Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Joins Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Fest 6/5

Today at a joint press conference, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Dollar Bank and Peoples Natural Gas announced a special free concert as part of the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival on Sunday, June 5, 2011, at 6 p.m. The outdoor community performance at Point State Park will mark the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's first concert at the festival since 1977.

"I am proud to be leading the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on its return to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival after more than 30 years," PSO Music Director Manfred Honeck said. "This is one of the most celebrated summer events in the region and has a rich history of showcasing great performances. It will be a tremendous experience performing outdoors in this great city."

"This is a great day for our cultural community and Pittsburgh," noted Robert P. Oeler, President and CEO of Dollar Bank. "The long-awaited return of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to the festival and Point State Park is cause for celebration. The PSO is one of the country's top orchestras, and this opportunity to experience the extraordinary talents of these musicians ‘under the stars' will be a very special experience."

Morgan K. O'Brien, President and CEO of Peoples Natural Gas, said, "Peoples Natural Gas is proud to support The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and Pittsburgh Symphony, two organizations that continually infuse creative energy into the quality of life of our region. We're thrilled to help facilitate the return of the PSO to Point State Park and celebrate the talents of our Cultural District with the community." Peoples Natural Gas is the Concert Sponsor of the PSO's engagement on June 5th.

J. Kevin McMahon, President and CEO of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, attributed the collaborative spirit of the Cultural District as an integral factor in this special addition to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, "The Cultural Trust and PSO have partnered on many projects, including the PNC Broadway Across America - Pittsburgh series and First Night Pittsburgh. However, the return of the orchestra to the festival and Point State Park is a major milestone among our collaborations."

PSO President and CEO Larry Tamburri said, "The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is excited about returning to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival, center stage at Point State Park. Our hope is that this is the beginning of a new era which will see annual performances by the PSO at this most important of Pittsburgh festivals."

The concert is also being sponsored in part by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra musicians.
"We are pleased to be a partner in sponsoring this concert and are happy to be returning to the Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival," said Joe Rounds, orchestra committee chairman.
Honeck will conduct the concert which will open with Leonard Bernstein's Overture to Candide and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, followed by works by Johann Strauss Jr., Hummel, Khachaturian, Shostakovich and Dvo?ák. The concert will conclude with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. The featured soloist will be PSO principal trumpeter George Vosburgh. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra first performed during the festival in 1965.

Dollar Bank Three Rivers Arts Festival is a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. This year's 10-day festival will be held June 3-12, 2011. The festival has been a celebration of the arts for 52 years and will continue its annual traditions featuring the artists' market and free live music series, sponsored by Dollar Bank, on the Dollar Bank Stage at Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. For information, visit 3riversartsfest.org or call 412-456-6666.

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