Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Announces 2017 Summer With The Symphony Series

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's Summer with the Symphony returns for its third season in June, offering a diverse selection of concerts - from classics to hip-hop and everything in between. There are so many ways to add the perfect musical spark to summer in Pittsburgh!

Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival - Monday, June 5, 7:30 p.m. - Point State Park

The Pittsburgh Symphony returns for another free concert at the 58th Annual Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival at Point State Park in downtown, Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank Dollar Bank for their support of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival.

Admission to this concert is free. No reservations are required.

Music of Flight and Fantasy: A Sensory Friendly Performance - Saturday, June 17, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Everyone is invited to join the Pittsburgh Symphony for a musical celebration of flight and fantasy featuring the music of John Williams and others. With a family-friendly, welcoming, inclusive and relaxed environment, the concert experience is designed for patrons of all ages, and especially those individuals with autism spectrum disorders, sensory sensitivities and other special needs. Attendees should arrive by 1:15 p.m. to enjoy pre-concert activities in Heinz Hall. In addition to keeping house lights partially up and providing fidgets, earplugs and a specially-designed quiet room to help each person regulate his or her sensory stimulation at the event, the Pittsburgh Symphony will offer pre-visit materials online to help patrons prepare for the trip to Heinz Hall.

This concert is generously supported, in part, by FedEx Ground, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and The Jack Buncher Foundation.

All tickets for Music of Flight and Fantasy are $15 and are on sale now. Tickets to this concert ONLY are 100% refundable.

The O'Jays with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Thursday, June 29, 7:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

People all over the world - join hands! R&B superstars The O'Jays take the Heinz Hall stage this summer with the Pittsburgh Symphony performing their hits "Love Train," "Put Your Hands Together," "I Love Music" and many more!

Tickets start at $39 and go on sale April 19.

In Honor of Service: An Americana Concert - Friday, June 30, 7 p.m. - Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Oakland

Presented in collaboration with Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents a performance in honor of service men and women. This concert welcomes family attendance and participation in sing-alongs, marches and tributes to military personnel including the favorite Armed Services Salute. Pittsburgh Symphony cellist Charlie Powers will perform Bragato's "Graciela y Buenos Aires" and singing police officer Ricky Manning will lead "God Bless America." This concert is part of the In Honor of Service Program, an initiative to reach more military personnel and families. Arrive at 6 p.m. for a pre-concert performance by The Brass Roots.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank The Fine Foundation for its generous support of this program.

Admission to this concert is free. Tickets can be reserved beginning on April 19.

Concerts in the Parks - Saturday, July 1, 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 2, 8:15 p.m. - South Park and Hartwood Acres

The Pittsburgh Symphony presents its annual summer county parks concerts - two free concerts during the Fourth of July weekend that take the symphony out of Heinz Hall and into the great outdoors! This year's concerts are offered at South Park on July 1 and at Hartwood Acres on July 2. These concerts are part of the Allegheny County Summer Concert Series.

These performances are brought to the community, in part, through the generosity of the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

Admission to these concerts is free. No reservation is required.

Jane Lynch Sings The Great American Songbook* (*Plus One Guatemalan Love Song) with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Friday, July 7, 8 p.m. - Heinz Hall

TV superstar Jane Lynch joins the Pittsburgh Symphony for a one-night-only musical experience with a large dose of comedy. Lynch will take the audience on an entertaining journey through hits of Broadway, the Great American Songbook and beyond (all the way to Guatemala).

Tickets start at $35 and go on sale on April 19.

A Night of Symphonic Hip Hop Featuring Common with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Thursday, July 20, 7:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe-winning Chicago rapper, actor, film producer, activist and poet Common joins the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for a one-night-only concert of music from his latest album, "Black America Again," as well as some of his biggest hits. Common won the 2015 Golden Globe for Best Original Song and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song, for his song "Glory" from the 2014 film Selma, in which he portrays Civil Rights Movement leader James Bevel.

Produced by TCG Entertainment and Live Nation Urban.

Tickets start at $45 and go on sale on April 19.

Classical Mystery Tour: Sgt. Pepper's 50th Anniversary with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - Friday, July 21, 8 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Experience the classic songs of John, Paul, George and Ringo live, backed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra! The first half of the concert celebrates the 50th anniversary of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album by performing it in its entirety and the second half will showcase the Beatles' greatest hits!

Tickets start at $29 and go on sale on April 19.

