By Jack Howell The Bouquet of flowers presented to the soloist and/or conductor on stage is a public gesture of esteem and congratulations. The Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in every newsletter, present a virtual bouquet to someone who is not a performer, but is nonetheless instrumental to the PSO’s success. “I’m a very…
Details
By Jack Howell “What is tone color?” my daughter asked in all innocence as I tried to explain that the PSO’s tower chimes, huge tubular bells that once hung in a church steeple, were used for their tone color. Yes, the same pitches could be (and in most cases are) played by much smaller chimes…
Details
It’s been awhile since our last newsletter, but hopefully it hasn’t been that long since you’ve seen or heard from us. 2018 was a real whirlwind! While we’re incredibly proud to have won 2 Grammys, we’re equally excited about some of the other things we’ve been doing right here at home in Pittsburgh. Where to begin?…
Details
As we welcome 7500+ area children to Heinz Hall this week, the spotlight should be on the music educators who do so much for the region. To lead off, let’s meet 2015 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year, Mairi Cooper. Where do you teach? Fox Chapel Area High School (although I have taught in the elementary…
Details
Robert Lauver By Craig Knox Position: 2nd Horn Joined PSO in: 2000 Previous positions: St. Louis Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Austin Symphony “I was previously in the St. Louis Symphony for 8 years, where my wife Marina and I started our family. We were very happy there, and it was a great 52-week orchestra…
Details
From left to right: PSO violist Meng Wang, Jia Hong-Guang , PSO cellist Adam Liu, and Zhan Shu by Craig Knox PSO Assistant-Concertmaster Jia Hong-Guang, a native of Shenyang, China, left that country in 1979 to study with the famed Yehudi Menuhin. He began his orchestral career playing in the Baltimore Symphony, and was later…
Details
Two PSO musicians plant roots in the Pittsburgh community by Susanne Park For PSO bassist John Moore and bassoonist David Sogg, trees are especially important. As players of two of the largest wooden musical instruments, a lot of trees go into making their music possible. But beyond that, John and David know how important trees…
Details
Zoltan Kodaly By Ron Samuels Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galanta is an orchestral tour de force. Its dynamism and virtuosity are a thrill for orchestras to play and audiences to hear. Among many musically distinctive features is its famously prominent first clarinet part. There are two cadenzas, one of which occurs just prior to…
Details