Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Launches Kickstarter for Music Festival in Carnegie Hall

It may be an adage whose origin is lost to the annals of time, but the saying remains true-if you want to get to Carnegie Hall, you need to practice, practice, practice! But you also need to pay for instrument transportation, orchestra transportation, hotel rooms, soloists, etc., etc., etc.! The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is heading to Carnegie Hall for the Spring for Music Festival on May 10, 2014 and, along with practice, it can only get there with a little help from friends through a 47-day Kickstarter campaign.

As with all its tours, the orchestra will not use money from its Pittsburgh operating budget to fund this engagement. With the ultimate goal of a balanced budget in the coming fiscal year, it is vitally important that this opportunity is funded before the orchestra heads to the airport in May. The Kickstarter campaign has a funding goal of $30,000, but there is no limit on how much can be pledged. The Pittsburgh Symphony will only receive funds if it is successful in raising at least $30,000, an important characteristic of every Kickstarter campaign.

Spring for Music is an annual festival at Carnegie Hall of New York showing and celebrating the quality and creativity of North American orchestras. The festival allows selected symphonies and orchestras to showcase their artistic philosophy in one of the world's most distinctive venues. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Manfred Honeck, has the distinct pleasure of closing the 2014 Spring for Music festival while marking the Orchestra's 82nd performance at Carnegie Hall.

Funding levels range from $10 to $5,000 and include a variety of rewards, including an invitation to the final rehearsal in Pittsburgh for the Carnegie Hall concert, a digital download of Mozart's Requiem and Death in Words and Music, a private meet-and-greet with Manfred Honeck and F. Murray Abraham in New York City and many more.

To contribute to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Kickstarter campaign, visit kickstarter.com/profile/pittsburghsymphony. To purchase tickets, $25, for the May 10 Spring for Music performance or to learn more about it, visit pittsburghsymphony.org or call 412-392-4900. Those that contribute $500 or more to the Kickstarter campaign will receive two complimentary tickets to the Carnegie Hall concert.

Spring for Music is an annual festival each May at Carnegie Hall showing and celebrating the quality and creativity of North American orchestras. Now in its fourth year, Spring for Music was categorized by the press after its debut season as "bold," "gripping," "vibrant," inspired," "virtuosic" and "brilliant." Spring for Music was created by three music industry veterans who serve as the project's directors: Thomas W. Morris, CEO and artistic director; David V. Foster, production director; and Mary Lou Falcone, public relations director. For more information, please visit the Spring for Music website at springformusic.com.

For more than 116 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been an essential part of Pittsburgh's cultural landscape. The Pittsburgh Symphony, known for its artistic excellence, 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. This tradition was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which has been touring both domestically and overseas since 1900, continues to be acclaimed as one of the world's greatest ensembles. It has made 40 international tours, including 20 in Europe, eight to the Far East, and two to South America. In January 2004, under the baton of Gilbert Levine, the Pittsburgh Symphony was the first American orchestra to perform at the Vatican for the late Pope John Paul II, as part of the Pontiff's Silver Jubilee celebration. Recordings and radio concerts are also an important part of the orchestra's tradition. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast coast-to-coast, receiving increased national attention in 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International (PRI). The PRI series is produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3 in Pittsburgh and is made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. For more information, visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

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