600 Penn Avenue - Summer 2014

A NEWSLETTER PRESENTED BY THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND HEINZ HALL

THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES THE

2014-2015 BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS & PNC POPS SEASONS

Start spreading the news! The exciting 2014-2015 season of BNY Mellon Grand Classics and PNC Pops were announced in February and March. Both series are bringing back old favorites and introducing new sensations to the Heinz Hall stage.

BNY Mellon Grand Classics The seventh under the leadership of Music Director Manfred Honeck, the 2014-2015 BNY Mellon Grand Classics season will shine a spotlight on the Pittsburgh Symphony’s own musicians throughout the season. Some of the most exciting classical musicians in the world can be found in one place — Heinz Hall! Also this year, composer and DJ Mason Bates returns as the Composer of the Year, bringing his unique blend of contemporary symphonic music and electronic back to Pittsburgh. Other highlights include BeethovenFest, a three weekend celebration of Beethoven’s brilliance; Maestro Honeck leading his own brother, Rainer, concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic; and debuts by some of the most exciting young conductors in the world — James Gaffigan, Andres Orozco-Estrada and Krzysztof Urbański, just to name a few!

More information and a complete listing of the 20-concert BNY Mellon Grand Classics season can be found at pittsburghsymphony.org/classics. Please note that 2014-2015 BNY Mellon Grand Classics performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays rather than 8 p.m. to allow for better downtown parking and dining options for patrons.

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY

SOLOISTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Noah Bendix-Balgley, VIOLIN:

January 30-February 1; March 6-8; March 20 & 22

Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, OBOE:

March 20 & 22; June 12-14

Nancy Goeres, BASSOON:

Season tickets are currently available in packages of six, seven, 14 and 20 concerts and range in price from $114 to $1,720. Single tickets will go on sale around Labor Day. To order your season ticket package, call the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900 or visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

May 29 & 31

PNC Pops

VIOLA:

Randolph E. Kelly, March 6-8

The 2014-2015 Pops season is rated E for Everyone (and Entertainment) and focuses on music from the stage and screen. The seven-concert series includes “Heroes and Villains” on Oct. 1719, 2014; “Sci-Fi Spectacular” on Nov. 14-16, 2014; the Pittsburgh holiday tradition of Highmark Holiday Pops on Dec. 12-14, 2014 (with additional performances on Dec. 20 & 21); Chris Botti on Feb. 6-8, 2015; “Singin’ in the Rain” (a screening of the classic movie with live orchestral accompaniment) on March 13-15, 2015; The Texas Tenors on April 24-26, 2015; and “Disney in Concert: A Tale as Old as Time” on June 19-21, 2015. The Pittsburgh Symphony’s own Lawrence Loh and guest conductors Lucas Richman, Jack Everly and Todd Ellison will lead a Pops season full of thrills, chills and a dance step or two!

Lorna McGhee,

More information and complete descriptions of the seven-concert PNC Pops season can be found at pittsburghsymphony.org/pops. Please note that the 2014-2015 PNC Pops series will no longer include Thursday night performances. Friday and Saturday Pops performances also will begin at 7:30 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.

David Premo,

Season ticket packages range from $122.50 to $659.75, and can be purchased by calling 412.392.4900, or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org. Tickets for individual Pops concerts also will go on sale around Labor Day.

FLUTE:

October 24 & 26; March 20 & 22

John Moore,

DOUBLE BASS: March 20 & 22

CELLO:

March 20 & 22

Jeffrey Turner, DOUBLE BASS: March 20 & 22

Anne Martindale Williams, CELLO:

March 20 & 22; May 15-17

TITLE SPONSOR

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Horn Section:

March 27-29

pittsburghsymphony.org Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc. Heinz Hall · 600 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3259

THE FOUR SEASONS Korean violin prodigy Ye-Eun Choi, whose talent was recognized and championed by violin superstar Anne-Sophie Mutter, performs one of Vivaldi’s most famous pieces – The Four Seasons.

The four concerti of this popular Baroque work represent spring, summer, autumn and winter. For the second half of the program, conductor Nicholas McGegan presents musical gems from the classical period by Mozart and Haydn. More information and tickets at pittsburghsymphony.org.

