CELTIC THUNDER to Perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, 12/9

International singing sensation Celtic Thunder will bring their North American Symphony Tour to Heinz Hall to perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on December 9 at 7:30 p.m.

This will be the first-ever symphony tour for Celtic Thunder who will be playing songs from their 2013 album "Christmas Voices" in a dynamic live orchestral setting. The performance will feature holiday favorites like "Away in a Manger," "O Holy Night," "Mary's Boy Child" and "Fairytale of New York." Celtic Thunder's four male soloists - Keith Harkin, Ryan Kelly, Neil Byrne and Colm Keegan - will also perform solo and ensemble numbers along with Celtic Thunder classic hits such as "Ireland's Call" and "Turning Away," and traditional Irish songs "Dulaman" and "My Land."

This tour marks the show's eighth tour in the United States since it was first launched in 2008.

Tickets, ranging in price from $35 to $120, are on sale now and can be purchased from the Heinz Hall box office at412-392-4900 or pittsburghsymphony.org.

Thrice hailed as Billboard's Top World Music Artist and Top World Imprint, Celtic Thunder has achieved sales of more than 2 million album copies to date. Celtic Thunder also continues to extensively tour the United States, Canada and Australia, performing to more than 700,000 fans over the past six years. Their mass appeal and devoted fan base continues to grow with impressive statistics to prove it. Celtic Thunder's official YouTube channel, "Thunder Tube," has seen more than 28 million upload views since the channel's inception in 2008. Celtic Thunder has performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama, at the Pentagon for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as on the CBS Saturday Show's "Second Cup Café", the "Today Show" and "Fox & Friends." For more about Celtic Thunder, visit celticthunder.com.

For more than 116 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been an essential part of Pittsburgh's cultural landscape. The Pittsburgh Symphony, known for its artistic excellence, 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. This tradition was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which has been touring both domestically and overseas since 1900, continues to be acclaimed as one of the world's greatest ensembles. It has made 40 international tours, including 20 in Europe, eight to the Far East, and two to South America. In January 2004, under the baton of Gilbert Levine, the Pittsburgh Symphony was the first American orchestra to perform at the Vatican for the late Pope John Paul II, as part of the Pontiff's Silver Jubilee celebration. Recordings and radio concerts are also an important part of the orchestra's tradition. As early as 1936, the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast coast-to-coast, receiving increased national attention in 1982 through network radio broadcasts on Public Radio International (PRI). The PRI series is produced by Classical WQED-FM 89.3 in Pittsburgh and is made possible by the musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. For more information, visit pittsburghsymphony.org.

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.