Danny Elfman brings a brand-new symphonic project featuring music from his celebrated film career to Pittsburgh! Danny speaks with Jim Cunningham ahead of the concert about the program and his career.
Danny will premiere five new pieces with the PSO, while featuring favorites from The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and more. He talks about working with Tim Burton and violinist Sandy Cameron, as well as his “Halloween reputation.” Danny also shares with Jim how special it is to play with a symphony orchestra and what success means to him.
Pianist and composer Andrew Kierszenbaum plays music from the hit show Arcane with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra! He speaks with Jim Cunningham about working on the show, classical inspirations, and what fans should expect.
The Music of Arcane is Andrew’s love letter to the series and to the world its art, story, and music bring to life. As both one of the show’s composers and a classical pianist, he hopes to tell that story at the piano with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra—through his original arrangements of the show’s soundtrack.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played an all-American program to finish their classical season on Friday June 19th, 2026. It was to celebrate American 250 and featured Manfred Honeck conducting a brand new piece by Michael Daugherty titled “Dancing in the Streets,” Jesse Montgomery’s “Strum” and Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring” which included 10 members of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre on stage during the performance. Plus, Augustin Hadelich played the Barber Violin Concerto. WQED-FM broadcast the concert live.
Before the concert, Jim Cunningham spoke to PSO Associate Principal Trombone Douglas Rosenthal (00:00) and Associate Principal Violist Tatjana Mead (08:18) to get their thoughts on the concert. During intermission, Jim was joined by Music Director Manfred Honeck (12:12), guest violinist Augustin Hadelich (17:56), and composer Michael Daugherty (22:16). And after the concert, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre dancer Madeline Gradle (30:02) talks about the choreography for “Appalachian Spring” and the thrill she had to perform it with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
Academy Award-winning actor F. Murray Abraham makes an appearance with the Pittsburgh Symphony as the narrator of Aaron Copland’s Lincoln Portrait. He speaks with Jim Cunningham ahead of the performances about the piece.
Abraham remembers his Pittsburgh roots, growing up in the Hill District. He praises the “generosity of spirit” that is unique to Pittsburgh. In reference to Lincoln Portrait, he praises Copland’s music and emphasizes the power of Abraham Lincoln’s words. Abraham says he admires Manfred Honeck implicitly, and has enjoyed working on this piece, as well as narrating the PSO’s recording of Mozart’s Requiem.
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced the renewal of Manfred Honeck’s contract through 2033 at a Press Conference on Wednesday June 10th, 2026 at Heinz Hall. Speakers included PSO President and CEO Melia Tourangeau, PSO Board Chair Antony Bucci, PSO Concertmaster David McCarroll, Mayor Corey O’Connor, and Manfred Honeck.
On Wednesday June 10th, 2025, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced they have renewed the contract of Music Director Manfred Honeck through 2033, which will make him the longest tenured Music Director in the history of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra!
WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham spoke with Manfred about why he decided to stay with the PSO, even though he’s had offers from other orchestras over the years; his great relationship with the musicians of the PSO; the joy of having his family around him more while in Pittsburgh; and the excitement of the final two weekends of concerts.
Jim also spoke with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Melia Tourangeau about the the renewal; the importance of the symphony for the city of Pittsburgh; and how Manfred is carrying on the great legacy of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Directors.
On Friday May 29th, 2026, WQED-FM broadcast the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert live from Heinz Hall. Led by Gemma New making her PSO debut, the orchestra played “Rainphase” by Salina Fisher and “Scheherazade” by Rimsky-Korsakov. Stefan Jackiw returned after more than 10 years to play the Korngold Violin Concerto.
Before the concert, WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham spoke with PSO cellist Charlie Powers about the concert, as well two performances he’s giving of the 1st 3 Bach Cello Suites – Saturday May 30th, 7pm at Park Presbyterian Church in Beaver and June 6, 2:30pm at PNC Recital Hall on Duquesne’s campus. Jim also spoke to the new Principal Bassoon of the PSO – Julia Harguindey. Julia spoke about growing up in Argentina, moving to Montreal and then studying at Curtis in Philadelphia.
During intermission, Jim spoke with New Zealand-born guest conductor Gemma New, who said it takes about 30 hours to get from her home country to Pittsburgh. She also spoke about her recent recording of Bruch, the work she is doing as Principal Conductor of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and what people can expect from Scheherazade in the 2nd half of the concert. Soloist Stefan Jackiw also spoke to Jim about the Korngold concerto and his encore of a Bach Sonata. He remembers his last time in Pittsburgh playing in the Junction Trio for Chamber Music Pittsburgh and talks about where his busy schedule has him going next.
