Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Broadway at Heinz Hall Series Tickets Available


For Immediate Release
Aug. 9, 2012



PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES NEW ‘BROADWAY AT HEINZ HALL’ SERIES

Broadway hits ‘Chicago,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘Elvis Lives’ to thrill Heinz Hall audiences next season; tickets go on sale Monday, Aug. 20

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) today announced the inaugural ‘Broadway at Heinz Hall’ series that will bring award-winning and crowd-pleasing Broadway hits to Heinz Hall, starting in the 2012-2013 season.



Chicago is back in town as it kicks off the series in November. It’s pure entertainment. The longest running American musical in Broadway history and fourth longest-running production in Broadway history is set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s. The recipient of six Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, a Grammy, and thousands of standing ovations, this worldwide phenomenon has been proclaimed “a triumph” by Time magazine, and “Broadway’s most electrifying show” by Entertainment Weekly.

Chicago will play at Heinz Hall at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8; 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9; 2 & 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 10; and 1 & 6:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 11.

Catch Me If You Can, with libretto by Terrence McNally and theatrical score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, comes to Heinz Hall in December. Performances of this Tony Award- and Drama Desk Award-winning musical about con man Frank Abagnale Jr. will be at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 26 & Thursday, Dec. 27; 2 and 8 p.m., Friday, Dec. 28 & Saturday, Dec. 29; and 1 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 30.

The series concludes in March with Elvis Lives, the ultimate Broadway tribute to The King. Performances will be 8 p.m., Friday, March 29; and 2 & 8 p.m., Saturday, March 30.

Both Catch Me If You Can and Elvis Lives are Pittsburgh premieres.

Ticket packages, ranging from $54.99 to $230.48, for all three ‘Broadway at Heinz Hall’ shows, and individual tickets for each show, ranging from $25 to $85, go on sale at 9 a.m., Monday, Aug. 20. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900, or visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org/broadway. Prices are subject to change.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will not be performing at these shows. ‘Broadway at Heinz Hall’ is not part of the PNC Broadway Across America series.
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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

Friday, August 10, 2012

From the Top Returning to Western Pennsylvania


From the Top Returning to Western Pennsylvania

Popular NPR Show “From the Top” Returning to Western Pennsylvania in October

February taping in Pittsburgh to be re-broadcast on Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7 Saturday, August 4 at 5 p.m.

From the Top, the preeminent showcase for young musicians heard weekly on Classical WQED-FM 89.3 and Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7 in Johnstown is returning to the area on Sunday, October 21 at 3 p.m. at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. Presented by the Westmoreland Cultural Trust and Seton Hill University, Classical WQED-FM 89.3 Artistic Director Jim Cunningham will host the afternoon taping. Tickets are available from WQED-FM 89.3 for a pledge of support of $40 for a single floor seat, $120 for a family four-pack; $60 for a ticket including bus transportation from WQED to the Palace Theatre,or $180 for a family four-pack including transportation.

Pledges can be made by calling 1-888-621-6900 or by going to wqed.org/support.

The popular NPR program, hosted by Pittsburgh’s own acclaimed pianist Christopher O'Riley features the amazing performances and captivating personal stories of extraordinary young classical musicians from across the country. This past February From the Top came to the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh to tape an episode presented by the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University. This episode which aired nationally the week of March 4 will be re-broadcast on Classical WQED-FM 89.3 and WQEDJ-FM 89.7 Johnstown this Saturday, August 4, 2012 at 5 p.m.

From the Top is heard weekly on Classical WQED-FM 89.3, Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7 in Johnstown, and at wqed.org/fm worldwide Saturdays at 5 p.m.

About From the Top
What began as a radio experiment in 2000 quickly became one of the fastest growing and most popular weekly classical music programs on public radio. Broadcast on nearly 250 stations nationwide to an audience of more than 700,000 listeners each week, From the Top has been described by the Boston Globe as, "an entertaining, accessible and inspirational mix of outstanding musical performances, informal interviews, skits and games, the show is a celebration of extraordinary musicians who happen to be teenagers leading fairly normal lives."

