For Immediate Release
September 9, 2021
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CALENDAR: FALL 2021
MANFRED HONECK AND THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY TO OPEN THE 2021-2022 SEASON
VIRTUAL SCHOOLTIME PROVIDES MUSICAL EDUCATION TRANSITION THIS FALL
OUTDOOR COMMUNITY CONCERTS HERALD THE RETURN OF LIVE MUSIC TO HEINZ HALL
PSO DIGITAL CONCERT PREMIERE: YEFIM BRONFMAN PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH
RADICAL DAYS 2021 FREE CONCERT THANKS THE PUBLIC FOR ITS SUPPORT
PITTSBURGH, PA—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck will open the orchestra’s dynamic 2021-2022 season later this month, marking the return to live subscription performances at Heinz Hall for the first time since March of 2020. This season as well, the Orchestra and the community will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Heinz Hall as the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Heinz Hall, the acoustically outstanding performing arts center in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh that is owned by the Pittsburgh Symphony, has just completed the first of two summers of extensive renovation.
Subscriptions are available now for all classical and Pops concerts. In honor of the 50th anniversary of Heinz Hall, the Pittsburgh Symphony has just announced a ticket special for the first concerts of the season: two tickets for $50. Visit pittsburghsymphony.org and use promo code HH50 or call the Box Office at (412) 392-4900 and ask for this special offer. Some restrictions apply; offer available through September 26, 2021. Single tickets for concerts that take place after October 24 will go on sale at a later date.
Season programming begins with the orchestra’s gala concert at Heinz Hall on Friday, September 17, 2021. Manfred Honeck will lead the orchestra in a dazzling program, “Together Again: A Celebration of 50 Years in Heinz Hall,” featuring world-renowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. The gala is an annual fundraising event to support the Orchestra’s Learning & Community Engagement programs which serve more than 30,000 persons each year.
The BNY Mellon Grand Classics subscription series begins on September 24, 2021, with Manfred Honeck leading the “Opening Celebration Weekend” with virtuoso pianist Hélène Grimaud on a program of Ravel and Tchaikovsky. The PNC Pops subscription season begins on October 1, 2021, with Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling leading “Swingin’ at the Club,” a program inspired by Harlem’s famed musical hot spots and the Great American Songbook. Concerts for the 2021-2022 season are planned with full orchestra; concerts in the fall will be performed without intermission.
The full season calendar can be found at pittsburghsymphony.org. Please see the “Safely Together” web page for Heinz Hall health and safety policies, including vaccination and mask policies, and improvements that have been made at Heinz Hall to make the patron experience more comfortable and enjoyable.
PSO Announces Virtual Schooltime for Fall 2021
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has announced its fall schedule of virtual Schooltime concerts, and the anticipated return of Schooltime concerts with live audiences in early 2022. This fall, programs are available online, free with registration, for educators of students in grades PreK-3, with additional online programs planned in the spring for grades 4-8, as well as grades PreK-3.
“Schooltime concerts help nurture a love for music and develop foundational music skills like rhythm and movement. As students transition back to in-person learning and as we eagerly await the time when educators are ready to bring students back to Heinz Hall early next year, the Pittsburgh Symphony will continue to provide a mix of online and in-person Schooltime options throughout the 2021-2022 school year,” said Suzanne Perrino, Vice President of Learning & Community Engagement at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Following are the 2021-2022 Schooltime Concerts that have been announced:
Grades PreK-1: Musical Storytelling
Sept. 1-30: Carnival of the Animals
Oct. 1-30: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
Nov. 1-30: Giraffes Can’t Dance
Dec. 1-18: Eyes That Kiss in the Corners (encore presentation)
Available online only. Each story will be available for 30 days.
How does music help to tell a story? Join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for musical readings of three children’s books, each read by a guest narrator and featuring performances by PSO musicians. Hear how music can help illustrate the characters, mood, and plot of a story!
Grades 1-3: Meet the Orchestra
Oct. 1-Nov. 30: Available online (fall unit)
May 11, 12, 17 & 18: In-person concerts at Heinz Hall (spring unit)
May 17-June 30: Available online (spring unit)
How do different instruments make sound? How do all of these sounds work together in an orchestra? Explore each instrument family of the orchestra through a series of instrument demonstrations, chamber performances, and interviews with individual PSO musicians. Then discover how all of these instruments come together to form a full orchestra.
Grades 4-8: What Makes Jazz?
