In Sunday’s (6/23) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Andrew Druckenbrod writes that he is leaving his post as classical music critic at the newspaper, recalling that when he started in the job, “It was a bit overwhelming. I knew Pittsburgh as a city full of cultural delights but hadn’t heard the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra live. I knew it was a big-time orchestra, but I wasn’t prepared for the warmth of tone pouring off the Heinz Hall stage. PSO has the timbre of the glory days of orchestras…. For 13 years, I have basked in that sound and been privy to a music scene that can boast of an ensemble in nearly every major classical music genre. At the end of this month, I will leave the beat to finish an MBA and to consult in the nonprofit sector.” While praising the Pittsburgh Symphony’s high performance standards, Druckenbrod notes that he would have preferred more adventurous repertoire: “An internationally renowned orchestra should be doing more that brings attention internationally. I think local patrons would relish being a part of that.… I will occasionally appear as a freelancer (including for several concerts in fall). I will continue to have opinions about the concerts I attend, I just won’t be broadcasting them. And I will carry the amazing music I have heard for all of my days.”

Posted June 24, 2013