Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Plans Tributes to Prince, the Beatles, and More, 10/22

Today, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced its first four pops specials for the 2016-2017 season. They include tributes to Prince, the Beatles and Neil Diamond, and the return of Pittsburgh favorite Celtic Woman.

These one-night-only concert experiences feature the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and world-renowned guest artists performing a variety of musical styles and genres. All concerts are at Heinz Hall.

· Classical Mystery Tour: Sgt. Pepper's 50th Anniversary - Saturday, October 22, 8 p.m.

A tribute to the Beatles, backed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. This concert offers Beatles fans an opportunity that they may have never had - to experience the classic songs of John, Paul, George and Ringo live! The first half of the concert will feature the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album performed in its entirety and the second half will showcase the Beatles' greatest hits.

· Celtic Woman Holiday Show - Monday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.

This popular holiday music concert returns! Celebrate the season with the celestial voices of multi-platinum Irish singing sensation Celtic Woman together with the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

· Windborne's Music of Prince - Friday, December 16, 8 p.m.

Known for stretching the boundaries of music and seamlessly tying together multiple genres of pop, funk, R&B, folk-rock, hip-hop, jazz, soul, new wave and psychedelic, Prince Rogers Nelson died unexpectedly this past April. The Pittsburgh Symphony is joined by guest conductor Brent Havens and a live band in a symphonic tribute to this beloved and much-missed musical and pop culture icon, performing hits like "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry," "Little Red Corvette," "Kiss" and more!

· Super Diamond: The Neil Diamond Tribute - Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 8 p.m.

Led by Assistant Conductor Andrés Franco, this concert features Super Diamond, the premiere Neil Diamond tribute band who has performed on "The Late Show with David Letterman," CNN, VH1 and more. This high-octane performance features the hits made famous by "the Man" himself, including "Cracklin' Rosie," "Sweet Caroline" and more.

Additional orchestra specials will be announced throughout the season as they are scheduled.

All orchestra specials are at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. Tickets for these concerts go on sale August 19 at 9 a.m. To purchase tickets, visit the Heinz Hall Box Office, call 412-392-4900 or visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

Customized sponsorships with benefits and client entertainment opportunities are available for these events. Contact Al Jacobsen in the Pittsburgh Symphony Development Department at 412-392-2207 or ajacobsen@pittsburghsymphony.org for more information.

The PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, known for its artistic excellence for more than 120 years, is credited with a rich history of the world's finest conductors and musicians, and a strong commitment to the Pittsburgh region and its citizens. Past music directors have included Fritz Reiner (1938-1948), William Steinberg (1952-1976), Andre Previn (1976-1984), Lorin Maazel (1984-1996) and Mariss Jansons (1995-2004). This tradition of outstanding international music directors was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony. The orchestra has been at the forefront of championing new American works, and gave the first performance of Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 "Jeremiah" in 1944 and John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine in 1986. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. Its "Pittsburgh Live!" series with Reference Recordings has resulted in back-to-back Grammy Awards in 2015 and 2016. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast on the airwaves coast-to-coast and in the late 1970s it made the ground breaking PBS series "Previn and the Pittsburgh." The orchestra has received increased national attention since 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International, produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3, made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900 - including international tours to Europe, the Far East and South America-the Pittsburgh Symphony continues to be critically acclaimed as one of the world's greatest orchestras.

HEINZ HALL FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS is owned and operated by Pittsburgh Symphony, Inc., a non-profit organization, and is the year-round home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The cornerstone of Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Heinz Hall hosts many events that do not feature its world-renowned Orchestra including Broadway shows, popular touring artists, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visitheinzhall.org.