Jim Cunningham will be joining the PSO on its European Festival Tour from August 15 through September 5.
This is the 75th anniversary of PSO touring!
The first concert is in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia with other concert stops in Austria (Grafenegg and Salzburg) Germany (Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Essen, Dresden, Wiesbaden and Cologne).
Jim will send back radio reports every Monday through Friday at 8:15am and 6pm. Don't miss recorded PSO performances following Jim's morning reports. These reports will be live or taped depending on the tour schedule. Jim will also give taped weekend reports at noon. If you missed the reports, you can find them below on our Pittsburgh Symphony on Tour podcast!
Stay up to date on Jim's adventures on his blog with interviews with Maestro Honeck and musicians, photos and videos! Follow along on our social media platforms. Radio reports begin Wednesday, August 17.
Manfred Honeck - European Tour Preview
Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Manfred Honeck visited the WQED studios for a live conversation on the QED Morning show on August 10th. It was the first in-person interview during the last two years of the pandemic outside of live broadcasts at Heinz Hall. Maestro Honeck ran down the special features of the upcoming 75th Anniversary European Tour of the Orchestra and the special guests Anne Sophie Mutter, Helene Grimaud and Gautier Capucon. He says he has sailed through the pandemic but regrets that so many have suffered and that audiences for music are slowly rebounding. Maestro Honeck mentioned his summer vacation with his family in the Tirol and Tuscany, ran down the special repertoire on the tour including Ligeti's "Lontano" and his transcriptions of music by Erwin Schulhoff. Manfred Honeck thanked the tour report sponsors Thiel College, Botkin Family Wealth Management and Elliot Dinkin of Cowden Associates and promised to provide dressing room commentary whenever possible.
Listen to more of the "@ the Symphony" Podcast on: Android | Apple | Spotify
Pittsburgh Symphony on Tour Podcast
Monday September 5th - Morning Tour Report - Sep 5, 2022
The 2022 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra European Festival Tour came to a triumphant close in Cologne last night with Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto and the Manfred Honeck conducting the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5. In this final Tour Report, Jim spoke with both Manfred Honeck and Anne-Sophie Mutter to get their thoughts on the tour. Plus, hear from Principal Tuba Craig Knox who talks about how he stays in shape on tour. Plus, hear from the organizer of the Cologne Philharmonie, who says it's not only the acoustics that bring orchestras to Cologne, but also the beer!
Sunday September 4th - Afternoon Tour Report - Sep 4, 2022
Jim Cunningham spoke with cellist Aron Zelkowicz as he visits a family home and factory outside of Wiesbaden, Germany. He also talks to the organizers of the Rheingau Music Festival; the Principal Officer and Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany Norman Thatcher Scharpf and his wife Donna; as well as with PSO President and CEO Melia Tourangeau and President of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance Mark Thomas.
Saturday September 3rd - Afternoon Tour Report - Sep 3, 2022
It's a day off for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, but it's a jam packed tour report! Jim Cunningham spoke with Principal Clarinet Michael Rusinek and Principal Bassoon Nancy Goeres; New York Times Classical Music Critic Zachary Woolfe, PSO Clarinetist Victoria Luperi and her two nephews as they visited a botanical garden, President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate Jake Corman, and Artistic Director of the Philharmonie Essen, Marie Babette Nierenz.
Friday September 2nd - Morning Tour Report - Sep 2, 2022
It's a beautiful day in Wiesbaden, Germany. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra just arrived and will perform tonight. It's the next to last concert of the tour. Jim Cunningham interrupted PSO Assistant Conductor Jacob Joyce's lunch to get his thoughts on the tour, his role on the trip and more.
Friday September 2nd - Evening Tour Report - Sep 2, 2022
It was the next to last concert on this 2022 Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra European Festivals Tour. The PSO played at Wiesband, Germany with Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto and Manfred Honeck conducting the Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5. After the concert, Jim Cunningham spoke with Principal Harp Gretchen van Hoesen and cellist Mikhail Istomin to get their thoughts on tonight's concert.
Thursday September 1st - Morning Tour Report - Sep 1, 2022
WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham chats with cellist Jan Vogler. He's performed with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at Heinz Hall in the past, and he's thrilled to have them at the Dresden Music Festival. Jan talks about his role as intendant of the Dresden Music Festival, his recent recordings, and growing up in East Berlin.
Thursday September 1st - Evening Tour Report - Sep 1, 2022
"Everyone's a Critic" goes the saying. But for Jeremy Reynolds - it's the truth! Jeremy is the Classical Music Critic for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He joined WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham in the lobby of the hotel after the Dresden concert for this tour report. It was going to be a long night of writing, so he had ordered a pizza for delivery. Jeremy talks about tonight's concert, some of the other stories he's covered while on the tour and much more. Which European concert hall sounds a lot like Heinz Hall? Find out in this tour report!
Wednesday August 31st - Morning Tour Report - Aug 31, 2022
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra just arrived in Salzburg, where they will perform a concert tonight. WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham chatted with English Horn Ian Woodworth about the tour, his experience so far and more.