OR

BUST! One of America’s finest orchestra’s will take the stage in one of its most fabled and historic halls when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs the final concert of the 2014 Spring for Music Festival at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday, May 10. With less than a month to go, tickets are going fast! Tickets are $25 each for all seats and can be purchased through the Carnegie Hall box office at 212.247.7800 or carnegiehall.org.

Spring for Music is a unique festival that is designed to allow chosen symphonies and orchestras to showcase their artistic philosophy through distinctive and creative programming in one of the world’s most competitive musical environments. The repertoire that the Pittsburgh Symphony, led by Music Director Manfred Honeck, is performing includes an a cappella choral work by Anton Bruckner (“Ave Maria”), the final scene from Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites,” the New York premiere of James MacMillan’s “Woman of the Apocalypse” and Wolfgang Amadé Mozart’s “Requiem” (“Mozart’s Death in Words and Music”). For more information about the festival, visit springformusic.com.

YE-EUN CHOI

May 30 - June 1

A special thank you to the 175 backers who helped the symphony reach, and exceed, its $30,000 campaign goal on Kickstarter. You helped to make this trip to Carnegie Hall possible!

The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Spring For Music performance is proudly sponsored by LANXESS Corporation.

PHOTO: FELIX BROEDE

Bring a piece of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra history to your garden! In honor of R.P. Simmons, chair of the Pittsburgh Symphony Board of Trustees, a new daylily, the Simmons Overture, was cultivated and is now ready for sale. The stunning lavender, gold and black flower should produce more than 300 flowers after three years. A portion of the proceeds from all sales of the Simmons Overture are donated to the Pittsburgh Symphony. You can find the four-inch starter pots at local garden centers, including:

Bakerstown Feed & Garden, Bakerstown, Pa.

Bedner’s Farm & Greenhouse, Cecil, Pa.

Brenckles Farm & Greenhouse, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Dailey’s Greenhouse, Gibsonia, Pa.

Janoski’s Farm & Greenhouse, Clinton, Pa.

Kraynak’s Garden Center, Hermitage, Pa.

Three Eighty Auction & Garden, Murrysville, Pa.

A form to order plants directly from Ball Horticulture Company can be found on the symphony website at pittsburghsymphony.org/ simmonsoverture.

A P R I L 2 5 - 2 7 , 2 9 • M AY 2 & 4 Join Music Director Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra as they celebrate Mozart’s extensive catalog of masterpieces during the BNY Mellon Grand Classics Mozart Festival, a two-week exploration of the five pillars of Mozart’s music — symphony, concerto, chamber music, opera and sacred music. The opening weekend of the festival, April 25-27, features celebrated Mozart scholar and pianist Robert Levin, who will join the Pittsburgh Symphony in performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20. Principal Horn William Caballero gives the first performance of Levin’s new edition of Mozart’s stunning Concerto No. 1 in D major for Horn and Orchestra. Next, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra partners with Chamber Music Pittsburgh to present an evening of Mozart’s chamber music, “Music of Mozart,” at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on Tuesday, April 29 at 7:30 P.M.. This intimate evening of music features musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony — Michael Rusinek, clarinet; Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin; Christopher Wu, violin; Meng Wang, viola; and Anne Martindale Williams, cello — with Levin. “Mad About Mozart,” the close of the Mozart Festival on May 2 & 4, takes on a lighter tone — hosted by creative force Don Marinelli portraying a variety of figures from Mozart’s life. Also joining the Pittsburgh Symphony and Maestro Honeck on stage are the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and soloists Sunhae Im (soprano) and Lucas Meachem (baritone) in a variety of selections from Mozart’s sacred works and most famous operas, such as “The Magic Flute” and “Don Giovanni.” More information is online at pittsburghsymphony.org and chambermusicpittsburgh.org.

FOR TICKETS: PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG | 412.392.4900 | HEINZ HALL

FOR TICKETS, CALL 412.392.4900 OR VISIT PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG

re here!

Wish you we

s g n i s y t l i H Megan s Ol’ Blue Eye JUNE 19-22

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014 – 11:15 A.M. PRE-CONCERT DISCOVERY TIME ADVENTURES AT 10 A.M.

