Music Director Manfred Honeck leads the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony, which is launching its “PSO Disrupt” series, is also the host orchestra of the League of American Orchestras’ 2023 National Conference, June 14-16 in Pittsburgh. Photo by George Lange.
“Things are going gangbusters at the Pittsburgh Symphony lately, with the orchestra completely selling out the 2,700-seat Heinz Hall multiple times already in 2023 and generally filling the hall more consistently,” writes Jeremy Reynolds in Monday’s (2/27) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Now the symphony is capitalizing on the momentum and turning its attention to strategies to bring in new listeners, the perennial goal of an arts organization. The orchestra’s solution: a concert series that presents shorter performances in a less formal atmosphere. Some of the changes are a pretty big departure from traditional concert protocol. At the PSO Disrupt series, musicians won’t be wearing tuxedos but more casual concert attire. The concerts will last only about an hour and a half or less. A host will guide listeners through the music … Rather than being admonished to put away cameras and phones, listeners will be allowed to embrace their Instagram habits and post photos of the event … The symphony is also creating activities in the lobby for listeners, like art-making, to emphasize the social aspect of the concert experience. Educators from the Carnegie Museum of Art will be present to help listeners create a mural-sized visual ‘score.’ Sounds fun, right?”
