This talented pianist has taken on a whole new “jazzy” approach. Diana Krall will be visiting Pittsburgh to perform her amazing album ‘Glad Rag Doll’. Krall has taken inspiration from her father’s old jazz albums and added modern twists. Her signature piano accompaniments are still there but with a whole new edge.  To buy tickets or for more information, go to pittsburghsymphony.org or call 412-392-4900.

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Diana Krall’s “Glad Rag Doll,” produced by T Bone Burnett, is just out on Verve Records and the reviews are in:

New York Times: “It has never been a bad idea to engage Ms. Krall’s friskier side and it’s satisfying to hear the swagger in her phrasing on ‘I’m a Little Mixed Up’… …She sounds even better on another song with country pedigree: ‘Wide River to Cross.’”

Associated Press: “It rocks. It swings. It shuffles. It’s sexy, sly, intimate, and exhilarating.”

Entertainment Weekly: “Enthralling… I’d call it her nimble, witty, change-of-pace record.”

Rolling Stone: “Whimsical, yet equally wistful and weathered”

Seattle Times: “One of her freshest, most satisfying albums in years…… Krall has struck vintage gold here — again.”

American Songwriter: “Krall’s work on the piano has perhaps never sounded so rock-n-roll.”

New York Post: “As impeccable and inviting as ever”

JazzTimes: “Krall is masterful in her interpretations”

ELLE: “Makes the Charleston cool again”

MOJO: “‘Glad Rag Doll’ breaks intriguing new ground.”

Uncut: “Lively and irreverent… even tastier than you expected.”

San Antonio Express News: “Krall’s low and slow delivery… keep the music hot and cool”

More information and tickets at pittsburghsymphony.org

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It’s Fiddlesticks’ birthday! And we are going to a concert! This is the second time we have gone to one. The first time we did not know what to expect. But now that we do, we’ll be ready to enjoy it.

For both of us, music had become a part of our lives, something that we can share and we wanted our now two year old son to do so too. But the question we had was what did that meant. We’ve seen the fads that listening to music would make a child smarter but we did not want any part of that. Because we were also not interested in a passive child.

As we have exposed him to music in our lives, he has listened to my wife’s playing the piano, watched videos with music in the background and of performances, and yes, even some videos aimed at toddlers that included classical music. But he does not just listen and watch. we are thoroughly entertained by his response to the music. In the ways of a two year old with limited oral skills and coordination, he sometimes just listens, sometimes he sings along, sometimes he pretends like he is conducting the piece, and sometimes he tries to dance ballet, sometimes hip-hop, and sometimes just jumping and moving to the rhythm.

We’ve brought him to concerts, recitals, and performances and appreciate the venues where you are not just a spectator, but you can react and respond to music as you experience it. And that is what I most enjoy about Fiddlesticks. The relatively modern traditions of being
quiet and not responding to a performance are put aside, and we can react to what we see. We enjoy the performers interacting with the kids sharing their joy of playing.

And this is what we want our son to experience as he grows. Not a world where he is a spectator, but a world where he takes in the environment and responds to it. And someday, create something to add to this environment.

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Conductor and harpsichordist Jeannette Sorrell discusses the April 5-7, 2013 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concerts

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A Canadian jazz pianist, known for her vocals, and has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide. Diana Krall will be performing live April 9th and singing songs from her new album ‘Glad Rag Doll’. Use promo code JAZZ1  to save 25% off any seat in the house! To buy tickets or for more information, go to pittsburghsymphony.org or call 412-392-4900.

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Diana Krall gives a riveting twist on old jazz in her new album ‘Glad Rag Doll’. With inspiration from her father’s 78-RPM jazz collection she incorporates modern sound, strings accompaniment and amazing piano pieces. Tickets are on sale now! To buy tickets or for more information, go to pittsburghsymphony.org or call 412-392-4900.

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Performed by Members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall—An Event to Benefit Rock for The Heart Foundation and Pediatric Cardiac Research

PITTSBURGH, PA – March 7, 2013 – Rock for The Heart Foundation presents HEART STRINGS, a salute to the classical music of Sir Paul McCartney– featuring the North American Premiere of Sir Paul McCartney’s, NOVA, the orchestral adaptation, composed by McCartney for his late wife, Linda, performed by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This important concert event takes place Memorial Day Weekend on Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 8PM on the stage of Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. All proceeds will benefit pediatric cardiac research.

“We are so honored Pittsburgh and its magnificent symphony will host and perform NOVA’s North American Premiere,” said Kris Fischerkeller, who with her husband, Paul, founded Rock for The Heart after their son Matthew passed away suddenly at age 16 of cardiac arrest. “We are equally excited about the importance of generating much needed awareness about sudden cardiac arrest among children and teenagers.”

Ticket sales for this incredible evening of music go on sale Wednesday, March 20, and start at $25/person for reserved seating. VIP tickets include a special post-performance wine reception with the guest artists and musicians and are priced at $110 per person. All fans and concert attendees will also have an opportunity to bid on a Hofner Bass guitar, signed by Sir Paul ¬– the model Sir Paul played when he was with the Beatles, visit www.rockfortheheart.org for more details and the opportunity to place a bid. To purchase tickets and be a part of this “once-in-a-lifetime” event, call 412-392-4900 or visit www.pittsburghsymphony.org/.

