Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to Perform Sensory-Friendly Concert, 6/27

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents a sensory-friendly orchestra performance, "Celebrate Pittsburgh," on Saturday, June 27 at 2:30 p.m. at Heinz Hall.

Led by Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh, "Celebrate Pittsburgh" is designed for patrons of all ages with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities and other disabilities to enjoy an orchestra performance in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Monitors will provide open captioning throughout the concert, and quiet rooms, earplugs and fidgets will be available so audience members can control their sensory stimulation.

Pre-visit materials, including a story about attending performances at Heinz Hall, a Spotify playlist and a series of introductory videos, are available online at pittsburghsymphony.org/celebratepittsburgh to help patrons prepare for the concert experience.

Pre-concert activities will begin at 1:15 p.m. on the day of the concert. Attendees can engage multiple senses by playing instruments in a sound exploratorium, exploring movement in a kinesthetic room and meeting musicians. A resource fair with representatives from local service and arts organizations also will be held in the Grand Lobby.

Participating organizations in the resource fair include:

· ABOARD's Autism Connection of PA

· ACHIEVA & ACHIEVA Family Trust

· Andy Warhol Museum

· Aspire Pediatric Therapy, LLC

· Autism Services Across the Lifespan, LLC

· Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

· Center for Hearing & Deaf Services, Inc.

· Children's Institute of Pittsburgh

· Children's Museum Pittsburgh

· Creative Citizen Studios

· DePaul School for Hearing & Speech

· Familylinks

· FISA Foundation

· Fund It Forward

· Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council

· Hear Fayette Program, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Uniontown Conference

· Music Journey, LLC

· PaTTAN

· Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

· Pittsburgh CLO Academy

· Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

· Pittsburgh Music Academy

· Pittsburgh Opera

· Rufus Robot, Inc.

· United Way of Allegheny County, 21 & Able

· Variety the Children's Charity

· Watson Institute

· Wesley Spectrum Services

· Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children

· Woodlands Foundation

Special guests for the concert include cartoonist Joe Wos, guitarist Joe Negri, vocalist Katy Shackleton Williams, current Juilliard student and former Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra violinist Inori Sakai, the Pittsburgh CLO Academy Tap Dancers, percussionist Tom Wendt and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra soloist Jeffrey Grubbs (bass). Joanne Rogers, the wife of Fred Rogers, is the honorary chair for Celebrate Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank The Jack Buncher Foundation, Pirates Charities and Bender Consulting Services, Inc. for their generous support of this concert. Celebrate Pittsburgh is an official ADA 25th Anniversary event.

Tickets for the sensory friendly performance are $15 and $25 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Heinz Hall box office, by calling 412-392-4900 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/celebratepittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 119 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), Andre 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. 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 37 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 also hosts many other events that do not feature its world-renowned orchestra, including Broadway shows, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visitheinzhall.org

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