PA
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
LOVE IS IN THE AIR
FAWZI HAIMOR, conductor
CHRISTIANE NOLL, soprano
HUGH PANARO, tenor

Leonard Bernstein                       Overture to West Side Story
arr. Peress

Irving Berlin                              “Top Hat/ Steppin Out With My Baby” from Easter Parade

Cole Porter                                Begin the Beguine

Frederick Loewe                        "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady

George Gershwin                       “I Got Rhythm” from Girl Crazy

John Williams                            “Princess Leia Theme” from Star Wars
Meredith Willson                       "Till There Was You" from The Music Man

Jerome Kern                               “Make Believe” from Showboat

Pietro Mascagni                          Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana

Richard Adler and Jerry Ross        “There Once was a Man” from The Pajama Game

Claude-Michel Schoenberg          “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables

Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus   Mamma Mia Medley

Andrew Lloyd Webber                “Think of Me” from The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber                "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera

Andrew Lloyd Webber                "Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera

###

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

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

Mamma Mia!

Media Contacts:

PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh
Show Publicist: Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org
Other Contact: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org


Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’
MAMMA MIA!
The Smash Hit Musical Based on the Songs of Abba

THE GLOBAL SMASH HIT WILL RETURN TO HEINZ HALL FOR ONE WEEK ONLY!

February 11-16, 2014 | Heinz Hall

PITTSBURGH, PA – Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus’ MAMMA MIA!, the smash hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, returns to Heinz Hall in February 2014.  Performances begin on Tuesday, February 11 and runs through Sunday, February 16, 2014 at Heinz Hall.  MAMMA MIA! is a season special, part of the 2013-2014 PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America.

Tickets are on sale for all performances. The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.  Tickets begin at $23 and are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, by visiting TrustArts.org, or by calling 412-392-4900.  Group tickets are on sale now, call 412-471-6930.

ABOUT MAMMA MIA! WORLDWIDE
Seen by over 54 million people around the world, MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating 5,000 performances on Broadway and is the 10thlongest running show in Broadway history. The original West End production of MAMMA MIA! is now in its fifteenth year and has celebrated over 6,000 performances in London and the international tour has visited more than 74 foreign cities in 35 countries and been seen by over 4.3 million people. The blockbuster feature film adaptation of MAMMA MIA! is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.

Seen in 38 productions in 14 different languages globally and with a worldwide gross of over $2 Billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as “quite simply, a phenomenon.”

North American Tour Cast, Mamma Mia!

ABOUT MAMMA MIA!
An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya - from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.
Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA’s songs from “Dancing Queen” and “S.O.S.” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Take a Chance on Me,” MAMMA MIA! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

The special edition cast recording of MAMMA MIA! is available on Decca Broadway.
For information about MAMMA MIA! visit www.Mamma-Mia.com

ABOUT THE CAST
Leading the cast of 30 of MAMMA MIA! is Georgia Kate Haege as “Donna Sheridan,” the independent single mother whose carefree past catches up with her on the eve of her daughter’s wedding.  Bride-to-be “Sophie Sheridan” is played by Chelsea Williams; her fiancé “Sky” is played by Chris Stevens.  
Gabrielle Mirabella and Carly Sakolove play Donna’s best friends and former back-up band, “Tanya” and “Rosie,” (respectively) who reunite with their best friend on the island for Sophie’s wedding.  The three men from Donna’s past and Sophie’s possible dads are Michael Colavolpe (“Bill Austin”), Mark A. Harmon (“Harry Bright”) and Don Winsor (“Sam Carmichael”).  Sophie’s & Sky’s best friends are played by Antoinette Comer (“Lisa”), Kyle Dupree (“Eddie”) Emily Price (“Ali”) and Neil Starkenberg(“Pepper”).
MAMMA MIA!’s ensemble features Francesca Arostegui, Ken Arpino, Meghan Glogower, Andrew J. Koslow, Bonnie Kramer, Grace Leszynski, Danny Lopez, Rebecca Mason-Wygal, Royce James McIntosh, Tyler McKenzie, Alex Mendoza, Brynn Smith, Joshua LaMonte Switzer, Carly Wielstein, Jennifer Wingerter, Vince Wingerter, P. Tucker Worley and Lauren Wright.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
MAMMA MIA! is produced by Work Light Productions, whose other touring productions include American Idiot, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Nice Work If You Can Get It, and Chaplin.
The original production of MAMMA MIA! was produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus,MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce andBobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.
ABOUT BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA is part of the Key Brand Entertainment family of companies which includes Broadway.com and is operated by John Gore (Owner & CEO).  BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring musicals and plays in North America, operating in 40 markets.  As a leading Broadway producer, BAA is dedicated to the development and production of new and diverse theatre.  Current/upcoming productions include Beautiful, Betrayal, Bullets Over Broadway, Little Miss Sunshine,Million Dollar Quartet and Pippin. Past productions include Hairspray, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,Memphis, Promises, Promises, The Producers and War Horse. Broadway.com is the premier theater website for news, exclusive content and ticket sales. For more information please visit BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com and Broadway.com.

