PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA DIGITAL SERIES FRONT ROW RECEIVES TWO 2021 "TELLY AWARDS"

Telly Gold Winner: Series – Webseries: Music

People's Telly Silver Winner: General – People's Telly

Online Series Was Produced by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Flying Scooter Productions

For Immediate Release
May 26, 2021

PITTSBURGH, PA—The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Flying Scooter Productions jointly announced today that the Orchestra’s digital series Front Row has been honored with two 2021 “The Telly Awards.” They are: Telly Gold Winner: Series – Webseries: Music, and Telly Silver Winner: General – People’s Telly. The 42nd Telly Awards, described as “the world’s largest honor for video and television content across all screens“ were announced on May 25, 2021.

Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience is the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s digital platform and is also the name of the Orchestra’s first digital series, a set of six digital episodes that premiered in October 2020. A docu-style project, Front Row brought together the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians, special friends and community partners to offer music and inspiration while the orchestra was not able to perform before live audiences at Heinz Hall, due to the pandemic. Executive Producers for the series are Aleta J. King, VP Marketing Sales, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Courtney Gumpf, Co-Owner and Producer, Flying Scooter Productions. The Front Row series was directed by Jennifer Schlieper, Co-Owner and Creative Director, Flying Scooter Productions, and the Director of Photography was Phil Atkins.

Images from Front Row (episodes and production) are available here.

Front Row was created in partnership between the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Flying Scooter Productions, a Pittsburgh-based creative agency and film studio that produces for some of the most beloved national and local brands and has collaborated on a variety of campaigns in the non-profit sector. In 2019 and 2020, it was recognized with Telly Awards (Gold, Silver and Bronze) for its work in partnership with Light of Life Rescue Mission to raise the conversation and discussion around addiction and homelessness, and the work of the Mission to change lives and transform generations.

“We are thrilled to be joined by our production partners, Flying Scooter Productions, in this wonderful honor by The Telly Awards. As our country faced the deep impact of the COVID pandemic, our hunger to create and to enjoy music required a reinvention of our season and new ways in the digital world to bring the fantastic sound of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” said Melia Tourangeau, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.“ Jenny Schlieper and Courtney Gumpf understood immediately that we needed to create an intimate musical journey with deep connections to our community, and, together with their outstanding crew, they realized this vision with beautiful filmmaking and storytelling.”

"It's an honor to work with the PSO on the Front Row series. It's been an amazing collaboration. We are very appreciative of this recognition and are proud of our entire crew,” said Jennifer Schlieper, Co-Owner of Flying Scooter Productions and Director of the Front Row series.

Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience premiered on October 19, 2020, with Episode 1: Our Love for Pittsburgh with works from composers as varied as Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Jessie Montgomery. The series concluded with a presentation of the 125th anniversary of the Pittsburgh Symphony that premiered on February 27, 2021. The series was made available free to the public and traverses the Pittsburgh region, including Heinz Hall, Fallingwater, The Andy Warhol Museum, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild/MCG Jazz, and Washington Penn Plastics Hangar. With the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians, featured artists include Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling; guest concertmaster and leader Alexi Kenney, violin; Vanessa Campagna, vocalist; Bobby Floyd, piano; and Andrés Franco, conductor. Several episodes of the Telly-Award winning series are still available on Front Row at psofrontrow.org.

About the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Now in its 125th season, the two-time 2018 GRAMMY® Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is credited with a rich history of engaging the world’s finest conductors and musicians and demonstrates a genuine commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Lauded as the Pittsburgh region’s international cultural ambassador, in 2019 the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, under the leadership of current Music Director Manfred Honeck, embarked on an extensive tour of Europe, the 25th in orchestra history. The orchestra has a long and illustrious history in the areas of live radio broadcasts and recordings (its most recent release is a recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9), and regularly champions new works.

More about the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

About Flying Scooter Productions

Flying Scooter Productions is a female-owned and operated, award-winning boutique agency located in Pittsburgh, PA. Known for brand strategy, Flying Scooter Productions has clients spanning across the globe and builds brands and shares stories. Their work covers strategy, digital, design, film, events and more. Driven by passion, they cultivate ideas and produce them to get results.

More about Flying Scooter Productions.

About The Telly Awards

The Telly Awards is the premier award honoring video and television across all screens. Established in 1979, The Telly Awards receives over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and five continents. Entrants are judged by The Telly Awards Judging Council—an industry body of over 200 leading experts including advertising agencies, production companies, and major television networks, reflective of the multi-screen industry The Telly Awards celebrates. Partners of The Telly Awards include NAB, Stash Media, Production Hub, and Independent Filmmaker Project.

Long standing partners of The Telly Awards include NAB, Stash, Storyhunter, NYWIFT and LAPPG. New partners include Production Hub, IFP, We Are Parable, Social Media Week and Ghetto Film School. Winners are selected for recognition based on excellence in the following areas: Branded Content, Commercials & Marketing, Immersive & Mixed Reality, Non-Broadcast, Series / Shows / Segments and Social Video. The Telly Awards is based in NYC and its Executive Director is Sabrina Dridje.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra would like to thank BNY Mellon, PNC, UPMC Health Plan and Holiday Sponsor, Highmark, for their generous support of Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience.

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