Pittsburgh Symphony Inc.

The mission of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is to engage, enrich, and inspire through unparalleled live musical experiences. The Pittsburgh Symphony's vision is simple: Great Music In Every Life.

The vast majority of Pittsburgh Symphony performances take place at its home, Heinz Hall. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2016-2017 season is the ninth under the esteemed leadership of Music Director Manfred Honeck. The orchestra will perform over 100 core BNY Mellon Grand Classics, PNC Pops, Fiddlesticks Family Concerts and special performances at Heinz Hall in 2016-2017. The orchestra also performs two partnership series (3 concerts each) at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle, PA, and at West Virginia University in Morgantown. In addition, the symphony will host or present more than 30 Broadway and other popular programming concerts at Heinz Hall. Popular programming consists of a diverse lineup of popular artists, comedians, family programming, jazz, and other varieties of shows, with or without the orchestra.

The symphony began a new experimental happy hour series for younger audiences/professionals in the summer of 2015 and FUSE@PSO was the result. The series is led by Creative Director and conductor Steve Hackman. FUSE@PSO creates "mash-ups" of classical programming paired with pop music. Hackman has "fused" classical music with the music of Radiohead, Coldplay, Bon Iver, and others. The series also includes a cocktail social hour prior to the start of the concert. In addition, the concert experience is more relaxed as patrons are permitted to use cell phones and bring drinks into the concert hall. Seating for this three concert series is general admission, in the spirit of a relaxed atmosphere.

The Pittsburgh Symphony features another innovative community program called the Music for the Spirit initiative. A deeply religious and spiritual person, Music Director Manfred Honeck saw the opportunity to forge new relationships with diverse faith-based organizations to form a community program. In his words, "Music serves as a bridge between one person and another. No matter where we come from or whatever beliefs we hold, there are certain universal and essential aspects to human existence. From the beginning of time, spirituality has been one of those. Spirituality is always a big part of the human experience. In this sense, music transmits and reflects a higher purpose, something that is unifying and universal." The 2016-2017 Music for the Spirit initiative will include semi-staged performances of Haydn's The Creation at Heinz Hall, and repeated in the community at a venue yet to be determined. Ancillary events take place throughout the year in the community to keep the program active and vibrant year-round.

The musicians and staff of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra act as leaders, educators, and music advocates in our community. Approximately $3 million in resources are directed to education and community programming each year, and the vast majority of these programs are provided free of charge. The orchestra's multi-award-winning Education & Community Engagement initiatives fill the gaps of music program budget cuts in the schools as musicians join educators and symphony staff to plan, implement, and evaluate programs. They symphony strives to create programs that help teachers achieve specific educational goals that support the Pennsylvania Academic Standards, to develop programming that serves, supports and is accessible to a diverse audience and to support the local economy and increase community vitality. These education and community programs, offered at Heinz Hall and in the community, serve over 50,000 people of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Pittsburgh Symphony Education Programs include:

• Schooltime Concerts are free of charge and introduce orchestral instruments, live symphonic music, and the creative processes of composing and performing music to students in grades two, four and six. In 2015-2016, 20,087 children and adults participated in Schooltime programs at Heinz Hall.
• PNC Tiny Tots Concerts are free of charge for children ages three to six years of age. Each concert engages children through interactive and listening activities which illuminate symphonic works and composers while learning musical concepts. 5,855 children and adults attended Tiny Tots concerts in 2015-2016.
• Fiddlesticks Family Concerts is a series of three Saturday morning concerts that are designed for families with children ages three to eight. The series focuses on music in the lives of children: how music is created, produced, and received in the home and community.
• Kraft Heinz Audience of the Future Program enables local high school students to plan, produce, program, and implement a PSO concert over the course of a season...

Testimonials

"The mood of the hospital lit up as the musicians played!" - Participant at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC

"We would like to have the...