Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will bring music to the open air during “Summer With the Symphony” concerts in the amphitheater at Hartwood Acres Park in Allegheny County.
The series will feature a full orchestra performing eight concerts — four classical, three pops and one family-themed — running from July 23 to Aug. 7. Tickets are on sale now.
“This series is for anyone who enjoys music, with its beautiful evenings of classical and pops favorites, and a Saturday morning family concert filled with rhythm and melodies,” said Melia Tourangeau, PSO president.
Under the baton of Associate Conductor Earl Lee, the summer concerts will preview major works that will be featured in the orchestra’s 2021-22 season and will feature solo performances by PSO musicians, violinists Marta Krechkovsky and Jennifer Orchard and cellist Will Chow.
“It’s such a joy to have the orchestra back together to play the big symphonic favorites that we all love, and we are just as excited to have our audience back to share the experience with us,” said Lee, who is among 15 young conductors selected as 2021 recipients of The Sir Georg Solti Career Assistance Award, which provides grants to American conductors in the formative years of their careers.
Principal Pops Conductor Byron Stripling also will conduct during the series. The schedule includes:
• Songbook & Sunset, 8:15 p.m. July 23 — Stripling will conduct a program of popular and jazz standards from the Great American Songbook, featuring vocals by Stripling and Nicki Parrott.
• Summer Family Concert: Melodies & Movement, 11:15 a.m.-noon July 24 — Stripling will conduct the celebration of American music. PSO musical ambassador Fiddlesticks will make a special appearance; every child will receive a free concert activity book and crayon packet.
• Rossini & Brahms, 8:15 p.m. July 30-31 — Lee will conduct the preview of pieces planned for the 2021-22 season. Krechkovsky will solo on Tchaikovsky’s only violin concerto.
• Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky, 8:15 p.m. Aug. 6-7 — Lee will conduct an evening of popular dance pieces, and two movements from a Tchaikovsky symphony that will open in the 2021-22 season. Chow will solo during Tchaikovsky’s “Rococo Variations.”
• Summer & Sinatra, 8:15 p.m. Aug. 13-14 — Stripling will conduct and jazz singer, pianist and songwriter Tony DeSare will perform songs immortalized by Sinatra, and by singers and songwriters he influenced.
Concert-goers will be able to enter the amphitheater parking lot at 5 p.m. for Friday and Saturday evening concerts, and at 9 a.m. for the Saturday Family Concert. Food trucks will be on site beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 9:30 a.m. for the Saturday concert. Pour Partners include Hop Farm Brewing Co. and Vinoski Winery.
“Summer With the Symphony” is presented by the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.
“After more than a year of deeply trying times, filled with so much heartache, we are grateful and excited to share with our community this special outdoor music series at Hartwood Acres while our Heinz Hall home undergoes renovation,” Tourangeau said.
This summer, PSO begins the first of two phases of renovation of Heinz Hall, in advance of its 50th anniversary to be celebrated in the upcoming season. The project includes updating and refreshing backstage areas and the Regency Rooms, as well as accessibility projects including the exterior entrances to the hall. The 2021 renovations are funded by private foundation sources, the Allegheny Regional Asset District and matching funds from the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Tickets for “Summer With the Symphony” concerts will be “choose your price,” with a minimum of $10 per person. The Symphony’s suggested value is $25 per person. Children 5 and under are admitted free.
Advance tickets are available at 412-392-4900 or pittsburghsymphony.org. Tickets for each concert also will be available at the Hartwood Acres parking entrance; cash or credit cards will be accepted.
In the event of a severe weather cancellation, ticket-holders will be notified and tickets may be refunded or applied to a future PSO concert.
PSO will follow social distancing and other public health guidelines in place at the time of concerts. If restrictions continue, guests will be required to wear a mask throughout the venue, except when eating or drinking, and to observe social distancing between groups when setting up seats and blankets.