The Pittsburgh Symphony, conductor Lawrence Loh and Fiddlesticks the Cat salute our nation in this concert full of rousing patriotic music! Joyfully march along to American classics, like the “Stars and Stripes Forever,” and participate in a sing-along version of “You’re a Grand ol’ Flag!”

a lady : and more luck besings sinatra

For tickets, 412.392.4900 or pittsburghsymphony.org/family

MEDIA SPONSORSPRESENTING

PRESENTING PARTNERS

SPONSOR

MEDIA SPONSOR MEDIA MEDIASPONSORS SPONSORS

megan hilty

The new princess of Broadway, Megan Hilty, joins acclaimed conductor Steven Reineke to pay homage to the tunes of Frank Sinatra, including “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “Moon River” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

MEDIA SPONSORS FOR TICKETS: CALL

412.392.4900 OR VISIT pittsburghsymphony.org

THU, JUN. 19 FRI, JUN. 20 SAT, JUN. 21 SUN, JUN. 22

7:30 PM 8:00 PM 8:00 PM 2:30 PM

TITLE SPONSOR

ACURA/ELS PRESENTS MEDIA SPONSORS

BNY Mellon Jazz presents

Tony Bennett

MEDIA MEDIASPONSORS SPONSORS

MEDIA SPONSORS

THE BEN FOLDS ORCHESTRA EXPERIENCE

WITH SPECIAL GUEST ANTONIA BENNETT *The Orchestra will not appear on this performance

WITH THE

Friday, May 16, 8:00 P.M.

TUESDAY, JUNE 17 MEDIA SPONSORS

JUNE 23 7:30 P.M.

June 17

Ben Folds live with the Pittsburgh Symphony June 23

Happy Together

Summer with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

June 24

The Music of Queen June 28

Play It Again, Marvin (A Tribute to Marvin Hamlisch) July 12

Music from Gladiator (The iconic 2000 film accompanied live by the PSO)

It’s a sizzling line-up at Heinz Hall this summer. Grab family and friends and chill to the music of guest artists, musical tributes and movie scores. We’ll wrap up the season with a unique performance of classical, pops and contemporary pieces. It’s the music of summer—every way you like it.

July 17

Bee Gees Tribute July 19

Music of John Williams, Reprise July 23

Boyz II Men July 25

A Symphonic Celebration For tickets, call 412-392-4900 or visit pittsburghsymphony.org

August 2

Triple Play!

FOR TICKETS, CALL 412.392.4900 OR VISIT PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG GROUPS OF 10+ CALL 412.392.4819

AN INTERVIEW WITH HAROLD SMOLIAR Some may think that the life of a professional musician is all standing ovations and traveling to fabulous locales, but “it is work,” says Harold Smoliar, principal English horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

“Going on tour is a business trip. Sometimes I think people don’t realize that.”

After 35 years with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and a lifetime of playing and practicing, Smoliar should know. He joined the symphony in 1979 at age 21, after spending a year with the Orquéstra Sinfônica Brasileira as co-principal oboist. He was invited to audition for the principal English horn — which is neither English nor a horn, he is quick to point out (“I find it amusing that in 35 years of playing this instrument, no one knows what I do for a living!”) — after previous rounds failed to produce a finalist.

Being so young and part of a major orchestra was “really exciting,” says Smoliar. “[The Pittsburgh Symphony] has always been a really good orchestra.”

His music studies began on piano at age six and then moved to the clarinet. At 12, a teacher encouraged him to try oboe. Later, he graduated to English horn, a tenor oboe, under the influence of his teacher Louis Rosenblatt, English hornist of the Philadelphia Orchestra at the time. (An English horn is a fifth lower than an oboe; it’s longer and bigger than an oboe. To play it well, it requires more air than an oboe.) As a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, he often volunteered to play the English horn parts.

An English horn isn’t called for in every piece, but “when you’re playing English horn, you’re on stage because there’s a part people will hear. If you’re there, people are going to know you’re there,” laughs Smoliar. One of the highlights of his career was in the 1990s, when the Pittsburgh Symphony commissioned a piece specifically for him, Michael Daugherty’s Spaghetti Western for English Horn and Orchestra.