Special guest artists include Grammy winner and Oscar nominated pianist and composer Roger Kellaway, international jazz pianist sensation Peter Beets, Nashville‘s super-duo Steel Magnolia and Platinum artist Bill Champlin, who composed such hits as After the Love is Gone, for Earth Wind and Fire and Turn Your Love Around for George Benson. Champlin wrote and was lead vocalist on several hits as a member of CHICAGO for over 30 years. All will perform with the members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and provide interpretations of Sir Paul McCartney’s astounding catalog, as well as their own music.

Dennis J. D’Amico produced the World Premiere of the orchestral adaptation of NOVA. It was performed in 2005 at Teatro Colon, one of the most prestigious classical venues in the world, located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The two sold-out performances received five-star reviews. D’Amico is also producing HEART STRINGS, which includes the North American Premiere of NOVA, at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, for Rock for The Heart.

In addition to the performance, Ms. Fischerkeller said Rock for The Heart is also announcing a Call for Sponsors, to ensure Pittsburgh’s business community has an opportunity to be part of this extraordinary event. “While the music is certainly the hallmark of the evening, the goal is to raise money for important medical research to save children’s lives. Businesses across southwestern Pennsylvania are invited to be part of this exclusive event.”

Companies are invited to call 724-433-5701 for information about how to partner or become actively engaged with Rock for The Heart Foundation and the HEART STRINGS concert, or visit www.rockfortheheart.org

About Rock for the Heart

Originally called the Matthew P. Fischerkeller Memorial Fund, the Fischerkeller family decided Rock for the Heart was a more fitting tribute to their musically talented son, who died suddenly in his sleep on April 14, 2005, from cardiac arrest brought on by an arrhythmia. He was 16 years old. Rock for The Heart Foundation promotes and supports research intended to prevent sudden cardiac arrests caused by congenital heart disorders in children, including Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW), one of the pediatric heart defects thousands of children are born with every year and the same defect that Matthew died from. For more information about Rock for the Heart or to make a donation to support pediatric cardiac research, visit www.rockfortheheart.org/donate.

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Contact:
Brian Tedeschi
Think Communications, Inc.
412-281-9228 – office
412-638-5981 – cell

Dennis D’Amico, Producer
You Rock Media Group
973-903-7665 – cell

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For Immediate release

March 22, 2013

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICAL AMBASSADOR FIDDLESTICKS CELEBRATES HIS BIRTHDAY!

Lawrence Loh conducts with guest artists including Katy Williams, Clare Bradford, Stephanie Maloney and the Children’s Festival Chorus

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) closes “A Season of Celebrations” with Fiddlesticks as he celebrates his birthday! Fiddlesticks, Heinz Hall’s resident musical ambassador to children, joins Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh and the PSO for a friendly and melodic adventure at Heinz Hall.

Clare Bradford, winner of the Duquesne Concert Competition, returns to the stage to play Saint-Saëns’ Cello Concerto No. 1. Stephanie Maloney also returns for the fun with a special “Cat Duet” with Katy Williams. The Children’s Festival Chorus will perform “When I Sing” with PSO musicians Jeff Grubbs, bass, and Andrew Reamer, percussion.

Sing “Happy Birthday!” with Fiddlesticks and enjoy a birthday treat from the PSO’s friends at Eat n’Park. Eat n’Park is donating 2,000 Smiley Cookies for the celebration.

The concert, “Happy Birthday Fiddlesticks!” begins at 11:15 a.m., on Saturday, April 6 at Heinz Hall. Tickets, ranging from$12 to $20, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900, or by visiting the PSO online at www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

From infancy on, children are exposed to the music of lullabies, sing-a-longs, folk tunes, and pop music, and the Fiddlesticks Family Concerts continue to explore various genres of music. Each of the performances is preceded by a pre-concert event called Discovery Time Adventures. These educational activities begin at 10 a.m. and allow young audiences and their parents to meet the PSO musicians, learn songs, and take part in various musical activities. The 45-minute concert begins at 11:15 a.m. and is filled with engaging music and interaction with everyone’s favorite friendly feline!

The Fiddlesticks Family Concert Series is proudly sponsored by Macy’s Foundation, PPG Industries Foundation and Bobby Rahal Volvo. This series is endowed by Gerald and Audrey McGinnis, honoring the Center for Young Musicians.

Resident Conductor of the PSO and music director of both the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Loh is one of the most exciting young talents on the classical music scene today.  He was brought to national attention in February 2004, when he substituted last-minute for an ailing Charles Dutoit with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Conducting Stravinsky’s Petrouchka and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Loh received enthusiastic acclaim from orchestra players, audience members and critics, alike. Since his appointment as music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic in 2005, the orchestra has flourished artistically, defining its reputation as one of the finest regional orchestras in the country. His leadership has attracted such artists as André Watts, Anne Akiko Meyers, Jon Nakamatsu, Zuill Bailey and Sharon Isbin.

