Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch returns to Mellon Park this summer! The City of Pittsburgh’s Special Events Coordinator Melissa Culbertson speaks with Bryan Sejvar about the lineup.
East Winds Symphonic Band kicks off the series on June 21st, followed by River City Brass, TRYPO, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and Academy Concerts. Melissa explains the selection process for performers, bringing young musicians to the series, and the various brunch activities. All programs are free, with free parking available near the park.
Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch concerts take place every Sunday from 10:30am-12:00pm. The series takes a week off on July 5th to celebrate the July 4th holiday. Performance details and more information is available on the city’s website.
Renaissance City Winds hosts an America 250 concert this weekend! Bassoonist and composer R. James Whipple and organist Mark Brampton Smith speak with Jim Cunningham about the program.
The concert features a touring program, which includes John Knowles Paine’s “variations on Star-Spangled Banner,” Joseph Haydn’s “St. Anthony Chorale”, and a piece by Jim Whipple called “Wedding Music for Kensington.” Mark and Jim talks about the venue’s rebuilt pipe organ and their respective careers.
Jim, Mark, and Jim also listen to recordings made by Renaissance City Winds: “The Vale of Dreams” and “The Night Winds” from Charles Tomlinson Griffes’ Three Tone-Pictures, and “Co-motion,” the third movement of Maria Thompson Corley’s Sextet in C’s.
The concert will take place at St. Anthony Church in Troy Hill on Friday, June 12 at 7:30pm. Tickets are a $20 suggested donation. More information is available on Renaissance City Winds’ website.
The Mariposas Galácticas is an 8-piece Cumbia Klezmer Punk band from Philadelphia, PA. Combining band members’ South American and Jewish ancestries, the band creates a unique diasporic sound that gets audiences everywhere dancing with rebellious joy. By honoring their Indigenous Andean musical roots, blended together with punkified ancient Jewish melodies, the band plays a mixture of original and classic tunes that span different languages, cultures, and genres.
The band plays the Three Rivers Arts Festival on Saturday June 13th at 4pm on the Arts Landing Dollar Bank Stage. WQED-FM’s Melissa Black spoke to members Maria Paz Ordoñez (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Gary Galapagos (lead electric guitar), and Ariel Goodman (clarinet, vocals) about the groups musical identity; where the band started; and what Pittsburghers can expect from their show.
Thousand Bridges Opera returns to the Margaret Partee Performing Arts Center for their 2026 Pride Month performance! Anna Singer spoke live on the QED Afternoon Show with co-founders Alicia Jayourba and Bridget Johnston, and cast members Denver Perdomo, Zachary Dean Smith, and Brienne Sharo.
On the bill are the world premiere of Jodi Goble’s Sirens vs Amazons, a sapphic rom-com, and a genderqueer English adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s Isle of Tulipatan. Bri, Zach, and Denver tell the story of Tulipatan, and talk about their characters. Bridget did a new translation for this adaptation, and Alicia directs. Bridget directs Sirens.
Join Thousand Bridges Opera for “delightfully queer” performances this weekend, Friday, June 12th and Saturday, June 13th. They’ll be at the Margaret Partee Performing Arts Center in Bellevue at 7:30pm both evenings. More information and tickets can be found on Thousand Bridges’ website.
The Sacred Nine Project will be at The Woods House in Hazelwood tomorrow evening with a program titled Foster’s Foils. Anna Singer speaks with creator C. Leonard Rayban and tenor Robert Frankenberry about the event.
This program celebrates Stephen Foster’s 200th birthday and serves as a commemoration of his work, while condemning his personal choices. “Nelly Bly” (Nellie Brown) appears in the program, which includes spirituals, abolitionist contemporary music, and original compositions. Leo and Rob will perform in a vocal quartet with collaborative pianist Ellen Fast, and featuring Regina YC Garcia as Nelly Bly. Regina will also read some of her own poems.
Leo and Rob also recorded a mash-up Foster’s piece, “Where is Thy Spirit Mary,” which has strong connections with the Woods House, and Vincenzo Bellini’s “Vaga luna, che inargenti.”
Foster’s Foils takes place tomorrow, June 9th, at the Woods House in Hazelwood. Doors open at 6:00pm, followed by a dinner and book discussion with author Christopher Lynch, and the performance. The evening is sold out. More information is available at Sacred Nine Project’s website.
This summer, WQED celebrates Rick Sebak’s 50 years in public television! Rick hopped over to the WQED-FM studio to chat with Anna Singer live on the QED Afternoon Show about his illustrious career.
Rick started out in public broadcasting as a summer intern at South Carolina Educational Television in 1973. He worked on a children’s program there hosted by Josie Carey, called “WHEEE.” Rick also shares some of his memorable WQED programs and extends thanks to all of the crew members he’s worked with over the years.
Every Thursday night this summer at 9:00pm, WQED will broadcast two hours of Rick Sebak specials! The first program, on June 11th, includes Rick’s Kennywood Memories, That Kennywood Year, and Don’t Stand Up. Summer of Sebak programs will re-air on Saturdays at 1:00pm, and you can stream all of Rick’s material on WQED+.
Joe Negri loved Pittsburgh, and touched the lives of so many Pittsburghers. This week, WQED Executive Producer Minette Seate and WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham spoke with friends of Joe who worked with him on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, as a performing musician, and as an educator.
Bill Isler, who served as President and CEO of Fred Rogers Productions in the 1980s, tells Minette about working with Joe on Mister Rogers, his kindness and love for sharing music with others. Jim speaks with Margy Whitmer, the producer of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, who was in the studio with Joe, Fred, and the whole neighborhood, about her favorite memories with Joe.