ABOUT THE 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 non-profit 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.

Photo Credits:  Kevin Thomas Garcia
#    #    #

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

Ben Folds and the Music of Queen to Play with PSO

For Immediate Release
Jan. 15, 2014

BEN FOLDS AND THE MUSIC OF QUEEN TO PLAY WITH THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA IN JUNE
Tickets go on sale Monday, Feb. 10 for June 17 and 24 concerts

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced two exciting June concerts today—Ben Folds returns to the Heinz Hall stage on June 17, his third appearance with the symphony, and The Music of Queen rocks the house on June 24. Tickets to both shows go on sale to the public on Monday, Feb. 10.

Photo Credit:  Kim Tonelli

Folds, who will feature his new classical piano concerto as well as a litany of his pop hit arrangements, is a multi-platinum selling, singer-songwriter who was the front man of Ben Folds Five before going on to have a successful solo career. A critically acclaimed celebrity judge on NBC’s “The Sing Off,” Folds has earned his reputation as a singular and influential voice in the world of the popular music. In addition to numerous albums with Ben Folds Five, in recent years he’s recorded four studio albums, as well as a pair of records documenting his renowned live performances and a remix record. Folds, who serves on the Board of the Nashville Symphony and who owns the famous RCA Studio A in Nashville where legendary music from all genres, including Grammy award-winning symphony albums, have been recorded, also has a special relationship with symphony musicians, having performed with some of the world's greatest orchestras. He’s done record-breaking sold-out Australian symphonic tours; has repeatedly sold-out nights both at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and at the Boston Pops with conductor Keith Lockhart; and has done several full-house residencies at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. He played with the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2010 and 2012 to sold-out crowds. Folds will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17. Tickets start at $30.

Bridging the gulf between rock n’ roll and classical music, conductor/arranger Brent Havens takes the podium to present Windborne's newest show, The Music of Queen, a program he scored to extend the listening experience of Queen's exceptional tunes. Performed by an orchestra and amplified with a full rock band and vocals, Havens and his ensemble capture Queen's distinct sound while presenting some familiar and lots of new musical colors. Delivering a fabulous rendition of Freddie Mercury's vocals is Las Vegas star Brody Dolyniuk, who was last seen at Heinz Hall last summer in “The Music of Led Zeppelin.” “The Music of Queen” takes the stage on Tuesday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25.

Tickets to both concerts can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org.

Ben Folds first found mainstream success as the leader of the critically acclaimed, platinum selling Ben Folds Five. He has gone on to have a very successful solo career, recording multiple studio albums, a pair of records documenting his renowned live performances, a remix record, music for film and TV, as well as numerous collaborations with artists from Sara Bareilles to William Shatner. In 2012, Folds reunited with the Ben Folds Five and released a new album “The Sound of the Life of the Mind.” The band toured the world in early 2013, and released their first LIVE album “Ben Folds Five LIVE” in the summer of 2013. Folds has also achieved critical acclaim for his insight as a judge on NBC's a cappella competition "The Sing-Off,” which returned to the air in 2013. A Nashville resident, he owns and operates the historic RCA Studio A, where legends of all genres of music — from Elvis Presley to the Monkees, Eddy Arnold to Dolly Parton,Tony Bennett to the Beach Boys — have recorded. Folds, who serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Nashville Symphony, has composed a piano concerto that he will perform throughout in 2014 as a part of a global symphonic tour. He has also enjoyed a special relationship with symphony musicians, having performed with some of the world's greatest orchestras. A member of the distinguished Artist Committee for Americans for The Arts, Folds is also an outspoken advocate for music therapy and music education.