Katy Williams has performed extensively in the Pittsburgh area with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, Mendelssohn Choir, Pittsburgh Opera Theater, River City Brass Band and Pittsburgh Concert Chorale. She was a featured soloist for several Pittsburgh Symphony Holiday Pops concert series and made her PSO BNY Mellon Grand Classics debut in September 2005 with Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She was a soloist in the Heinz Hall performance of The Lord of the Rings and has been the special guest vocalist for the PSO’s Fiddlesticks and Tiny Tots children’s concerts hosted by the PSO.

Editors please note:

Saturday, April 6, 2013 at 11:15 a.m.

Heinz Hall

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

LAWRENCE LOH, conductor

FIDDLESTICKS

KATY WILLIAMS, vocalist

CLARE BRADFORD, cello

STEPHANIE MALONEY, vocalist

CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL CHORUS

Discovery Time Adventures begin at 10 a.m.

Lucas Richman                                    Music Can Make Your Life Complete

Leroy Anderson                       The Waltzing Cat

Gioachino Rossini                    Duetto buffo di due gatti (Cat Duet)

Bill Henderson                          When I Sing

Camille Saint-Saëns                Concerto No. 1 in A minor for Cello and Orchestra, Opus 33

Frederick Loewe                     “I Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair Lady

Jacques Offenbach                  “Can Can” from Orpheus in the Underworld

Lucas Richman                        Music Can Make Your Life Complete

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Violinist Noah Bendix-Balgley will kick off the Pirates 2013 season

PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Noah Bendix-Balgley will take fans “out to the ballgame” as he performs his own arrangements of The Star-Spangled Banner and God Bless America at the Pittsburgh Pirates Opening Day on April 1, 2013.

The Pirates are scheduled to take on National League Central Division opponents the Chicago Cubs on Monday, April 1, 2013 at 1:35 p.m. at PNC Park. Tickets for the game can be purchased at http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/ticketing.

Bendix-Balgley will be flying directly to New York City after the ballgame for a violin recital—“a little crazy,” he admits, “but I was really excited about the opportunity to play for Opening Day!”

Noah Bendix-Balgley has thrilled and moved audiences around the world with his violin performances. In May 2011, he won 1st prize at the Vibrarte International Music Competition in Paris, France. A Laureate of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Noah also won 3rd prize and a special prize for creativity at the 2008 Long-Thibaud International Competition in Paris. He was awarded 1st Prize and a special prize for best Bach interpretation at the 14th International Violin Competition “Andrea Postacchini” in Fermo, Italy.

Noah has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris), the Orchestre National de Belgique (Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels), the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie (Belgium), the Orchestra Filarmonica Marchigiana (Italy), the Orchester Jakobsplatz Munich, and the Asheville Symphony (USA). He performed the premiere of a rediscovered Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra by Carl Stamitz at the German Viola Congress in Muenster, Germany. In March 2011, he performed recitals at the Jewish Music Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area featuring little known works by Achron and other members of the St. Petersburg School. Noah has performed in Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Iceland, China, Switzerland, Great Britain, Canada and the United States.

Noah is a passionate and experienced chamber musician. In 2011, he performed on North American tour with the Miro String Quartet. From 2008 to 2011, Noah was the 1st violinist of the Munich-based Athlos String Quartet, which won a special prize at the 2009 Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Competition in Berlin, and performed throughout Europe. In 2008, Noah was invited to participate in Chamber Music Connects the World in Kronberg, Germany, where he worked and performed with Gidon Kremer, Yuri Bashmet, Gary Hoffman and Lynn Harrell. He has collaborated with artists such as Ana Chumachenco, Wen-Sinn Yang, Hariolf Schlichtig, and percussionist Colin Currie. Noah has performed at number festivals in Europe and North America, including the Verbier Festival, the Sarasota Festival, and Centre d’Arts Orford.

Noah earned his postgraduate Meisterklasse diploma for violin in 2008 from Hochschule für Musik und Theater Munich, where he studied with Professor Christoph Poppen and Professor Ana Chumachenco. In 2006, he received a Bachelor of Music degree with highest distinction from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he was a student of Professor Mauricio Fuks and also a Wells Scholar. He has performed in masterclasses for Gidon Kremer, Ida Haendel, Zakhar Bron, Joseph Silverstein, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Pamela Frank, and Itzhak Perlman.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina in 1984, Noah began playing violin at age 4. At age 9, he played for Lord Yehudi Menuhin in Switzerland. From 1995 to 1997, Noah studied violin with Anne Crowden while attending The Crowden School in Berkeley, California. There he performed the premiere of Recitative and Freilekhs, a piece for violin and chamber orchestra written for him by Arkadi Serper. Noah was also featured as a soloist on the 1997 Crowden School tour of England and Scotland.
In his spare time, Noah enjoys playing klezmer music. He has played with world-renowned klezmer groups such as Brave Old World, and has taught klezmer violin at workshops in Europe and in the United States. Noah plays on a Lorenzo Ventapane violin, made in Naples in the early 19th century.

Noah first recital CD, “A Musical Tour of the early 20th Century” (Anima Records) was recorded in Switzerland in May 2011 and is now available.

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