The PSO and Maestro Manfred Honeck to Perform with The Tallis Scholars in BNY Mellon Grand Classics Concert, 12/6-12/8

PITTSBURGH-On Dec. 6-8, Music Director Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will share the Heinz Hall stage with the Tallis Scholars, one of the world's leading Renaissance vocal music ensembles, in a unique BNY Mellon Grand Classics concert.

The Tallis Scholars, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, present an a cappella program in the first half, including Allegri's famous Miserere and several pieces by Tomás Luis de Victoria. The a cappella portion of the program highlights the Renaissance inspirations found in the music of Bruckner, which the Pittsburgh Symphony will perform during the second half of the program. Bruckner's "Romantic" symphony spins a tale of a medieval castle, knights on horseback, the beauty of nature and a hunt.

The concerts will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets, ranging from $25.75 to $109.75, can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900, or by visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

Each BNY Mellon Grand Classics concert is part of the Explore & Engage program, which includes pre-concert talks, exhibits, display boards and interactive activities that illuminate the music, composers and the time in which they created. This weekend, Pittsburgh Symphony Assistant Conductor Fawzi Haimor will conduct a pre-concert talk one hour before each performance.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank BNY Mellon for its 2013-2014 title sponsorship of BNY Mellon Grand Classics. Fairmont Pittsburgh is the official hotel of the Pittsburgh Symphony. Delta Air Lines is the official airline of the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Manfred Honeck was appointed the ninth music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in January 2007, and began his tenure at the start of the 2008-2009 season. After a first extension in 2009, his contract was extended for the second time in February 2012, now through the 2019-2020 season. Honeck was born in Austria and studied music at the Academy of Music in Vienna. An accomplished violinist and violist, he spent more than 10 years as a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. He began his career as conductor of Vienna's Jeunesse Orchestra, which he co-founded, and as assistant to Claudio Abbado at the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Vienna. In 2010, Honeck was awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. Apart from his numerous tasks as conductor, he has been artistic director of the "International Concerts Wolfegg" in Germany for more than 15 years. Honeck served as principal guest conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra from 2008 to 2011, a position he resumed for another three years at the beginning of the 2013-2014 season. As a guest conductor, Honeck has worked with major orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Staatskapelle Dresden, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic and in the United States with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The Tallis Scholars were founded in 1973 by their director, Peter Phillips. Through their recordings and concert performances, they have established themselves as the leading exponents of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world. The Tallis Scholars perform in both sacred and secular venues, usually giving around 70 concerts each year across the globe. In 2013, the group celebrates its 40th anniversary with two commissions from Gabriel Jackson and Eric Whitacre, extensive touring and special CD releases. They kicked off their anniversary year with a celebratory concert at St Paul's Cathedral and continue with tours to the USA, Japan, Australia and will make their debut in New Zealand-as well as visiting festivals and venues across the UK and Europe giving almost 100 concerts through the year. The Tallis Scholars' career highlights have included a tour of China in 1999 and the privilege of performing in the Sistine Chapel in April 1994 to mark the final stage of the complete restoration of the Michelangelo frescoes. The Tallis Scholars are broadcast regularly on radio (including performances from the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 2007, 2008 and 2011) and have also been featured on the acclaimed ITV program "The Southbank Show."