Nelly to Join Pittsburgh Symphony for A NIGHT OF SYMPHONIC HIP HOP

Grammy-award winning rapper and songwriter Nelly will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop at Heinz Hall on July 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Under the direction of Assistant Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, Nelly and the Pittsburgh Symphony will perform a tail feather-shaking concert with a symphonic twist. Nelly, who is known for hit songs such as "Country Grammar" and "Dilemma," will bring the crowd in Heinz Hall to its feet during a night of high intensity music.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Tickets, ranging in price from $39 to $139, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at412-392-4900 or visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/summer.

About the Artists

NELLY is a multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning rap superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist and actor, who has continually raised the bar for the entertainment industry since stepping on the scene in 2000 with his chart topping album, Country Grammar. Country Grammar spent seven weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and spawned the massive hits "Ride Wit Me," "Country Grammar" and "E.I." The album landed Nelly four Grammy Award nominations and sold over nine million copies worldwide. Nelly kept the momentum going with the 2002 release of "Nellyville." The album debuted at #1 on top of scoring Nelly his first two Grammy Awards for "Hot in Here" (Best Male Rap Solo Performance) and "Dilemma" (Best Rap Song Collaboration). He has since gone on to win multiple American Music Awards, a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award, Soul Train Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and was crowned "Top Pop, Rap and R&B/Hip-Hop Artist of the Year" by Billboard. In 2013, the St. Louis native released his seventh full-length album, "M.O.," featuring guest appearances by Nicki Minaj, Pharrell, Future, T.I. and 2 Chainz, as well as production powerhouses Rico Love (Beyonce, Usher) and Detail (Lil Wayne, T-Pain).

Currently on tour across Europe, 2016 has been a busy year for Nelly as he once again pushes the boundaries of his artistry. After releasing "The Fix" with Jeremih, Nelly once again took the driver's seat in a country song coveRing Thomas Rhett's "Die a Happy Man," which is actually his third country single following this Florida Georgia Line and Tim McGRaw collaborations. The song drew rave reviews from MTV, Billboard and CMT respectively. The song was released on iTunes on February 5, and was leading Billboard's airplay/sales/streaming-based Hot Country Songs chart following its release.

Still hard at work on his upcoming album, Nelly has been on the road touring nationally and internationally all throughout 2016. The fifth season of "Real Husbands of Hollywood" will air on BET and new music from Nelly will drop in the fall.

Also a big year for the multitalented Grammy Award-winning music icon, Nelly worked relentlessly on multiple television, film and music projects in 2015. He celebrated the second season of his wildly successful BET docu-series, "Nellyville," and is currently co-starring in the #1-rated BET sitcom "The Real Husbands of Hollywood" for the show's fourth season. Both shows are currently in production. After collaborating with Florida Georgia Line on the six-times platinum single "Cruise," Nelly got back in the studio to release his newest chart topper, "The Fix," featuring Jeremih, an update of the Marvin Gaye Classics, "Sexual Healing." "The Fix" was written by famed producer DJ Mustard alongside Mike Free. "The Fix" serves as the first single from Nelly's as yet untitled forthcoming album. Touring across the United States, Australia, the Middle East and Europe and in his hometown of St. Louis with Taylor Swift, He also shared the stage with legendary artists New Kids on the Block and TLC for an exclusive performance of their greatest hits.

The music mogul also has left his mark in other aspects of the industry, introducing his women's clothing line, Apple Bottoms, men's clothing line, Vokal, and Pimp Juice energy drink. Additionally, he has partnered with Nike on the "Air Derrty" limited edition sneaker. He is also the CEO of his own label, Derrty Ent., as well as co-owner of the Charlotte Hornets with Michael Jordan. One of the biggest ways Nelly gives back to St. Louise is through his school, as he is the only artist to have his own accredited college, Ex'treme Institute. Nelly partnered with Vatterott College to create Ex'treme Institute (EI), a college tailored to educating those interested in the music industry.

In 2005, Nelly made his big screen debut in the Adam Sandler and Chris Rock box-office smash reboot of "The Longest Yard." Shortly after, he took on a recurring role on the hit show "CSI: NY" in 2009. Currently, the music artist is focusing on his thriving acting career. In additional to wrapping the fourth season of "Real Husbands of Hollywood," he also wrapped the second season of "Nellyville" and his second motion picture, "Reach Me."

One of Nelly's greatest philanthropic achievements is that he hosted the largest African-American bone marrow drive to date in an attempt to save his sister from leukemia. Nelly continues to use his influence to raise awareness of multiple organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

American conductor FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG has worked with orchestras around the world including engagements with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. With the start of the 2015-2016 season, he began his new position as assistant conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra after serving four years as associate conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO). He will return to the MSO throughout the season for several guest engagements and will make his opera debut with the Florentine Opera. He also will continue as associate conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival.

Lecce-Chong has earned a growing reputation and critical acclaim for dynamic, forceful performances, garnering national distinction, including the Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award and The Presser Foundation Music Award. He has also been featured in master classes with Bernard Haitink, David Zinman, David Robertson and Christopher Seaman, while working with the St. Louis Symphony, National Arts Center Orchestra and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich.

As a trained pianist and composer, Lecce-Chong embraces innovative programming, champions the work of new composers and supports arts education. While working with the MSO, he curated and presented the works of both active and lesser-known composers, including two works commissioned by the orchestra, as well as two U.S. premieres. He also helped create the first MSO Composer Institute, providing performance opportunities for young American composers. Lecce-Chong has complemented his programming with a strong commitment to arts education for all ages. In Milwaukee, he provided artistic leadership for the MSO's nationally lauded Arts in Community Education program - one of the largest arts integration programs in the country - and he continues to be a frequent guest speaker for arts organizations around the country.

Lecce-Chong is a native of Boulder, Colorado, where he began conducting at the age of 16. He is a graduate of the Mannes College of Music, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree with honors in piano and orchestral conducting. Lecce-Chong also holds a diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied as a Martin and Sarah Taylor Fellow with Otto-Werner Mueller. He has been mentored by many world-renowned conductors, including Edo de Waart and Donald Runnicles, with whom he continues to maintain a close working relationship.

The PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, celebrating 120 years of music in the 2015-2016 season, 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 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, popular touring artists, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visit heinzhall.org.

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