Music

Classical

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been a vital part of the Pittsburgh's cultural heritage for more than a century. At home in Pittsburgh's elegant Heinz Hall, the Orchestra offers concerts, a Pops series, chamber orchestra performances and Fiddlesticks Family concerts. In addition, the Orchestra stages summer, free-admission concerts in area parks and a series of year-round community engagement concerts throughout western Pennsylvania. On a smaller scale, River City Brass Band is a 28-piece ensemble that tours extensively throughout the United States with more than 60 performances each year as part of community concert series, major symphony pops series and arts festivals. RCBB produces the full richness of a symphony orchestra and provides high-quality entertainment for audiences of all ages.

The Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, founded in 1961, presents chamber music of the highest quality performed by internationally and nationally recognized ensembles. Their annual concert series features some of the most celebrated ensembles of our time (the Budapest, Juilliard, Guarneri, Tokyo, Emerson and Cleveland Quartets, the Beaux Arts Trio and Pablo Casals Trio, to name a few).

The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble is one of the nation's oldest professional ensembles devoted to the music of our time. If you think you don't like modern music, or if you're bored with the "same-old, same-old" concert routine, you'll find something at PNME to entice and inspire you. PNME's summer festival, held at City Theatre on Pittsburgh's South Side, presents new music in a way you won't encounter anywhere else.

The Bach Choir of Pittsburgh has grown from 60 singers in 1993 to 120 in 2003 and has gained distinction for its innovative, educational, and critically acclaimed programming. Bach Choir of Pittsburgh produces a three-program concert season, with multiple performances of each program in locations throughout Allegheny and surrounding counties.

Early Music

The Renaissance & Baroque Society is one of the first organizations in the world to focus exclusively on presenting Early Music, and it is still recognized as one of the best. Performances include music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque and Early Classical periods (roughly 1200-1800), and fosters a broader understanding and appreciation of the music, arts and culture of the times.

Folk

Calliope promotes and preserves traditional and contemporary folk music and its allied arts. Calliope concerts, held at Carnegie Lecture Hall in Oakland, feature national and international folk music. In addition to concerts, Calliope produces other events, including Summer Festivals, featuring national and local talent presenting workshops and jam sessions and Open Stage, a weekly opportunity for songwriters, solo and duo artists to share their music, at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern, located in the eastern neighborhood of Bloomfield.

The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is made up of men and women from all walks of life, with a common goal—the encouragement and preservation of the banjo, America's native instrument. The Pittsburgh Banjo Club is dedicated to keeping the music of the Golden Age of the Banjo alive (1920-1930). With over 100 members, including banjos, trumpets, tubas, and bass, dressed in bright, colorful uniforms, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club's program consists of sing-alongs, vocals, banjo solos, music from the '20s and '30s, polkas and Dixieland.