Pittsburgh Symphony Performs POKEMON: SYMPHONIC EVOLUTIONS Tonight

PITTSBURGH - Fans and newcomers to the Pokémon phenomenon will want to catch every moment of Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions at Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony tonight, January 17 at 8 p.m.

After selling millions of video games since its debut in 1996, Pokémon continues to provide memorable entertainment around the world. This one-night-only performance gives loyal fans and newcomers the chance to experience the evolution of the franchise through all-new orchestral arrangements from recent and classic Pokémon video games including:

· Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue

· Pokémon Yellow

· Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver

· Pokémon Crystal

· Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire

· Pokémon Emerald

· Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl

· Pokémon Platinum

· Pokémon Black and Pokémon White

· Pokémon X and Pokémon Y

The Pittsburgh Symphony and guest conductor Susie Benchasil Seiter will transport audiences through the franchise's most memorable moments with a powerful musical retrospective accompanied by exciting visuals on a giant screen.

Doors open at 7 p.m. and attendees are invited to mingle with other players in the Grand Lobby prior to the show start.

Tickets are on sale now and range in price from $34 to $96. Tickets can be purchased at the Heinz Hall box office, online at pittsburghsymphony.org or via phone at 412-392-4900.

This production is produced by Princeton Entertainment.

Susie Benchasil Seiter is a prolific conductor and orchestrator in film, television and video games. She hails from Baltimore where her early interests in choir and piano gave roots to her now thriving career in the music industry. Seiter received rigorous training at University of Southern California's prestigious Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program. Seiter began her career assisting Hollywood composers and working at Disney's department of music preparation. She is best known for orchestrating the wildly popular concert tour "The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses," which has been performed more than 90 times by some of the world's most respected orchestras. In 2013, Seiter worked alongside her husband, composer Chad Seiter, conducting and orchestrating his music to one of history's most popular franchises: "Star Trek: The Video Game." She followed that up with orchestration of another popular franchise and childhood favorite "Smurfs 2." Most recently, Seiter orchestrated Fox Studio's animation "The Book of Life," and is currently conducting the brand new concert tour, Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 117 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. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a long and illustrious history in the areas of recordings and radio concerts. 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 36 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 also hosts many other events that do not feature its world-renowned orchestra, including Broadway shows, comedians, speakers and much more. For a full calendar of upcoming non-symphony events at the hall, visit heinzhall.org.