A NEWSLETTER PRESENTED BY THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND HEINZ HALL
FROM THE
MUSIC
DIRECTOR
The 2014-2015 BNY Mellon Grand Classics season has begun—my seventh as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It is a season filled with exciting music and wonderful artists in our own beautiful, historic Heinz Hall. This year, groundbreaking composer Mason Bates returns as our Composer of the Year after his very popular debut two seasons ago. Beethoven also takes center stage with our exciting BeethovenFest, spread out over three weekends throughout the season, and highlighting some of the most wellknown and well-loved Beethoven symphonies in a special look at Beethoven the Revolutionary, Beethoven the Hero and Beethoven the Immortal. I am proud of the continued success of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and most recently, our highly acclaimed CD release of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and the Janáček Jenůfa Suite on the Fresh! label of Reference Records. Throughout the world, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra continues to be described as “thrilling,” “incandescent,” “remarkable,” “exquisite” and “spectacular.” I invite you to be part of the excitement and adventure and look forward to sharing the journey with you!
MANFRED HONECK
DON’T MISS THESE UPCOMING PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY PERFORMANCES PNC POPS
Sci-Fi Spectacular November 14-16
BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
Igudesman and Joo: Big Nightmare Music November 28 & 30
BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
BeethovenFest: The Revolutionary December 5-7 pittsburghsymphony.org
Highmark Holiday Pops December 12-21
Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc. Heinz Hall · 600 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222-3259
ONLY TWO AMAZING PERFORMANCES! “The funniest show on music and the life of musicians I have seen since the great Victor Borge. I couldn’t stop crying of laughter for the whole evening. Go see these gifted musicians. What they show is life at its funniest side. It isn’t just entertaining, it is hilarious! “ — Gidon Kremer, violinist
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Manfred Honeck, conductor Aleksey Igudesman, violin Hyung-ki Joo, piano
Often compared to luminaries such as Victor Borge and Dudley Moore, these two classical musicians have taken the world by storm with their unique and hilarious sketches in theatrical shows. Having worked with some of the most prestigious classical musicians and orchestras in the industry, which led to rave reviews from The New York Times, Vanity Fair and many others, this comical duo will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Manfred Honeck for a whirlwind of humor and virtuosity.
HEINZ HALL
NOVEMBER 28 & 30, 2014
For tickets call 412.392.4900 or visit pittsburghsymphony.org
LIGHT UP YOUR NIGHT WITH THE
PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY
The 54th annual Light Up Night celebration in downtown Pittsburgh is Friday, November 21. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is presenting a free community concert in Heinz Hall that evening. This 45-minute concert features selections by Wagner, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius and Ravel’s Concerto in G major—featuring Fox Chapel Area High School student Rishi Mirchandani, a piano phenom who has performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall and won a Grand Prize at the World Piano Competition! Led by Resident Conductor Fawzi Haimor, the concert begins at 7 p.m. No tickets or reservations are needed. Please join us for the kick-off of a very festive holiday season! For more information or to purchase tickets, visit pittsburghsymphony.org/lightup This concert is made possible by annual funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
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FA M I LY C O N C E R T S PRESENTED BY MACY’S
Saturday, February 21, 2015 – 11:15 A.M. • Heinz Hall Join Fiddlesticks as he shares some of his favorite music inspired by the winter season, including the Skaters’ Waltz and selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaivoksky’s Symphony No. 1, nicknamed “Winter Dreams.” MEDIA SPONSORS PRESENTING SPONSOR
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FOR TICKETS: PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG | 412.392.4900 | HEINZ HALL MEDIA SPONSORS
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2014 HOLIDAY LINEUP AT HEINZ HALL Celtic Thunder with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra December 9, 7:30 PM
Special Performance! Hark! It’s Celtic Thunder’s first-ever symphony tour featuring songs from their chart-topping album “Christmas Voices.” Don’t miss this live musical experience accompanied by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra instrumentals. Heinz Hall will ring out with traditional holiday favorites, Celtic Thunder hits and treasured Irish tunes.
The Tallis Scholars with the Pittsburgh Symphony Brass December 10, 7:30 PM
Special Performance! One of the world’s leading Renaissance vocal music ensembles returns to Heinz Hall for a spirited evening with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Brass. It’s the Tallis Scholars’ first time performing with instrumentalists, and you can expect this show to hit all the right holiday notes.
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Highmark Holiday Pops
December 12-14 and 20 & 21, 2:30 PM/7:30 PM
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra tradition returns! Enjoy favorite carols and much-loved holiday music from an all-star cast of guest artists – including Santa Claus – in a festive concert led by returning conductor Todd Ellison and accompanied by the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (Betsy Burleigh, director).
Holiday Doo-Wop December 17, 7:30 PM
Special Performance! Put this one on your holiday to-do list: a musical tradition filled with doowop hits and holiday favorites. Delight in the sounds of Johnny Angel and The Halos, Cleveland Still and the Dubs, Sonny Turner of The Platters, Tommy Mara and The Crests – and many more.
