Manfred Honeck stopped by the QED Morning Show to talk about this weekend's concerts with features an all Piano Concerto concert with Rudolf Buchbinder on Friday night and a Bruckner's 8th Symphony on Sunday.

The Pittsburgh Symphony presents the Audience of the Future Side by Side concert with Andres France conducting Tuesday May 16 at 7 pm at Heinz Hall. Chartiers Valley High School senior Devin Moore joins Pittsburgh’s Creative and Performing Arts High School senior Jim Cunningham IV to play the Max Bruch Double Concerto in e minor for violin and viola along with Bizet: Suite from L’Arlesienne, Suite from the Firebird by Stravinsky, Jennifer Higdon’s Machine, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Hoedown from Rodeo, Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, and a Symphonic Dance from West Side Story by Bernstein. The student planned concert is organized with the theme of immigrants and their contribution to music. Maestro Franco will tell his story of coming to America from Colombia.  Everyone gets ice cream after the concert with the Shaler High School Jazz band in the lobby and a chance to get your picture taken with the Maestro.

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck stopped by the QED Morning Show to talk about this weekend's concerts which begins a 2 week Vienna Festival.

Guest Conductor Lionel Bringuier conducts the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestera in Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhbition this weekend at Heinz Hall.

Andres Franco, Pittsburgh Symphony Assistant Conductor, will lead the 14th annual Music for Wilkinsburg concert at the High School in Wilkinsburg on Thursday March 23 at 7pm. Maestro Franco invites you to enjoy an all hits concert with soloists including Jeremy Black in the Vivaldi Spring Concerto and Spring by Piazzola. Copland’s Appalachian Spring adds to the theme of the new season. Anne Martindale Williams plays the Swan from Carnival of the Animals accompanied by Gretchen van Hoesen. Tickets are $10, $5 for Students.

Yan Pascal Tortelier talks about Ravel’s Bolero, Stravinsky’s Petrouchka and Gaite Parisienne by Jacques Offenbach and describes his joy in working with the Pittsburgh Symphony along with news of his latest recording plans with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

Locarno Switzerland born pianist Francesco Piemontesi makes his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He shares his first impressions of the orchestra and the city, talks about the Dvorak Piano Concerto which is rarely played because of it’s difficulty, reveals what he is reading (Baudelaire!), whether he hears Swiss cowbells at dawn, playing the alphorn, suggests that Swiss cheese is a national treasure, describes working with Manfred Honeck, Alfred Brendel and Murray Perahia and much more.

Maestro Steve Hackman conducts a mashup of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and music by the international hip hop and rap superstar Drake at Heinz Hall March 22 with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He tells us about his pop music and symphonic music Fuse concerts with spreading interest to Europe and around the US, his work in LA and Pittsburgh.

Lahav Shani, 27 year old Israel born conductor and soon to be Chief at the Rotterdam Philharmonic, discusses his Heinz Hall debut with Kurt Weill’s Second Symphony, Charles Ives’ Unanswered Question, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with Jon Kimura Parker and Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story Symphonic Dances. He describes his work with Zubin Mehta and Daniel Barenboim and recalls his recent concert where played the piano, conducted the orchestra and played the bass on the same program. His favorite book, movie, breakfast treat and sport are revealed too.

John Moore, Pittsburgh Symphony double bass, presents "It’s All About the Bass" for Music 101 at Heinz Hall on February 22nd at 12:30. Less about Meghan Trainor’s worldwide pop hit with that title and more about Dittersdorf and Vanhal. John joins Rodrigo Ojeda for some musical examples. In this discussion, he traces his career from Buffalo to Curtis Institute, San Diego, Honolulu and Columbus before being hired as one the last official acts of Lorin Maazel as Music Director.