Annually, From the Top's live tapings reach more than 20,000 live audience members of all ages across the United States. In conjunction with its national tour, through From the Top’s Center for the Development of Arts Leaders, the Boston-based non-profit offers leadership training to young artists and conducts classroom and community programs leveraging the power of its performers as role models for younger students. In addition, From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation award $10,000 scholarships to high achieving musicians with limited financial means. The program has invested more than $1.4 million in support for pre-college students since 2005. From the Top launched its Emmy Award winning PBS television series From the Top at Carnegie Hall in 2007.

From the Top's radio program is made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and support from U.S. Trust. It is also supported through the generous contributions of individuals and institutions as well as public radio stations. From the Top is an independent non-profit organization headquartered in Boston. From the Top’s founding partners are New England Conservatory and WGBH. Learn more at www.fromthetop.org.

About WQED Pittsburgh
WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; the Pittsburgh Concert Channel at WQED-HD2 (89.3-2FM) and online at www.wqed.org/fm; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.

About Westmoreland Cultural Trust
Westmoreland Cultural Trust is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to stimulate cultural and economic development in the Westmoreland County region. We promote the performing arts; we preserve and enhance our region’s assets for the benefit of the community. Its work involves The Palace Theatre, Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, The Train Station at Greensburg, the Stark and Union Trust buildings, and Greensburg Area Cultural Council.

About Seton Hill University
Seton Hill University, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1885, is a coeducational Catholic liberal arts
university in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Originally a women’s college, Seton Hill became a coeducational university in 2002. Seton Hill currently enrolls more than 2,500 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs, 8 graduate degree programs, 6 advanced certifications and an Adult Degree Program.

Located 35 miles east of Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, Seton
Hill educates dedicated practitioners and leaders in the fields of health care, science, the arts, business, education, the social sciences and government. Seton Hill also partners with the local community in economic development initiatives and as a source of cultural events and enrichment opportunities. Throughout its history, Seton Hill has pursued its mission in the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, who promised her own students: "I would wish to fit you for that world in which you are destined to live."

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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

Jersey Boys Cast Announced


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today's date: August 6, 2012
Contact: Diana Roth, roth@trustarts.org, (412) 471-8717



Casting Announced for
JERSEY BOYS, the Story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons
Playing Pittsburgh's Benedum Center , September 4-23, 2012


Pittsburgh, PA (August 6, 2012) – Casting has been announced for the Pittsburgh engagement of the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical JERSEY BOYS, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, playing the Benedum Center on Tuesday, September 4, through Sunday, September 23, 2012.  The cast of JERSEY BOYS will be led by Brandon Andrus (Nick Massi), Colby Foytik (Tommy DeVito), Jason Kappus (Bob Gaudio) and Brad Weinstock (Frankie Valli) as The Four Seasons, with Barry Anderson and Thomas Fiscella.

The ensemble of JERSEY BOYS includes Stephen Cerf, Kaleigh Cronin, Brent DiRoma, Larry Esparza, Natalie Gallo, Devon Goffman, Wes Hart, Dave Hiltebrand, Christopher Messina, Hayden Milanes, Michelle Pruiett, Rachel Schur, Skye Scott, Carlos Valdes and Curtis Wiley.

JERSEY BOYS is the winner of the 2006 Best Musical Tony Award®, the 2006 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Show Album, the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the 2010 Helpmann Award for Best Musical (Australia). JERSEY BOYS worldwide has been seen by over 15 million people (as of July, 2012).
Jason Kappus, Colby Foytik, Brad Weinstock, Brandon Andrus

Catch a sneak peek of Jersey Boys! Log on to www.JerseyBoysTour.com/watch.

 Directed by two-time Tony® Award-winner Des McAnuff, JERSEY BOYS is written by Academy Award-winner Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and choreography by Sergio Trujillo.