FOR TICKETS, CALL 412.392.4900 OR VISIT PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG GROUPS OF 10+ CALL 412.392.4819
FOR TICKETS, CALL 412.392.4900 OR VISIT PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
Wagner’s “Good Friday Spell” January 23 & 25
James Gaffigan, conductor (Debut) Gabriela Montero, piano Young American conductor James Gaffigan makes his Heinz Hall debut with poignant pieces from Wagner and Mendelssohn. Pianist Gabriela Montero dazzles in a jazzy concerto from Ravel — be sure to stay for her signature encore improvisations! Mason Bates’ White Lies for Lomax receives its Pittsburgh Symphony premiere. BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS
A Night in Russia January 30-February 1
Krzysztof Urbaňski, conductor (Debut) Noah Bendix-Balgley, violin, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concertmaster This weekend features the Pittsburgh premiere of Prokofiev’s Russian Overture with a debut appearance by conductor Krzysztof Urbaňski. Noah Bendix-Balgley solos in a piece by Khachaturian filled with exotic harmonies and dance rhythms. Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, originally written for solo piano, is one of the cornerstones of orchestral repertoire. photo credit: Colin Bell
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Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev February 27-March 1
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Manfred Honeck, conductor Tchaikovsky: Suite from Swan Lake, Opus 20a Prokofiev: Suite from Romeo and Juliet, Opus 64
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The Pittsburgh Symphony and Maestro Honeck distill two of the most popular ballet scores into symphonic suites. Hear musical storytelling at its dazzling best.
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BeethovenFest: The Hero February 20 & 22 PNC POPS
Manfred Honeck, conductor Lars Vogt, piano
February 6-8
Beethoven: Quartet, Opus 18 No. 4 for String Orchestra, 1st Movement, Arr. Honeck (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra premiere) Beethoven: Concerto No. 1 in C major for Piano and Orchestra, Opus 15 Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat major, Opus 55, “Eroica”
Chris Botti Lawrence Loh, conductor Best-selling jazz instrumentalist Chris Botti returns, bringing his inimitable velvet tone and sublime phrasing. Hear why he and his trumpet hold multiple Grammys, Gold and Platinum records, and the hearts of millions of music lovers.
The second weekend of the Beethoven Festival features pieces that showcase Beethoven’s transition from Mozart acolyte to a masterful composer in his own right.
photo credit: Felix Broede
AN INTERVIEW WITH KELSEY BLUMENTHAL At only 24-years-old, first violin Kelsey Blumenthal hit her first and only professional audition out of the park. “I always enjoyed playing music growing up, but I wasn’t really sure it was what I wanted to do for a living until later in high school,” said Blumenthal. “I started spending every weekend in New York at Juilliard Pre-College and that’s when it really hit me that I should take this seriously. After that, I haven’t had any second thoughts.” A native of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Blumenthal grew up with her parents and siblings, an older brother and two younger sisters in a home filled with music. She began her musical education at age four with her mother, Holly Ovenden, a freelance violinist who has worked with the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, among others. Her mother made her wait to start learning the instrument — Blumenthal started asking to play when she was only three. (Her father, Steve, a pediatrician, would often serve as her duet partner on piano.) Her other primary teachers have been Robert Lipsett, Malcolm Lowe, Arnold Steinhardt, Catherine Cho and Bonnie Black. She auditioned for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in December 2013 and made it to the final audition in February 2014. “The audition process was a really positive experience for me. I was happy to just advance at all,” said Blumenthal. “I feel incredibly lucky to have won the position.”
She was even more floored when she won the final audition and filled a spot in the first violin section. In fact, she won her first professional position before she actually graduated from graduate school. Blumenthal moved to Pittsburgh on September 6 and lives downtown. “I like what I’ve seen so far of Pittsburgh,” said Blumenthal. Her schedule so far hasn’t allowed for much exploration, but she mentions the food scene as a highlight. Looking ahead at the 2014-2015 season, Blumenthal is excited to hearing the Pittsburgh Symphony musicians who will be featured in solos and is really looking forward to the BeethovenFest weekends. She studied at the Juilliard Pre-College in high school, and earned her Bachelor of Music degree from The Colburn School in Los Angeles. She received her Master of Music Degree from New England Conservatory in May 2014. An active chamber musician, Blumenthal has studied as a fellow at the Taos School of Music, Aspen and Sarasota Music Festivals, and the Tanglewood Music Center, a place which she said “changed my perception of orchestral playing.” She has also been a guest artist at the Laguna Beach Music Festival. At the New England Conservatory, she was a member of the conductor-less Chamber Orchestra and her piano quartet, the Frost Quartet, won the 2013-2014 Honors Ensemble competition. While living in Boston, she was a member of the first violin section in the Portland Symphony and the Discovery Ensemble, as well as a substitute player with the Boston Symphony, New World Symphony and Emmanuel Music.
PHOTO: MICHAEL SAHAIDA
FOR TICKETS: PITTSBURGHSYMPHONY.ORG | 412.392.4900 | HEINZ HALL
The Best-Sounding Gift Certificate You’ll Ever Find Need a gift idea for someone who loves music? You can buy Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra gift certificates online at pittsburghsymphony.org/giftcard or by calling the Heinz Hall Box office at 412.392.4900.
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Bring a group! For BNY Mellon Grand Classics and PNC Pops performances, groups of 10 or more receive up to 25% off regular ticket prices. Call Group Sales at 412.392.4819 or email group_sales@pittsburghsymphony.org to reserve your group today! Group benefits include: • Personalized service • Free room rental with group purchase • “Meet & Greet” with a Pittsburgh Symphony musician • Payment plan options • Pre- and post-concert dining provided by The Common Plea, Heinz Hall’s exclusive caterer • Tours of Heinz Hall
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