PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO ITS SCHEDULE FOR EARLY 2021

Two Episodes of Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience Currently Available; Additional Episodes to Be Released through January

For Immediate Release
November 23, 2020

PITTSBURGH, PA—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra today announced that, due to ongoing restrictions from public health and government entities related to the coronavirus pandemic, and for its concerns for the health and safety concerns of its patrons, staff and musicians, it is cancelling concerts currently scheduled for January through March of 2021 at Heinz Hall.

“It deeply saddens us to know that we will not be together with audiences at Heinz Hall this winter to enjoy the outstanding experience of live music with the orchestra, but we must continue to prioritize the health and safety of all of our community members, and current guidance and restrictions make gathering together not possible,” said Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. “These times call on us to adapt and innovate, and continue to bring the experience of great music, so while we are working on revised plans for the winter, we invite all to join us for our exciting online digital series, Front Row, which brings together our magnificent musicians with inventive programs in special places.”

Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience is the Pittsburgh Symphony’s reinvented fall season with music performed by ensembles of the Orchestra, special guests, and behind-the-scenes interviews and features that bridge the musical journey that is guided by the episode’s particular theme and recorded at locations throughout the region. The episodes that have been released are: Our Love for Pittsburgh, and Originators and Disruptors. Future episodes that will be released through January are: Finding Your Song, Tapestry of Light: A Holiday Celebration, Holiday Sensory Friendly, and For the People. All episodes are available free to the public on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s website pittsburghsymphony.org, as well as available for free On Demand for Comcast’s Xfinity customers in the Pittsburgh region. Each program is available for viewing for six months following the premiere.

The following concerts are cancelled:

BNY Mellon Grand Classics:

January 15-17, 2021            
    Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
January 22-24, 2021           
    Zarathustra Plus Gershwin!
February 5-7, 2021              
    Beethoven Violin Concerto
February 12-14, 2021         
    Romeo & Juliet
March 5-7, 2021  
    Gil Shaham
March 19-21, 2021              
    Nicola Benedetti Plays Wynton Marsalis

PNC Pops:

February 19-21, 2021         
    ‘S Wonderful Gershwin
March 26-28, 2021             
    Dancin’ in the Street: Music of Motown

Learning & Community Engagement:

January 27-28, 2021           
    6th Grade Schooltime Concerts*
January 30, 2021 
    Lift Every Voice
February 20, 2021              
    Fiddlesticks: Around the World
March 10, 2021                   
    PreK/K Schooltime Concerts*
March 23, 2021                   
    Student Side-By-Side
April 28-May 6, 2021          
    2nd Grade Schooltime Concerts*

*Schooltime concerts: All Schooltime concerts have been cancelled for the 2020-21 season. Online programming will be available beginning January 2021.

Information for ticketholders: There are no current ticketholders for these concerts. All subscribers to the 2020-2021 season which included these concerts have had their subscriptions rolled automatically to the 2021-2022 season, which is the 50th anniversary of the opening of Heinz Hall as the home to the orchestra.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra would like to thank BNY Mellon, PNC, UPMC Health Plan, Comcast, and Holiday Sponsor, Highmark, for their generous support of Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra thanks Dentons Cohen & Grigsby for additional support of the Holiday episode. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra thanks Clearview Federal Credit Union, the Presenting Sponsor for Fiddlesticks Family Concerts. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra would like to thank FedEx Ground, Highmark, Allegheny Health Network, Wesley Family Services and Comcast for their generous support of Sensory Friendly concerts. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra thanks the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) for its generous support.

 

Media Contacts
Julie Goetz | Director of Communications
jgoetz@pittsburghsymphony.org | 412.392.4866 or 412.905.9058 (mobile)