Byron Stripling, Principal Pops Conductor at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
In Tuesday’s (3/18) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jeremy Reynolds writes, “In some cities, there are two distinct orchestras, one that performs classical music by great composers and one that performs more popular music like holiday songs and Broadway show tunes and the like. In other cities, one orchestra does both. Pittsburgh falls into that latter camp. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has a 20-week classical subscription series that forms the core of its programming, with several add-on special concerts … On Tuesday, the orchestra announced its pops programming for the 2025-26 season, which includes tickets and dates for concerts ranging from the Highmark Holiday Pops shows to a jazz big band program to Bugs Bunny at the Symphony to a concert version of the musical South Pacific, and more. The singer-songwriter Ben Folds will make an appearance with the orchestra on Oct. 7…. The Pittsburgh Symphony will also screen films while performing the soundtracks live … Byron Stripling, the orchestra’s principal pops conductor, said in a statement … ‘It’s also about celebrating America in all its variety—its music, its movies, its history and its culture. There’s truly something for everyone.’… The pops programming … is seeing increasing revenue, especially for familiar programs like the Holiday Pops show and the live-with-film concerts.”