Johnny Mathis with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: The Voice of Romance Tour 2017 - Saturday, July 22, 8 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Legendary singer Johnny Mathis, celebrating his 61st year as a recording artist returns to Pittsburgh to perform his greatest hits and personal favorites with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Come hear why he will always be "the Voice of Romance"!

Tickets start at $39 and go on sale on April 19.

- BNY MELLON GRAND CLASSICS, PNC POPS & FUSE@PSO -

With Summer with the Symphony beginning in June, the BNY Mellon Grand Classics, PNC Pops and FUSE@PSO series all include concerts that are part of the summer season. Those concerts are:

BNY Mellon Grand Classics: Mahler's Resurrection - Friday & Saturday, June 2 & 3, 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 4, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

This concert features Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection," led by Manfred Honeck with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and soloists Christina Landshamer and Gerhild Romberger.

Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now.

BNY Mellon Grand Classics: Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto - Friday, June 9, 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 11, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to St. Petersburg, Russia, in this concert weekend led by Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko and featuring Uzbekistani pianist Behzod Abduraimov - both making their Heinz Hall debuts. The program includes Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 8.

Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now.

FUSE@PSO: Mash-Up Mix-Down, featuring Time for Three - Wednesday, June 14, 6:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Time for Three, a classically trained string trio known for their exploration of a variety of musical genres, joins the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for the final concert of the FUSE@PSO series. The concert will feature an array of classical-pop mash-ups featuring music by Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Guns and Roses, Beethoven, Purcell, Vivaldi, Mahler and more!

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its series sponsorship of FUSE@PSO.

Tickets are $30 in advance ($35 at the door) and are on sale now.

PNC Pops: Ella & Louis: All That Jazz - Friday & Saturday, June 16 & 17, 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 18, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

This year is the Ella Fitzgeral Centennial Celebration, and the Queen of Jazz will meet Satchmo at Heinz Hall for a concert to remember! Vocalist and trumpeter Byron Stripling and vocalist Marva Hicks join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to recreate the sultry, big band sounds of Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

Tickets start at $22 and are on sale now.

BNY Mellon Grand Classics: Season Finale! Honeck Conducts Beethoven - Friday & Saturday, June 23 & 24, 8 p.m., and Sunday, June 25, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's season finale includes Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral" and selections from Mahler's Twelve Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn featuring world renowned German baritone Matthias Goerne.

Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now.

PNC Pops: The Music of John Williams - Friday, July 14 and Saturday, July 15, 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 16, 2:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

The music of John Williams has transported us beyond our imagination. To new worlds. Through heart-pounding adventures. Be there as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs all of your John Williams favorites: Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter and the Star Wars series, including the blockbuster The Force Awakens.

Tickets start at $22 and are on sale now.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its 2016-2017 title sponsorship of BNY Mellon Grand Classics and PNC for its 2016-2017 title sponsorship of PNC Pops. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

- AT HEINZ HALL -

Heinz Hall is one of Pittsburgh's premiere venues, with national and international touring groups, artists, comedians and more regularly making the hall part of their tours. The events below do not include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Check heinzhall.org as events are added frequently.

Heinz Hall Presents Elvis Costello & the Imposters - Tuesday, June 13, 7 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter has been described as a "pop encyclopedia" able to "reinvent the past in his own image." In 2003, Costello and the Attractions were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Costello number 80 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Tickets start at $65 and are on sale now.

Idina Menzel - Presented by Live Nation - Tuesday, July 11, 8 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Tony Award-winning icon Idina Menzel whose diverse career includes stage, film, television and music, brings her 2017 world tour to Heinz Hall. Fans can look forward to songs from her latest studio album, "idina.," as well as favorites from pop, musical theater and her own personal catalog.

Tickets start at $65 and are on sale now.

Bring It! LIVE - Presented by Mills Entertainment - Wednesday, August 2, 7:30 p.m. - Heinz Hall

Presented by Mills Entertainment, the Dolls are back in action for summer 2017 with Bring It! LIVE. From Jackson, Mississippi, legendary Coach D and her team of Dancing Dolls will once again give audiences an unforgettable experience jam-packed with new high-energy dance routines, audience interaction and more exclusive "behind the scenes" insights on their favorite show.

Tickets start at $37 and are on sale now.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 412-392-4900, visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/summer or at the Heinz Hall Box Office at 600 Penn Avenue, downtown.

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 nonprofit 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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