Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

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The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American symphony orchestra^[1]. It is based at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District.

The orchestra was founded by the Pittsburgh Arts Society in 1895, and played its first concert the following year. Its first conductor was Frederic Archer, who brought in a number of players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to strengthen the new ensemble.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra pose on Pittsburgh's Sixth Street Bridge.

Archer left in 1898 and was replaced by Victor Herbert, who took the orchestra on several tours and greatly increased the orchestra's presence. Herbert was replaced by Emil Paur in 1904. The orchestra attracted a number of prominent guest conductors during these early years, including Edward Elgar and Richard Strauss, but had to be disbanded in 1910 due to financial difficulties.

It was 1926 before the orchestra was resurrected, with its members rehearsing for no fee, and each contributing money to make a new season the following year possible. The orchestra's leader, Elias Breeskin, was also its conductor for the first few years. In 1930, Antonio Modarelli was brought in as conductor. In 1937, Otto Klemperer was brought in to reorganise the orchestra, quickly raising the orchestra to an international level.

Since then, the orchestra has experienced ongoing growth and development, including building a substantial endowment fund. Fritz Reiner (1938-48) led the orchestra as Music Director for a decade, imposing his precise technical demands while also triggering substantial turnover in personnel (exacerbated by the World War II military draft). He also made a number of important recordings of a wide range of repertory, including music by Mozart, Strauss, and Bartók. From 1948-52, a series of guest conductors led the orchestra, including Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski.

William Steinberg (1952-76) then became the orchestra's Music Director, taking them on a tour of Europe and recording a great deal of repertory. André Previn (1976-84) succeeded Steinberg and brought the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to a national audience with a PBS television series, Previn and the Pittsburgh. Lorin Maazel, a Pittsburgh native, served as Music Consultant to the orchestra from 1984-1988, and served as the PSO Music Director from 1988-1996. He took the orchestra on several international tours. Since 1995, Marvin Hamlisch has served as Principal Pops Conductor. Mariss Jansons succeeded Maazel as the PSO's Music Director from 1997-2004, and maintained the high artistic reputation of the orchestra^[2] ^[3].

Since 2005, this PSO has formally been lacking a single music director. During this current period, a new collective bargaining agreement was in effect, which gave the musicians increased authority over matters of running the orchestra such as the hiring of musicians and choice of repetoire^[4]. Starting in 2005, Sir Andrew Davis has served as the PSO's Artistic Advisor^[5], with Yan Pascal Tortelier as Principal Guest Conductor and Marek Janowski holding the "Endowed Guest Conductor Chair". Davis will relinquish his position in 2008^[6]. The contracts of Tortelier and Janowski also expire in 2008^[7], and their official status after that time is uncertain.

In a change of conductor leadership format, reverting back to the traditional music director hierarchy^[8], the PSO announced on 24 January 2007 that with the 2008-2009 season, the Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck^[9] would become the PSO's ninth Music Director. After the announcement, Honeck said: "It is with great joy that I assume the post of music director of one of the world's finest orchestras^[6]." Honeck first conducted the symphony in May 2006, and returned for another guest appearance in November 2006. He has signed a three-year contract with the PSO which will begin in the fall of 2008^[6].

After playing concerts in its earliest form at Carnegie Music Hall, the orchestra moved to the Syria Mosque, where many of their recordings were done. The Mosque proved to be an unsuitable venue for the orchestra, as it held far more seats than could reasonably be filled for orchestral concerts, and it was also acoustically unsatisfactory. In 1971 the orchestra moved to the newly-renovated Penn Theater, a move funded by H. J. Heinz II of the H. J. Heinz Company. To honor his involvement, the building was renamed Heinz Hall.

In 2004, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Gilbert Levine became the first American orchestra to play for the Pope^[10]. Their performance included the world premiere of John Harbison's "Abraham" as well as movements I, IV, and V from the Mahler Symphony No. 2^[11], and Pope John Paul II personally requested an encore at the performance.

The PSO has been facing financial concerns related to historical declines in ticket sales and increased expenses^[12]. In November 2006, the PSO announced a pledge of $29.5 million from the Richard P. Simmons family as the start of a capital challenge for the orchestra to address long-standing financial concerns^[13] ^[14]. In December 2006, the PSO announced the launch of an $80 million capital fund-raising drive, after the initial $29.5 million boost from the Simmons family^[15].