Marty Ashby, Executive Producer at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, remembers the first time he heard Joe play. He says Joe was always genuine; whether he was performing at Heinz Hall or at a preschool, he always found joy in entertaining people. And Tom Roberts, among many things a pianist, worked with Joe on multiple projects, and praised his ability to bring out the inner child in each of us. He shares with Minette a recording of a solo Joe did with Shep Fields’ reed band on the tune “Sheik of Araby.”
WQED will air a special tribute to Joe tonight, 6/4 at 9:00pm, titled Joe Negri: A Homemade Musician. The film follows his rise from a young music lover to jazz innovator, guitar educator, and Fred Rogers regular.
The Pittsburgh Concert Society presents pianist Leslie Amper for their season finale Alumni Concert this Sunday at 2:00pm. Leslie speaks with Jim Cunningham about her program, a multimedia performance that will feature Schumann’s Kreisleriana.
Interspersed between Kreisleriana’s eight movements will be spoken excerpts from letters between Robert and Clara Schumann, revealing their dreams, struggles and their intense love of music and for each other. Leslie will also accompany a short film, Stolen Heart (Das Gestohlene Herz, 1934), an animation by Lotte Reiniger, with children’s music by Robert Schumman.
Leslie Amper will be at Carnegie Mellon University’s Kresge Theater on Sunday, May 7th at 2:00pm. More information and tickets are available on the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s website.
Mandolin virtuoso Carlo Aonzo comes to Third Presbyterian Church in Shadyside this Thursday for the season finale of Music at Third! Music Director Lenny Young visited the WQED studio to speak with Anna Singer live on the QED Afternoon Show about the program.
Aonzo, sometimes referred to as the “ambassador of the mandolin,” is a globally renowned performer and educator from Savona, Italy. He will play music from the golden age of mandolin music, at the turn of the twentieth century, as well as an original composition and more. Lenny shares with Anna what he loves about Aonzo’s playing and the excellence of the mandolin outside of folk settings. This marks the first concert in the Music at Third series which platforms an international musician.
Lenny and Anna also listen to a recording of Aonzo playing Raffaele Calace’s Preludio No. 10, Op. 112, from his 2025 CD, The Timeless Voice of the Mandolin.
Carlo Aonzo will be at Third Presbyterian Church at 7:30pm this Thursday, June 4th. Admission is by free-will donation. More information is available on Third Presbyterian’s website.
Squonk will premiere their new show, Joy Machine, this weekend at the Three Rivers Arts Festival! Co-founder and Artistic Executive Director Jackie Dempsey speaks with Melissa Black about the production.
Squonk have been putting on interactive multimedia performances for over 30 years, and Joy Machine calls for the most audience participation yet. Participants will be able to express their musical talent on the drum wall, help build Joy Machine’s giant puppet, and take flight during the performance’s finale.
Jackie takes Melissa through this project’s life, from conception and music composition to rehearsals. Following the festival, Joy Machine will go on tour, making stops in Beaver, Greensburg, and Oakland before visiting other states.
Don’t miss Squonk at the Three Rivers Arts Festival! There are five chances to catch the performance: Friday, June 5th at 7:00pm; Saturday, June 6th at 1:00pm & 5:00pm; and Sunday, June 7th at 1:00pm & 5:00pm. More information is available on the Cultural Trust’s website.
It’s been a sad few days in the neighborhood since we heard of the passing of our dear friend Joe Negri this past Saturday, just a few days shy of his 100th birthday. To remember and honor his legacy as a jazz guitarist and lifelong music educator, WQED-FM would like to share excerpts from two interviews with Joe, celebrating career achievements and sharing fond memories of his time on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Also included is an interview with Michael Feinstein, who recorded a CD with Joe and spoke very highly of him.
April 2013: Jim Cunningham spoke with Joe ahead of a tribute concert honoring him at Duquesne University. Joe shared with Jim his start as a studio musician, and how the character “Handyman Negri” made his appearance on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He also recounted playing with the bandleader Shep Fields, and recording with Leo Strini and the Pittsburgh Pops Orchestra.
August 2018: Joe received a proclamation from then-mayor Bill Peduto declaring July 21st, 2018 “Guitar Day with Joe Negri.” He sat down with Jim Cunningham to talk about his years at Duquesne and his performing career. He remembered notable Mister Rogers’ musical guests, including Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, and Wynton Marsalis. Joe also named his musical heroes.
June 2011: Michael Feinstein spoke with Jim Cunningham ahead of his concert, “The Sinatra Project,” with the PSO Pops. Joe was featured on Feinstein’s CD Fly Me to the Moon, and performed selections from the album at the concert. Feinstein praised Joe’s dexterity, youthful energy, and musical prowess.
To our beloved friend, thank you for sharing your love of music with us, all of southwestern Pennsylvania, and the rest of the world.
City Theatre’s current production, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, has been extended through June 14th! Treasure Treasure, who plays Hedwig, stopped by WQED to chat with Anna Singer about the show.
Treasure tells Anna about the challenging rehearsal process and warm reception from audiences. She details bringing Hedwig to life, both in Treasure’s portrayal of the character, and the show’s set design and Pittsburgh references. Hedwig is an experience like no other, and Treasure encourages viewers to take in that energy. After the production, Treasure looks forward to taking the summer off to camp with friends along the GAP Trail.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is now showing at the Greer Cabaret Theater through June 14th. Performance details and tickets are available on City Theatre’s website.