Rising star British conductor Edward Gardner makes his debut May 15th and 17th at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Sitting down in his dressing room after a double rehearsal on Thursday afternoon, he told Jim Cunningham about his program with Oliver Knussen’s “Flourish with Fireworks,” Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony. So was the Sixth a farewell to the world? Edward has chosen the approach that doesn’t make the score dreary or heart on the sleeve. Knussen and other British composers are favorites. He has enjoyed the Pittsburgh Symphony and the City on first impression with a walk around downtown.
He’s been a regular at the BBC Proms including last summer (2025) where he conducted “The Rose Lake” by Sir Michael Tippett who visited Pittsburgh at Andre Previn’s invitation. Edward Gardner has more than 70 recordings in the Discogs online catalog. He suggested some to listen to including the “Dream of Gerontius” by Elgar, favorites by Tania Leon and Tippett’s “A Child of Our Time.”
Conducting opera is important for him with a Wagner Ring Cycle on the way in Norway and hope of more work at the Metropolitan Opera where he’s conducted five operas. ‘A Force to Be Reckoned With’ was the headline in the Hugh Morris May 2026 profile from the New York Times with a summary of his work on this American visit.
The Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 is her favorite but she knows them all. Yulianna Avdeeva brings the 2nd to Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony April 10th and 12th conducted by Rafael Payare. Yulianna Avdeeva spoke with Jim Cunningham about the special features of the Second Concerto. It is filled with tricky writing but born in Moscow, Yulianna Avdeeva has special love for the complex composer who returned to Russia with Stalin in charge after success in Paris and Chicago where he heard the premiere of the opera Love For Three Oranges.
Yulianna Avdeeva discusses her recording of “The Life of the Machines” by Wladislav Szpilman who was brought to life in Roman Polansky’s film “The Pianist” depicting the wartime world of Szpilman playing Chopin at the Warsaw Radio while the bombs fell. Was it realistic? Avdeeva knows members of Szpilman’s family. She has been in France to give a recital in Aix-en-Provence and she is off to Rafaael Payare’s Montreal Orchestra where she will work with guest conductor Simone Young. She has high praise for the Pittsburgh Symphony and remembers her live broadcast playing Prokofiev with Petr Popelka with special pleasure.
Rafael Payare has been a rising star for more than a decade having worked with Gustavo Dudamel, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim and Lorin Maazel on his way to the Music Director spot in Montreal and San Diego. In his dressing room with the portrait of former Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Lorin Maazel looking over his shoulder, he tells Jim Cunningham he loved playing the French Horn in the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, but his life is even richer with two daughters and wife Alisa Weilerstein who sometimes join him for concertos.
He has hired thirty new members of the San Diego Symphony at the Jacobs Center after a huge investment has now greatly improved acoustics with a Wall Street Journal headline ‘Splendid New Sound’ from opening night 2024. His father was a cartographer in Venezuela where Maestro Payare benefited greatly from the Il Sistema training which brought his ‘Brother” Dudamel to the front of the orchestra world. Jimmy Lopez’ “Peru Negro” has a premiere here in Pittsburgh and he’ll lead it in San Diego where Lopez is Composer-in-Residence along with Montreal. Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” never fails to provide a charge for the conductor who has been described as ‘electrifying’.
The Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, Daniele Rustioni, speaks with Jim Cunningham in the Guest Conductor’s Dressing Room at Heinz Hall about his program for March 27,28 and 29, with Yefim Bronfman playing the Schumann Concerto, Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and Samuel Barber’s School for Scandal Overture. Maestro Rustioni discusses his upcoming concerts, his work in Pittsburgh (including his visit to Carnegie Hall in December 2025 to hear the Orchestra play), and his operatic engagements in Europe.
Piano superstar Yefim Bronfman is a Mets fan. Yefim also loves making his coffee mostly at home in New York when he isn’t jetting around China, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston or wherever great music happens.
He spoke with Jim Cunningham in his dressing room at Heinz Hall after rehearsing the Schumann Concerto. He plays March 27-29 with Daniele Rustioni and the Pittsburgh Symphony. It’s their first time working together.
Yefim also talks about his love for the opera but gets to the Met only now and then with his full calendar. He admires Clara Schumann but has not yet played her music. He has met members of the extended Schumann family and Franz Schubert’s family was represented in a chance meeting in Los Angeles. Yefim plays the fierce Alfred Schnittke Concerto and music by Mathias Pintscher too but he is a master of the classics of Vienna and Central Europe. Is classical music growing or getting smaller? It is changing, he says while noting that Music Director Andris Nelsons of the Boston Symphony will be all right. It is a big loss to have his contract end after next season.
Pittsburgh is a favorite stop. He’s be back next season with Liszt and there is talk of adding one more concert next fall.