The Pittsburgh Symphony’s BNY Mellon Grand Classics subscription series returns on Jan. 14 under the baton of Lorenzo Viotti, principal conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dutch National Opera, making his Pittsburgh debut.

A native of Switzerland, the 31-year-old Viotti will conduct BNY Mellon Grand Classics 8, scheduled for 8 p.m. Jan. 14 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. The program will feature British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, along with the orchestra performing pieces by Verdi, Ravel and Richard Strauss.

PSO music director Manfred Honeck also will return to the podium in February for two concert weekends.

It’s all part of an upcoming schedule that promises new music and new faces, said Melia Tourangeau, PSO president and CEO.

Courtesy of Andrej Grilc British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor joins Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for BNY Mellon Grand Classics concerts on Jan. 14 and 16.  

“We’ll have exciting showpieces, premieres and commissions, music performed to live film with ‘Return of the Jedi,’ the long-awaited return to the stage of Fiddlesticks, and the songs and poetry of the Paul Simon songbook, each of which are sure to delight,” she said.

The Lift Every Voice concert, showcasing diverse, contemporary artists, also returns for a fourth installment, with title sponsorship from Duquesne Light Co.

Beginning at 8 p.m. Feb. 5, Lift Every Voice will feature the world premiere and PSO commission of “As I Please,” a multimedia work interweaving music, images and poetry by three female artists: Emmy Award-nominated composer Kathryn Bostic, filmmaker Njaimeh Njie and writer Jessica Lanay Moore. The work draws inspiration from two oral history projects of women from Pittsburgh’s Hill District.

Led by conductor Kellen Gray, the concert will feature co-hosts Kendra Ross and Garfield Lemonius, percussionist Joshua Jones and vocals by Jasiri X and the Lift Every Voice Unity Choir under the direction of Nicol Porter.

The BNY Mellon Grand Classics schedule also includes:

Beethoven – The Five Piano Concertos

With Rudolf Buchbinder, leader and piano, the concerts include Concertos No. 2, 4 and 3, 8 p.m. Jan. 21; Concertos No. 3 and 5, 8 p.m. Jan. 22; and Concertos No. 1 and 5, 8 p.m. Jan. 23.

Honeck Conducts ‘The Firebird’

Cellist Kian Soltani will debut with PSO in a program featuring the 1919 version of Igor Stravinsky’s “Suite From the Firebird,” along with the PSO premiere of Erwin Schulhof’s “Five Pieces,” at 8 p.m. Feb. 11-12 and 2 p.m. Feb. 13.

William Tell Overture

Honeck will conduct the familiar Overture to the Rossini opera, “William Tell,” at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20. The program includes the world premiere of the David Ludwig commission, Concerto for Two Clarinets and Two Bassoons, with the debuts of Ronald Samuels, clarinet, and Philip Pandolfi, bassoon.

Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto

Juanjo Mena conducts the orchestra and featured guitarist Pablo Sainz Villegas at 8 p.m. March 11 and 2:30 p.m. March 13 in Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra. The program also includes Claude Debussy’s “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.”

More music

Also upcoming are “Origin Stories,” a free program with conductor Moon Doh and hosts Mikael Owunna and Marques Redd, 7 p.m. Jan. 25; “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert,” with conductor Jacob Joyce, 7 p.m. Feb. 25-26; and “PNC Pops 3: Paul Simon Songbook,” with conductor Byron Stripling and vocalists Paul Loren, Emily Drennan and Daniel Berryman, 8 p.m. March 4-5 and 2:30 p.m. March 6.

Young music lovers are invited to join PSO’s musical ambassador Fiddlesticks for “Making Music Together” at 11:15 a.m. Feb. 26 for a program of singing, dancing and sharing with the orchestra and vocalist Katy Williams.

Online Schooltime educational programming for students includes “Origin Stories,” with Owunna and conductor Daniel Meyer, created for grades 9-12 and available to educators Jan. 25-June 30; and “What Makes Jazz?,” with conductor Stripling, created for grades 4-8 and available March 15-June 30, with Heinz Hall concerts March 16-17.

Educators must register to use these online resources.

“The Pittsburgh Symphony’s Schooltime concerts are curated music experiences, free to educators, that introduce students to the orchestra and nurture a love of music,” said Suzanne Perrino, PSO senior vice president of learning and community engagement. “Our commitment to providing virtual options throughout the 2021-2022 school year continues with our new ‘Origin Stories’ concert video that premieres on Jan. 25. This video combines a concert (led by Daniel Meyers), behind-the-scenes footage, and cross-curricular resources, all of which make for an educational and engaging music experience.“

For tickets and more information, call 412-392-4900 or visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

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