Superstar Soprano Renee Fleming opens the season for the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck on Saturday September 15th. She talked about her program for "A Voyage at Sea: A Passage to the Mediterranean" with WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham.  Renee remembers visiting her Grandmother in Indiana, PA; all her Western Pennsylvania family ties; her new Broadway cd; singing at the John McCain funeral; appearing to float on water in the Washington Monument reflecting pool for the PBS broadcast of "A Capitol Fourth 2018;" whether Live From the Met broadcasts to theaters hurt live ticket sales; why we don’t have classical music on The Tonight Show so much these days; and much more in her dressing room backstage at Heinz Hall on Friday afternoon.

Bronwyn Banerdt, Pittsburgh Symphony cellist and Irene Cheng, violin talk over the Musicians of Steel 5K run and walk in Millvale September 16 at 10am - the day following the gala concert they will play with Renee Fleming and Manfred Honeck at Heinz Hall. They outline highlights of the musical journey so far which includes work in Kuala Lumpur, Erie Pa, Los Angeles, Barcelona, at Carnegie Hall with John Rutter, study at Yale, recording with the Clarion Quartet and much more.

Imani Winds bassoon and Juilliard grad Monica Ellis has returned to the city where she was born to play the Mozart Bassoon Concerto in "Sounds of Summer on Centre" - tonight, July 31st, 7pm, at the Elsie Hillman Auditorium of the Kaufmann Center at the Hill House. She tells us about her Pittsburgh work with Pittsburgh Symphony Bassoon Mark Pancerev, her work at CAPA, and elsewhere around the city. She will return with her colleagues this fall to play for Chamber Music Pittsburgh. At the end of the conversation  she demonstrates her instrument with a little Mozart.

Pittsburgh Symphony cellist Bronwyn Banderdt joined Coordinator of Learning and Community Engagement Adriel Lyles to describe the “Sounds of Summer on Centre” , the concert by the Pittsburgh Symphony Tuesday July 31, at 7pm in the Elsie Hillman Auditorium, Kaufman Center at the Hill House with Monica Ellis playing the Mpozart Bassoon Concerto, Anqwenique singing and the Florence Price String Quartet played by members of the orchestra with poetry and African drumming, Kenny Black has jazz afterward and Andres Franco conducts.

Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Manfred Honeck talks about his weekend with Yo-Yo Ma and Yuho Pohjonen playing Beethoven, plus an honor he received for this 10th Anniversary, as well as how nice it is to have his son Simeon and his wife Christiane in town.  He also describes the joy of working with Emanuel Ax and presenting the Berlioz Te Deum with two choirs, organ and soloist for the first time ever to wrap up the Mellon Grand Classics Season June 15th through 17th at Heinz Hall.

Yo-Yo Ma talks with Jim Cunningham about his Saturday June 9th, 2018 concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Manfred Honeck playing the Dvorak Cello Concerto. He mentions his years of work with  the orchestra and remembers his friendship with Fred Rogers plus he shares his thoughts about a trip to Braddock Pa as part of the Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America project.

Pittsburgh Symphony Resident Conductor Andres Franco updates us some of his summer concerts including the May 31st concert in Wilkinsburg.