Berklee-trained arranger/conductor Brent Havens has written music for orchestras, feature films and virtually every kind of television. His TV work includes movies for networks such as ABC, CBS and The Family Channel, commercials, sports music for networks such as ESPN and even cartoons. He worked with the Doobie Brothers and the Milwaukee Symphony, arranging and conducting the combined group for Harley Davidson’s 100th Anniversary Birthday Party Finale attended by more than 150,000 fans. Havens most recent film work includes the score for the film “Quo Vadis,” a Premier Pictures remake of the 1956 gladiator film. Havens is arranger/guest conductor for four symphonic rock programs – the Music of Led Zeppelin, the Music of the Doors, the Music of Pink Floyd and the Music of the Eagles and now the Music of Queen.

Guest vocalist Brody Dolyniuk remembers mimicking voices even as a child, listening to old records and tapes. He is a gifted, self-taught musician, capable of playing several instruments, with a particular knack for capturing the voices and mannerisms of classic characters from music, TV and movies. His first professional gigs were at piano bars in several U.S. cities, where he learned to charm audiences and expand his musical repertoire. With a longing to perform the music of the many rock bands that inspired him, Brody assembled Yellow Brick Road, unquestionably Las Vegas' most successful classic rock band. Since 1997, YBR has been reshaping the casino entertainment scene by bringing a rock concert atmosphere to showrooms previously reserved for Top-40-style lounge acts. Along the way, Brody has made numerous radio and TV appearances, and earned a spot in the finals of two national singing competitions, and even self-produced several large rock production-style shows utilizing multimedia, lasers, comedy and special effects. In 2007, Dolyniuk lent his vocal talents by singing several tracks on the mega-hit video game “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” and has already done several more for the new Konami game “Rock Revolution.” As a devout classic rock/Queen fan, Dolyniuk’s enthusiasm, vocal ability and on-stage energy were the perfect fit for The Music of Queen show.

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

Porgy and Bess at the Benedum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts:
PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh
Show Publicist: Shaunda Miles, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-1578/Miles@TrustArts.org      
Diana Roth, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust: 412-471-8717/Roth@TrustArts.org

“The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess is A TRIUMPH!”

San Francisco Chronicle

“A Sumptuous Musical Treat!

This ‘Porgy’ emerges as a moving, tribute to the genius of the original!”

Bay Area News Group

#1 MUSICAL OF THE YEAR

“A don’t-miss theater event.”

–TIME Magazine

“A BIG HIT!

An indispensable ticket!”

- The New York Times

“A great achievement that left me breathless.”

–The New Yorker

“A GORGEOUS VERSION OF THE GERSHWIN MASTERPIECE!”

- Associated Press

 
PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST ANNOUNCES
COMPLETE CAST FOR 2013-2014 SEASON NATIONAL TOUR OF
THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY & BESS

 FEBRUARY 25, 2014 – MARCH 2, 2014 | BENEDUM CENTER
TICKETS ON SALE NOW

PITTSBURGH, PA: The National Tour of THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS, winner of the 2012 Tony Award® for Best Musical Revival, announces the complete cast for the tour which launched at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre this past November. The tour, accompanied by a 23-piece orchestra, will be presented at Pittsburgh’s Benedum Center February 25 through March 2, 2014.  Tickets for the engagement go on sale Friday, December 6, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS is part of the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh series, presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Broadway Across America and Pittsburgh Symphony.

Alicia Hall Moran as Bess and Nathaniel Stampley as Porgy

The cast features NATHANIEL STAMPLEY as Porgy, ALICIA HALL MORAN as Bess, ALVIN CRAWFORD as Crown, KINGSLEY LEGGS as Sporting Life, SUMAYYA ALI as Clara, DENISHA BALLEW as Serena, DANIELLE LEE GREAVES as Mariah and DAVID HUGHEY as Jake.
The cast also includes DAN BARNHILL, VANJAH BOIKAI, ADRIANNA M. CLEVELAND, ROOSEVELT ANDRÉCREDIT, CICILY DANIELS,  DWELVAN DAVID,  NKRUMAH GATLING, TAMAR GREENE, NICOLE ADELL JOHNSON, JAMES EARL JONES II, QUENTIN OLIVER LEE, CHERYSE McLEOD LEWIS, SARITA RACHELLE LILLY, KENT OVERSHOWN, CHAUNCEY PACKER, LINDSAY ROBERTS, FRED ROSE and SOARA-JOYE ROSS.

