101 Strong
Jeremy Branson, associate principal percussionist, interviews Jim Nova, the Pittsburgh Symphony’s second trombone player and one of the most colorful musicians among us. Take a break and listen to his unique approach …
by Lorien Hart
The Musicians’ Body & Soul partnership with 412 Food Rescue is, at its heart, a face-to-face experience. So how do we continue this vital work in the Covid-19 landscape? The third installment in our “If Music Be The Food” recital series to benefit 412 Food Rescue was scheduled to happen at Waverly Presbyterian Church on April 1. With an in-person gathering no longer possible, we moved to an online format.
by Craig Knox
Most PSO musicians teach. Many of us are on the faculty of universities and conservatories in Pittsburgh and elsewhere, teaching the performers and music educators of tomorrow. Others teach their students in private home studios. Some of us work with the members of the area youth orchestras. I think many of us feel a sense of duty to mentor young music students and pass along what we learned from the previous generation of professional musicians. So how can we continue to be there for these young musicians during this time?
by Jack Howell
The way out is through.
– Robert Frost
Yesterday I went for a walk. As a woman walking her dog approached, I moved to my right, to the edge of the sidewalk up against a picket fence. When she drew to about ten paces away, she left the sidewalk and passed me walking down the middle of the street. The thought was clear, why take a chance? It seems like forever ago when we all sat together for concerts, when musicians greeted concertgoers in the lobby and shook hands without a second thought.
By Jack Howell
The PSO’s vision statement reads: “Great Music in Every Life.” The “Great Music” part is pretty well covered. If you can get to Heinz Hall and can afford a ticket (BNY Mellon Grand Classics tickets start at $20, but some concerts are less, or even free), an embarrassment of riches awaits. In the course of a given season, there will be an orchestral program to suit almost any taste, performed at the highest level. If it seems immodest to say that ourselves, a lot of other people who ought to know said it first.
By Lorien Benet Hart
Most of you know about our 3-year partnership with 412 Food Rescue. Our year-round Body & Soul runs and summer Hidden Harvest “residency” at Sheridan Orchard in East Liberty are pillars of our community involvement. This year we expanded our partnership as the Pittsburgh chapter of If Music Be The Food, a national chamber music organization with a focus on food insecurity.
By Jack Howell
It seemed like a good idea: in each issue of our newsletter, to shine a spotlight on someone who contributes in some special way to keeping the Pittsburgh Symphony the Pittsburgh Symphony. We’ll call it the Bouquet! You know, like the soloist gets at the concert.
By Tatjana Mead Chamis
The Clarion Quartet, consisting entirely of members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO), had the honor of playing at the American Academy in Berlin on the orchestra’s recent European tour.
To continue the tradition of the Musicians of Steel 5K Walk/Run, we are going virtual this year! You can run, walk, unicycle, or somersault your way through 1 mile, 5K, or 10K from anywhere in the world, at any time between September 26 and October 4, and with whomever is in your social pod. We can still share this experience and help bring the opportunity of music education to our community.
by Charlie Powers and Rhian Kenny
Please join us for the third annual Musicians of Steel 5K Run/Walk, a charity race organized by the Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony! The race begins at the Millvale Riverfront Pavilion and follows a flat out-and-back course along Pittsburgh’s beautiful North Shore on Three Rivers Heritage Trail.