The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Presents IGUDESMAN AND JOO: SCARY CONCERT AT HEINZ HALL, 10/31

Comedic classical musicians Igudesman & Joo return to Heinz Hall with their hilarious Scary Concert on Saturday, October 31.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will join the duo for a conductor-less performance featuring the pair's whirlwind brand of humor and virtuosity. Concertgoers are sure to enjoy Igudesman & Joo's unique spin on classics like Danse Macabre and Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, as well as their own compositions. In celebration of Halloween, the audience - as well as the orchestra's musicians - are invited to wear costumes.

Tickets, which range in price from $25.75 to $65.75, go on sale May 21. Tickets can be purchased at the Heinz Hall Box Office, online at pittsburghsymphony.orgor by phone at 412-392-4900.

More than 35 million YouTube views have turned the virtuosity and inspired lunacy of musicians Igudesman & Joo into a global hit show. Think Mozart hijacked by Monty Python, Bach meets the Simpsons, and you have some idea of the mayhem created at the highest level of musicianship on worldwide stages by violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-ki Joo, two classically-trained artists who bring an uproarious, sidesplitting approach to the concert performance.The New York Times said of the duo's recent debut with the New York Philharmonic, "Their blend of classical music and comedy, laced with pop culture references and a wholly novel take on the word slapstick, is fueled by genuine, dazzling virtuosity." Igudesman & Joo believe that classical music should be fun and accessible to a wider and younger audience. Their performances offer a universal mix of intellectual humor and physical comedy, inside jokes for aficionados and timeless humor for everyone. Musical boundaries evaporate as the comedy escalates. And the audience is in hysterics. Their fans around the world reflect their success - sell-out crowds of all ages and backgrounds, many new to concert halls. Much more can be said, but as The Los Angeles Times reported,"Describ­ing the Igudes­man & Joo humor in detail would be to deflate its bril­liance."

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 119 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. 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.

Photo Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Symphony