Mar. 15-June 30: Available online
Mar. 16 & 17: In-person concerts at Heinz Hall
Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling leads a musical voyage exploring the question What makes jazz? Learn about the origins of this uniquely American artform, hear the many music traditions that create it, and discover the forms and techniques that bring jazz to life. Join us for in-person concerts at Heinz Hall, interact with musical content online, or both.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is grateful to the following Schooltime sponsors: FedEx Ground, Equitrans Midstream Foundation, EQT, PPG, Henry C. Frick Educational Fund of the Buhl Foundation, Howard and Nell E. Miller Foundation, Jack Buncher Foundation, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania-Department of Community and Economic Development, Allegheny Regional Asset District and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.
COMMUNITY CONCERTS
LIGHTS ON!
Friday, September 10, 2021 8:00 p.m.
8th Street Stage (at Penn Ave.) in Downtown Pittsburgh
LightsOn! A Three-Day Celebration of Pittsburgh’s Cultural District celebrates the return of theaters and galleries reopening in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District, with free outdoor performances, exhibitions, and more, September 9-11, 2021. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will perform on the evening of September 10, the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Heinz Hall as the home of the orchestra.
Highlights from the 2021-2022 season will be performed, including from Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony, Stravinsky’s The Firebird, Wagner’s “The Ride of the Valkyries,” and selections by Duke Ellington and Jessie Montgomery. This concert is outdoors and free to the public. Health and safety policies can be found at the LightsOn! web site.
Lights On! is sponsored by UPMC and UPMC Health Plan and is the official kick-off event to Allegheny Regional Asset District's RADical Days. Additional support is provided by The Heinz Endowments and Richard King Mellon Foundation.
HAZELWOOD GREEN
Saturday, September 18, 2021 8:00 p.m.
Hazelwood Green Plaza (Lytle St. & Eliza St., 15207)
Enjoy a virtuosic program by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra brass section of classical favorites and Hollywood blockbusters, including music from “The Green Hornet,” “Superman,” and “Star Wars,” in the Orchestra’s first appearance at this unique location. Plus, a special opening performance by the Center of Life Jazz Band. Hazelwood Green Plaza is a hub for community activity and for the discovery of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood.
The plaza will open up to the public at 6:00 pm with drinks served up by Sips Mobile Bar and food available for purchase from Secretos PGH, a Puerto Rican food truck. This event is free and open to the public. Free street parking is available. For the neighborhood, a local shuttle will run and will stop at: Morning Star Church, Hazelwood Towers & Glen Hazel High Rise, and run before (6pm-7pm) and after the event (9pm-10pm). RSVP recommended. Please note that wearing masks is encouraged especially for those that are not vaccinated.
RADICAL DAYS 2021
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 7:30 p.m.
Heinz Hall
Celebrate RADical Days and the 50th anniversary of Heinz Hall as the home of the orchestra with this free concert!
Join us for a program of light classical works that show why the PSO is a Pittsburgh gem and acclaimed around the world. Best for ages six years and older. Though this is a free performance with general admission, advance reservations are recommended. Reserve your tickets at the Heinz Hall box office in person (box office is under renovation until September 13), or now at (412) 392-4900. Please see the “Safely Together” web page for Heinz Hall health and safety policies, including vaccination and mask policies.
RADical Days is sponsored by the Allegheny Regional Asset District, your local sales tax dollars that support libraries, parks, regional facilities, and arts and culture organizations like the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is grateful to RAD for its long-time support of the orchestra and its mission “Great Music in Every Life.”
FRONT ROW: THE PSO VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE
BRONFMAN PLAYS SHOSTAKOVICH
Premieres Monday, September 20, 2021 7:30 p.m.
Available through Sunday, October 3, 2021
Osmo Vänskä, conductor
Yefim Bronfman, piano
Micah Wilkinson, trumpet
psofrontrow.org; registration is free; concert ticket is $15
Yefim Bronfman, one of the world’s most admired pianists, joins acclaimed conductor Osmo Vänskä for an all-Slavic program celebrating expressive and soulful works by Shostakovich, Penderecki and Tchaikovsky. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra cellist Mikhail Istomin is musical guide for this concert. Yefim Bronfman and Maestro Vänskä provide memorable introductions to the Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich works.
Krzysztof Penderecki Ciaccona: In memorium Giovanni Paulo II from A Polish Requiem for Strings
Dmitri Shostakovich Concerto No. 1 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 35
Otto Ketting Intrada for Trumpet
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade in C major for Strings, Opus 48