Jane Lynch Joins Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for Night of Music and Laughs at Heinz Hall

TV star Jane Lynch brings her unique blend of comedy, music and storytelling to a one-night-only experience, "Jane Lynch Sings the Great American Songbook (plus one Guatemalan love song)," with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Friday, July 7 at 8 p.m. at Heinz Hall.

Three-time Emmy and Golden Globe winning actress Jane Lynch from "Glee," "Best in Show," "Hollywood Game Night" and more joins the Pittsburgh Symphony, led by assistant conductor Andrés Franco, in a rollicking musical journey. Along with pianist Brad Ellis - the silent accompanist from "Glee" - Lynch will perform hits from Broadway and other classic favorites, such as "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah," "King of the Road," "Mambo Italiano," "I Feel Good" and more, while sharing humorous and heartfelt personal stories.

Tickets, ranging from $35 to $85, are available at the Heinz Hall Box Office, via phone at 412-392-4900 or online at pittsburghsymphony.org/summer.

About the Artists

Having completed highly successful first seasons as music director of Tulsa's Signature Symphony at TCC, as well as assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, ANDRÉS FRANCO has established himself as a conductor to watch.

While maintaining his roles as principal conductor of the multimedia project Caminos del Inka, and artistic director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's summer festival "Concerts in the Garden," he continues to delight audiences with his imaginative programming and energetic style.

During the 2016-2017 season, Franco will make debuts with the Boise Philharmonic, Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Texas Music Festival, and will return to conduct the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

A frequent guest conductor in the United States, Europe and South America, Franco has appeared with the Columbus, Elgin, El Paso, Eugene, Fort Worth, Houston, Lake Forest, Mississippi, Saginaw Bay, Springfield, St. Louis and Stockton symphony orchestras; the Chicago Sinfonietta; Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León/Spain; the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, as well as with the National Symphony, Bogota Philharmonic, Medellin Philharmonic and EAFIT Symphony Orchestra in Colombia. Festival appearances include the Cabrillo, Grant Park, OK Mozart and Oregon Bach Festivals.

Franco formerly served as music director of the Philharmonia of Kansas City, as associate and resident conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony, and as Leonard Slatkin's assistant conductor during the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

A native of Colombia, Franco is dedicated to preserving and performing the music of the Americas. As principal conductor of Caminos del Inka, he has led many performances of works by Latin American composers, such as Jimmy López, Diego Luzuriaga and the famous Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla.

Born into a musical family, Franco began piano studies with his father, Jorge Franco. An accomplished pianist, he studied with Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Jose Feghali, and attended piano workshops with Rudolph Buchbinder in Switzerland, and Lev Naumov in France. He studied conducting with Marin Alsop, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Kurt Masur, Gustav Meier, Helmut Rilling, Gerard Schwarz and Leonard Slatkin.

Franco holds a bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, as well as master of music degrees in piano performance and conducting from Texas Christian University.

Franco is married to Victoria Luperi, associate principal clarinetist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Actress Jane Lynch was raised outside of Chicago and first cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in many church basements all over the greater Chicagoland area. No stranger to the stage, Lynch made her Broadway debut in the 2013 production of Annie as Miss Hannigan in a limited run at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theater in New York. Soon thereafter, Lynch decided to embark on her own musical comedy tour, See Jane Sing, in which she mixes her signature quick wit with beloved Broadway songs.

Lynch is the host of NBC's Hollywood Game Night for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Host. Lynch also recently wrapped the final season of Glee on Fox for which she is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner for portraying the iconic television character, Sue Sylvester. Some of her other recent credits include the Starz series Party Down, Lovespring, a Lifetime original series, Desperate Housewives and Weeds, as well as the last season of The L Word opposite Cybill Shepherd. She also had recurring roles on Two and a Half Men, Criminal Minds and The New Adventures of Old Christine.

In addition to her television credits, Lynch's recent film credits include A.C.O.D, Three Stooges, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Wreck-It Ralph, Julie & Julia, Shrek Forever After, The Post Grad Survival Guide, Paul and Brownie Masters. Lynch also authored the autobiography Happy Accidents, which topped several national best-sellers list, including The New York Times and LA Times. With her comedic timing, fantastic look, and remarkable wit, Lynch is an actress to watch.

You may recognize Brad Ellis as the curiously silent piano player on Glee who is killed in the final episode by Sue Sylvester. Other television includes Gilmore Girls, Bunheads, Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016) and the 81st Academy Awards. Film credits include Chicago, De-Lovely, and Beauty and the Beast. A long-time session player, Brad has led more than 6,000 performances of more than 400 different concerts and musicals in New York and Los Angeles, and orchestrates for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Boston Pops Orchestra, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. He's been the leader on 35 albums for RCA, DRG and Varese Sarabande. Artists he's worked with include Matthew Morrison, Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Joel, Christoph Eschenbach, Ariana Grande, Rod Stewart and Tim Curry. He's married to Jazz pixie Eydie Alyson, and they frequently perform as Ellis 'N' Alyson.

The PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, is credited with a rich history of the world's finest conductors and musicians, and a strong commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), André Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1995-2004). This tradition of outstanding international music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The orchestra has been at the forefront of championing new American works, and gave the first performance of Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah" in 1944 and John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. Its "Pittsburgh Live!" series with Reference Recordings has resulted in back-to-back Grammy Award nominations in 2015 and 2016. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast on the airwaves coast-to-coast and in the late 1970s it made the ground breaking PBS series "Previn and the Pittsburgh." The orchestra has received increased national attention since 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900 - including international tours to Europe, the Far East and South America-the Pittsburgh Symphony continues to be critically acclaimed as one of the world's greatest orchestras.

HEINZ HALL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc., a non-profit organization, and is the year-round home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The cornerstone of Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Heinz Hall hosts many events that do not feature its world-renowned Orchestra including Broadway shows, popular touring artists, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visit heinzhall.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos