Enjoy a casual evening of entertainment, discovery and drinks featuring live performances by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra members.  The event Kicks-off Beethoven's 250th birthday year by exploring how Beethoven revolutionized music. Performances will feature a sampling of Beethoven masterpieces while exploring surprising connections between Andy Warhol and Beethoven.  The event will be held Thursday January 16th at the Andy Warhol Museum.  Cellist Karissa Shivone and Host Marty Bates stopped by the QED Morning Show to tell us more about the event.

Byron Stripling was introduced as the new Pittsburgh Symphony Pops Principal Conductor  He stopped by the QED Morning Show this morning to talk about his plans for the Pops, his music background and much more.

Augustin Hadelich discusses with Jim Cunningham his return to Heinz Hall December 6th and 8th to play Mozart’s Second Violin Concerto and the Thomas Ades Concerto ‘Concentric Paths’, the article he wrote for Strings Magazine about the traveling life of a violinist, his Chautauqua New York concerts, and what Ach du Lieber Augustin the folk song is really about.

Soprano Nola Richardson and tenor Karim Sulayman make their debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Osmo Vanska Saturday December 7, 2019. They discuss their roles in Messiah, word painting, the greatness of the Handel, Karim’s Grammy winning recording for Avie, what the toddling is in the toddling town of Chicago, Nola discusses her Colorado connections and big month of Messiahs, their love of public radio and much more.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck calls into the QED Morning Show to remember former Music Director Mariss Jansons and his impact on the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan makes his Pittsburgh Symphony debut November 29, 2019 with two pieces - the Nocturne by Edvard Baghdasaryan and the Concerto Rhapsody by Aram Khachaturian, conducted by Music Director Manfred Honeck. He discusses with Jim Cunningham the music; the 360 concert with the audience in the round; his mentor Rostropovich; his earlier visit to Pittsburgh in a snowstorm; chess in Armenia; famous Armenians the Kardashians and Cher; his career to date and much more.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck and pianist Igor Levit sat down after rehearsal on Thursday afternoon in Manfred Honeck’s studio to discuss Mozart and the true Viennese style as heard in the 22nd Piano Concerto.  The piece will be played the weekend of October 18,2019 at Heinz Hall in tour send off concerts.  The Rachmaninoff Paganini Rhapsody will also be heard in Pittsburgh on October 19th, along with opening night on the European Tour on October 25th, at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on November 4th and at the Bozar Centre in Brussels, Belgium on November 7th. Igor Levit joins the Pittsburgh Symphony to play the Mozart 22nd Concerto in Hannover, Germany on October 28th - the city he settled in after leaving Russia - then on to the Philharmonie in Berlin on October 29th, the Musikverein in Vienna on Halloween, and the Tonhalle in Dusseldorf on November 8th.

Baritone Matthias Goerne returns to Heinz Hall this weekend to perform Lieder of Strauss and Schubert with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with Matthias to talk abou this weekend's concerts, and performing with the PSO when they are on tour in Europe later this month.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck stopped by the QED Morning Show with Jim Cunningham to talk about this weekend's concerts at Heinz Hall.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra begins it's 2019-2020 Mellon Grand Classics Season Friday September 19th at Heinz Hall.  The first piece on the program is a PSO co-commission of "Fountain of Youth" by composer Julia Wolfe.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham caught up with her at the Hall where she talks about the piece, the influx of women composer's and much more.