PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ANNOUNCES NEW DIGITAL CONCERTS TO BE RELEASED STARTING IN JUNE ON FRONT ROW: THE PSO VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE

Joshua Bell both plays and leads the Orchestra in works including Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and a special arrangement of Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat minor

Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling puts the spotlight on great early 20th century composers and welcomes Nicki Parrott to Pittsburgh

Pinchas Zukerman conducts and plays both violin and viola in a program including Bach, Bruckner, Elgar and Telemann

Guest conductor Jack Everly leads a Pops concert of iconic cinematic music

For Immediate Release
April 21, 2021

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PITTSBURGH, PA—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra today announced a set of four new classical and Pops concerts that will be streamed starting in June on the Orchestra’s digital platform, Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience. Currently in production, the concerts will feature (in order of appearance): Joshua Bell, violin and leader; PSO Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling, conductor, vocals and trumpet; Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, violin and viola; and Jack Everly, conductor. Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra appear as Musical Guides for each classical program, acting as host and sharing personal commentary; in order of concert appearance, they are Charlie Powers, cello, and John Moore, bass. Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, principal oboe, is featured in an inventive solo “Interlude” in the program led by Maestro Zukerman. In her Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra debut, acclaimed double bassist and jazz vocalist Nicki Parrott is welcomed to Heinz Hall by Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling.

All new concerts will be available on Front Row: The PSO Digital Experience, with each concert premiering on a Monday at 7:30 p.m. (EDT) and then streaming for two weeks. Tickets for all concerts are $15. There is no charge to set up a Front Row account, which also currently includes free content.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is deeply grateful to Grand Classics Title Sponsor BNY Mellon and Pops Title Sponsor PNC.

CLASSICAL DIGITAL CONCERTS

JOSHUA BELL PLAYS THE FOUR SEASONS
Premiere: Monday, June 7, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Available through Sunday, June 20, 2021
Joshua Bell, violin and leader

Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 8, Nos. 1-4
Frédéric Chopin (arr. Bell/Stephenson): Nocturne in B-Flat Minor, Opus 9, No. 1 for Solo Violin, Cello Ensemble and Harp
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Barralet): “Primavera Porteño” (Spring) from Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) for Cello Ensemble
Astor Piazzolla (arr. Desyatnikov): “Verano Porteño” (Summer) from Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) for Violin and String Orchestra

One of the most celebrated violinists of our time, Joshua Bell returns to Heinz Hall, for the first time in Pittsburgh as both violinist and leader, in a glorious program that begins with Bell’s signature interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpiece, The Four Seasons, in its entirety. The orchestra’s marvelous cello section is featured in Piazzolla's “Primavera Porteño” (Spring) from Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) for Cello Ensemble, and Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturne in B-Flat Minor in a special, new arrangement for Joshua Bell, cello ensemble and harp. In honor of the Piazzolla centenary, Joshua Bell and the ensemble bring the program to a rousing close with "Verano Porteño” (Summer) from Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires).   

PINCHAS ZUKERMAN: BOW AND BATON
Premiere: Monday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Available through Sunday, August 1, 2021
Pinchas Zukerman, conductor, violin, and viola
Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, oboe

Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto No. 1 in A minor for Violin and Orchestra, BWV 1041
Anton Bruckner: Adagio from Quintet in F major for String Orchestra
Edward Elgar: Serenade in E minor for String Orchestra, Opus 20
Benjamin Britten: Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, Opus 49
Georg Philipp Telemann: Concerto in G major for Viola and Orchestra

The extraordinary Pinchas Zukerman—violinist, violist, conductor—both leads and performs with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a program that spans the centuries. Concerti by Bach and Telemann showcase Zukerman’s virtuosity (acclaimed as “expressively resourceful, infectiously musical, technically impeccable, effortless” by the Los Angeles Times) on the violin and the viola. Zukerman steps up to the podium to lead the orchestra in two touching works of intense beauty, and Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, principal oboe, is featured in an inventive solo “Interlude.”

POPS DIGITAL CONCERTS

GERSHWIN & FRIENDS
Premiere: Monday, June 28, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Available through Sunday, July 11, 2021
Byron Stripling, conductor, vocals, trumpet
Nicki Parrott, bass and vocals
Micah Thomas, piano
Jim Rupp, drum set

It’s a Broadway-Jazz Standard-American Songbook meet up, as Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra welcome world-renowned double bassist and jazz vocalist Nicki Parrott to Heinz Hall in her Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra debut. The toe-tapping, finger-snapping program shines the spotlight on the music of great early 20th century composers, including George Gershwin ("Fascinating Rhythm"), Irving Berlin ("Alexander's Ragtime Band"), and Isham Jones ("It Had To Be You"), that have the timeless melodies and rhythms that continue to lift our spirits today.

HOLLYWOOD HITS WITH JACK EVERLY
Premiere: Monday, August 23, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Available through Sunday, September 5, 2021
Jack Everly, conductor

You love the scenes—you love the music! Maestro Jack Everly and the Pittsburgh Symphony perform the iconic and unforgettable music of the movies and television, and transport you to your favorite cinematic moments: the epic cellos in the opening of Game of Thrones, the plaintive and multi- award-winning “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the instantly recognizable theme from Downton Abbey, and so many more.

About Front Row and How to Access Concerts

Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience is the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s digital home for orchestral presentations and additional content: www.psofrontrow.org.

  • Performances (both those ticketed for purchase and those available for free) and additional content are accessed through a Front Row account which is free to set up. Current PSO/Cultural District account holders may continue to use those existing accounts to access Front Row.
  • Front Row is available through your phone, laptop or computer, and can also be watched on television with an HDMI cord plug in, or Chromecast.
  • “Backstage Pass” has exclusive content, such as in-depth interviews with PSO musicians, conductors, and people in the Pittsburgh community. Each video is $1.25, or the entire bundle can be purchased for $25. All 2020-2021 subscribers (Classical, Pops and Fiddlesticks) and donors (Concerto Club level and above) have unlocked, free access to “Backstage Pass” through August 2021.

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