The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Presents the 2015-2016 Season of the FIDDLESTICKS FAMILY CONCERT SERIES PRESENTED BY MACY'S

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra proudly announced the 2015-2016 season of the fun-filled, family-friendly Fiddlesticks Family Concerts Presented by Macy's series.

Fiddlesticks, the Symphony's feline musical ambassador to children, celebrates the start of the 2015-2016 season on October 24 with "Sing!" This concert offers children the chance to explore the most versatile and exhilarating musical instrument, the human voice. Fiddlesticks and friends enjoy singing in all its many forms - from the razzle dazzle of Broadway to the drama of opera and everything in between! Fan favorites like "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music highlight this program along with selections from Annie and Mozart's The Magic Flute, among others.

The fun continues as Fiddlesticks returns to Heinz Hall for "Dance!" on February 6, 2016 This concert will make you twist, stomp and spin as dancers from the area's best dance programs join Fiddlesticks and the Pittsburgh Symphony on stage to move to music from Piazzola's Tango and Tchaikovsky's Waltz fromSleeping Beauty.

The season's final concert, "Play!," on April 9, 2016, is all about the fun that musical play can bring - whether you're playing an instrument, creating music or playing games on the playground. Join Fiddlesticks to listen to music by Pittsburgh native Henry Mancini and sing classics like Take Me out to the Ball Game - plus much more!

Katy Shackleton Williams will be featured in each Fiddlesticks concert as guest vocalist, leading the audience in Fiddlesticks' favorite song, "Music Can Make Your Life Complete."

Three-concert season packages go on sale April 13 and are $58.50 and $28.80. Packages can be purchased in person at the Heinz Hall box office, over the phone at 412-392-4900 or online at pittsburghsymphony.org. Single tickets for these concerts are $12 and $22.25 and go on sale later this summer.

All Fiddlesticks Family Concerts Presented by Macy's take place at Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts on Saturday mornings at 11:15 a.m. and are approximately 45 minutes in length. Ticketholders are encouraged to come to the hall at 10 a.m. for Discovery Time Adventures, where children experience music through different interactive displays and activities throughout Heinz Hall and have the chance to meet Pittsburgh Symphony musicians.

The Pittsburgh Symphony would like to recognize and thank Macy's for its presenting sponsorship of Fiddlesticks Family Concerts. PPG Industries Foundation and Clearview Federal Credit Union are presenting partners of Fiddlesticks Family Concerts. This series is endowed by Gerald and Audrey McGinnis, honoring the Center for Young Musicians. Pittsburgh Symphony Education & Community Engagement programs are also supported by the Allegheny Regional Asset District.

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