Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Announces 2017-19 EQT Training Program for African American Musicians Fellow

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra named percussionist Joshua Jones as its seventh EQT Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians (OTPAAM) Fellow. He begins his two-year fellowship in September.

Created in 2007 by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the EQT Orchestra Training Program for African American Musicians prepares a young African American musician for a career in a professional orchestra.

Jones, a Chicago native and a former fellow at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, has been playing drums since the age of three. He will spend two seasons immersed in the working environment of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, studying with orchestra members to train and prepare for professional auditions and performance opportunities. As a fellow, Jones' time will include practice, education and community engagement initiatives, and audition training. Jones also will pursue a master of percussion performance at Carnegie Mellon University during his time in Pittsburgh.

Jones began taking private lessons through the Chicago Symphony's Percussion Scholarship Program at the age of 10, and continued his education at DePaul University and the Cleveland Institute of Music. While Jones was an orchestra fellow for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Honda sponsored a documentary about his life and experience in the DSO (watch the video at percussioneducation.com/detroits-percussionist-joshua-jones).

In his spare time, Jones enjoys studying acting and philosophy, watching Japanese anime and trying new foods and restaurants. Currently, he is writing a method book series and teaching private lessons, clinics and masterclasses.

EQT OTPAAM is made possible, in part, by the generosity of Milton and Nancy Washington, and EQT Foundation.

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.

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