A native of Philadelphia, Smoliar has a bachelor’s degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied under John de Lancie, former principal oboe of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In the decades since arriving in Pittsburgh, Smoliar married Virginia, a former oboist and graphic designer, with whom he had twin daughters, Rachel and Laurel. Rachel is a substitute violinist for the Pittsburgh Symphony and other local ensembles. Rachel and her husband, Pittsburgh Symphony bassist Aaron White, recently had a daughter, Elizabeth Rose, making Smoliar a grandfather for the first time, another role he’s proud to take on (“I love it!”). He spent eight years teaching as part of the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, a position he resigned once he became a father, and he coached the woodwind section of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra for many years. He also co-founded the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Project and founded the White Tie Group, a jazz ensemble in which he plays piano.

“I like how free [jazz] is,” says Smoliar. “When you play in an orchestra, the music is precisely delineated. There are notes on the page and you have to play them, and you have to play them at a certain time and in a certain way. When you play jazz, you get to make almost all of those decisions.” He points to Bill Evans as one of his favorite jazz pianists.

When discussing life after the symphony, Smoliar mentions indulging his love of technology and computers, but he always returns to jazz. “[Playing jazz piano] is my second favorite thing to do after English horn,” he admits. “Actually, it might even be my favorite thing to do!”

FOR TICKETS: PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG | 412.392.4900 | HEINZ HALL

Heinz Hall Accessibility

WHAT DAY WILL IT BE FOR YOU?

A DAY OF

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Pittsburgh Day of Giving 2014: Tuesday, May 6 From 6 a.m. until midnight on May 6, you can make your support of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra go even farther by participating in the Pittsburgh Day of Giving. This event is part of Give Local America, the national day for community foundations across the country, and will take the place of the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Day of Giving that has traditionally been held in October.

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 6, 2014: 6 a.m. to midnight

HOW:

Make your gift online via

pittsburghgives.org

WILL MY GIFT B E M AT C H E D ?

All gifts $25 to $1,000 will receive a pro-rated portion of the match pool through The Pittsburgh Foundation

We believe music is for everyone, and we invite everyone to come to Heinz Hall and experience the extraordinary music of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. To ensure that all our patrons can attend and enjoy concerts at Heinz Hall, we offer the following accommodations:

A level entrance and route to the main floor of the auditorium

Wheelchair seat locations with companion seats

An accessible restroom on the main floor of the hall

Guide dogs are accommodated (please inquire when purchasing tickets)

Sign language interpreter services (available upon request)

Portable assistive listening devices for all shows (available in limited quantity in a cabinet in the entrance lobby)

Braille program books for all BNY Mellon Grand Classics performances (available in limited quantity at the Concierge Desk)

Large print photo copies of most BNY Mellon Grand Classics and PNC Pops program books (available in limited quantity at the Concierge Desk)

If you have any questions about accessibility at the Pittsburgh Symphony, please ask your ticketing representative or call 412.392.4900.

WHICH CREDIT CARDS ARE ACCEPTED?

Mastercard and Visa only.

Programming Update for June 6-8 BNY Mellon Grand Classics

(Checks, stock and cash will not qualify for the Day of Giving initiative.)

Plus, all new and increased gifts to the symphony made on Day of Giving will qualify for the EQT and the Giant Eagle Foundation challenge grant. Every new or increased dollar you give to the Pittsburgh Symphony on May 6 will be matched by $.50. For any questions, please contact the Development Department at 412.392.3190.

STAY CONNECTED FACEBOOK Facebook.com/PittsburghSymphonyOrchestra

PHONE 412.392.4900

TWITTER @pghsymphony

GROUP SALES PHONE 412.392.4819

On June 6 and June 8, the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 in D major as originally scheduled. On June 7, the evening’s performance will now feature Scottish composer James MacMillan’s Woman of the Apocalypse, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Two Romances for Violin (featuring concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley) and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 4. A change in the orchestra’s recording schedule makes June 7 the ideal opportunity to present the Pittsburgh premiere of Woman of the Apocalypse, following its New York debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony at Carnegie Hall in May. We hope that you enjoy this wonderful addition to the season’s programming. Should you have any questions or ticketing needs, please contact your Patron Services Representative or the Heinz Hall Box Office at 412.392.4900.

WEB PittsburghSymphony.org IS A JOINT PUBLICATION OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND MARKETING & SALES DEPARTMENTS OF PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY, INC.