JERSEY BOYS is part of the PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh series presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America.

JERSEY BOYS is the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi.  This is the story of how a group of blue-collar boys from the wrong side of the tracks became one of the biggest American pop music sensations of all time.  They wrote their own songs, invented their own sounds and sold 175 million records worldwide - all before they were thirty.

JERSEY BOYS opened at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway to critical acclaim on November 6, 2005. The JERSEY BOYS First National Tour opened to rave reviews in San Francisco on December 1, 2006, played a record-breaking run in Los Angeles and is still breaking house records in cities across North America. There are six current productions of JERSEY BOYS worldwide: New York; London; Las Vegas; Auckland, New Zealand; and two US National tours.

The JERSEY BOYS design and production team comprises Klara Zieglerova (Scenic Design), Jess Goldstein (Costume Design), Howell Binkley (winner of the 2006 Tony® Award for his Lighting Design of JERSEY BOYS), Steve Canyon Kennedy (Sound Design), Michael Clark (Projections Design), Charles LaPointe (Wig and Hair Design), Steve Orich (Orchestrations) and Ron Melrose (Music Direction, Vocal Arrangements & Incidental Music).

JERSEY BOYS is produced by Dodger Theatricals, Joseph J. Grano, Tamara and Kevin Kinsella, Pelican Group, with Latitude Link and Rick Steiner.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, was recently certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.   The cast recording is now available on Rhino Records.  JERSEY BOYS: The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (Broadway Books) is the official handbook to the smash Broadway hit. Seasons Greetings: A JERSEY BOYS Christmas, a new holiday CD featuring international cast members of JERSEY BOYS, produced by Bob Gaudio, is now available on Rhino Records.

JERSEY BOYS will play in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the Benedum Center, September 4-23, 2012. The performance schedule is Tuesday-Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets for JERSEY BOYS begin at $29.00 and will go on sale to the general public on Monday, May 7, 2012 at trustarts.org, the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue) and by calling 412-456-4800.  Groups 10+ are available by calling 412-471-6930. Performance schedule, prices and cast are subject to change without notice. For more information, please visit www.JerseyBoysTour.com or www.trustarts.org.

Brad Weinstock, Jason Kappus, Colby Foytik, Brandon Andrus

CAST BIOGRAPHIES
The Four Seasons

BRANDON ANDRUS (Nick Massi) Previously: Oklahoma! (Curly, 1st National Tour); Xanadu (Sonny); All Shook Up (Chad, MSMT); Damn Yankees (Rocky); Annie Get Your Gun (Frank u/s); Camelot (Sir Lionel, Goodspeed); Illyria (Duke Orsino, Prospect Theater Co.); Romeo & Juliet: The Musical (Capulet);  Snow White an Enchanting Musical (The Prince); Guiding Light (Officer Tucker, CBS Television). Ithaca College graduate.

COLBY FOYTIK (Tommy DeVito) Colby launches the second national tour of Jersey Boys following a ten month run in the Las Vegas production. Fiddler On The Roof (Perchik) opposite Topol, Harvey Fierstein and Theodore Bikel. Proud Ithaca graduate and member of Actors’ Equity.

JASON KAPPUS (Bob Gaudio) Seattle native. Broadway: American Idiot. National Tour: Legally Blonde. Regional: Catch Me if You Can, West Side Story (5th Avenue Theatre), Hairspray (North Carolina Theatre), High School Musical (Seattle Children’s Theatre).

BRAD WEINSTOCK (Frankie Valli). Born and raised in Jersey, Brad is thrilled to be part of the Jersey Boys family.  Brad comes directly from the Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys.  1st National Tour: Wicked (Boq). Original Chicago Cast: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip).  Regional favorites: Toby in Sweeney Todd (Geva Theatre), Shenandoah (Marriott Theatre) and Tina Landau’s WAS.  Proud Northwestern graduate.      
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Photo Credits:  Joan Marcus

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