Pittsburgh 2008 Official Visitors Guide - (Page 12) What’s Out There Culture Shock GO! In case you think you’ve got to go to New York City, Washington, D.C. or Chicago for some serious arts and culture, think again. Pittsburgh is on the map when it comes to its long-standing passion for the arts. (Did you know that Pittsburgh was voted the No. 1 mid-sized city for the arts?) Choose from performances by the world-renowned Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Symphony Pops, Pittsburgh CLO, PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh Dance Council round out the cultural offerings with more great offerings. Downtown Cultural District Venues: Heinz Hall has a long, rich and interesting history. The structure evolved from its origin in 1927 as the Loew’s Penn Theater to its renovation and dedication as Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in 1971 – a gift to the Pittsburgh Symphony Society from the Howard Heinz Endowment “to encourage, foster and perpetuate the performing arts in the Greater Pittsburgh area.” With its international reputation for grandeur and excellence as a concert hall and showplace, the 2,661-seat Heinz Hall is home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). The Hall hosts hundreds of performances by the PSO, Broadway and other guests each year. Regarded as one of the finest symphony orchestras in the world, the PSO has an illustrious succession of conductors, including Andre Previn and Lorin Maazel. Today, more than a half-million patrons attend events at Heinz Hall. A $43 million restoration faithfully restored the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts to look as it did when it opened as the Stanley Theater in 1928. Because strict restoration standards were followed, the building is registered with the National Register of Historic Places. Performances at the Benedum range from comedian Lewis Black to Avenue Q and is home to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh CLO, Pittsburgh Dance Council and many performances of PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh. 1-877-LOVE PGH 12
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.