“Every so often a project comes along that is so astonishing that one has to drop everything and just say I’m going to do it.  That’s what I felt when I was asked to do The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” said Tony Award®-winning director DIANE PAULUS.  “The epic sweep of the story, the immense history of the musical itself and the unforgettable Gershwin score, highlighted by ‘Summertime,’ ‘I Got Plenty of Nothing’ and ‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ make this unquestionably one of the greatest American masterpieces.”

THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS by GEORGE GERSHWIN, DUBOSE and DOROTHY HEYWARD, and IRA GERSHWIN, features one of Broadway’s most accomplished creative teams, led by Tony Award®-winning directorDIANE PAULUS (Pippin, Hair), Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright SUZAN-LORI PARKS (Topdog/Underdog), and two-time Obie Award-winning composer DIEDRE L. MURRAY (Running Man). The creative team also includes choreographer RONALD K. BROWN, set designer RICCARDO HERNANDEZ, costume designer ESOSA, lighting designer CHRISTOPHER AKERLIND, sound designer ACME SOUND PARTNERS, music supervisor CONSTANTINE KITSOPOULOUS, and music director/conductor DALE RIELING.

Cast of Porgy and Bess

Based on DuBose Heyward's novel “Porgy” and the play of the same name, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward, the Broadway revival of THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS is a stunning and stirring new staging with a magnificent 23-piece orchestra, including such legendary songs as “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” and “I Got Plenty of Nothing.” The classic story is set in Charleston’s fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess’ relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater’s most exhilarating love stories.

Before presenting the world premiere production of THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS during its 2011/12 season the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University first produced the groundbreaking immersive theater event Sleep No More in an empty school in Brookline, MA and developed Once the Musical in its club theater venue OBERON. This past season the A.R.T. went on to mount the world premiere engagements of the 2013 Tony Award®-winning revival ofPippin and the critically acclaimed, upcoming Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie starring Cherry Jones, Zachary Quinto, Celia Keenan-Bolger and Brian J. Smith. Following its sold-out engagement at A.R.T., THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS moved to the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway for a limited engagement with an official opening on January 12, 2012. After extending the show twice, THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS closed on September 23, 2012 after 322 performances, making it the longest running production of PORGY AND BESS to ever play Broadway. The 2012 Broadway Cast Recording of THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS is now available on PS Classics.

Kingsley Leggs as Sporting Life with Cast of Porgy and Bess

PORGY AND BESS first premiered at the Colonial Theatre in Boston on September 30, 1935. Broadway performances followed featuring a cast of classically trained African-American singers — a daring and visionary artistic choice at the time. This new adaptation of THE GERSHWINS’ PORGY AND BESS was specifically created for Broadway and features a revised book in a musical theatre format and jazz-oriented musical arrangements.

For more information, please visit www.porgyandbessthemusical.com
For more information or to purchase the 2012 Broadway Cast Recording, visit http://www.psclassics.com/
Or Follow the Tour at:
http://facebook.com/TheGershwinsPorgyandBessNationalTour
http://youtube.com/PorgyandBessTour
http://twitter.com/PorgyBessTour

TICKETS
The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8:00 p.m., Saturday at 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  Tickets begin at $20 and are available at the Box Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, by visiting www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-4800.  Groups of 10 or more may also purchase tickets in advance by calling 412-471-6930.

BROADWAY ACROSS AMERICA
A leading Broadway producer and the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, BAA operates in 40 cities, bringing first-class touring musicals and plays to audiences across the US and Canada in markets such as Costa Mesa, Fort Lauderdale, Tempe, Boston, Minneapolis and New Orleans.  As a producer, current and upcoming productions include Million Dollar Quartet, Pippin, Betrayal, Bullets Over Broadway, Little Miss Sunshine and Bull Durham. BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com

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.  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.

PHOTO CREDITS:  Michael J. Lutch
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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