Carnegie Mellon University and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Reveal Four-Year Partnership

A new four-year partnership between Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Music and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will give CMU students direct, on-campus access to world-class musicians and conductors. 

The agreement also provides PSO Go Pass subscriptions for all music majors, and it creates for School of Music students a valuable connection with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

“None of this happens without leadership that believes in the value of these kinds of partnerships,” said Milton Laufer, professor and Jack G. Buncher Head of the School of Music. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to CMU President Farnam Jahanian and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Melia Tourangeau for their vision and commitment in making this agreement possible. This is the result of genuine institutional will on both sides, and our students are the direct beneficiaries.” 

This official partnership further solidifies Pittsburgh as a thriving hub for the arts and builds on a legacy of collaboration between the organizations. Leading members of the CMU community have come together to celebrate the region’s arts ecosystem, as exemplified by the university’s annual “Night at the Symphony” event. 

The performance brought together students, staff, faculty and alumni — many of whom made the event possible on and behind the stage — to celebrate the city's rich history of music. 

“One of Pittsburgh’s greatest strengths is the way our institutions come together to create opportunities and impact far beyond what any one of us could achieve alone,” said CMU President Farnam Jahanian.” At Carnegie Mellon, we believe deeply in the power of the arts to inspire and to elevate the human experience. Our partnership with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra leverages this power, creating new opportunities for students to learn from world-class musicians while shaping their artistry, their ambitions and their futures.” 

"Pittsburgh has long been defined by the strength of its institutions and the connections between them," said Pittsburgh Symphony President & CEO Melia Tourangeau. "This partnership reflects what's possible when two leading organizations come together with a shared commitment to education and artistry. By connecting CMU's students directly with the musicians and guest artists of the Pittsburgh Symphony, we are investing in the future of young artists and the cultural vitality of our city." 

To underscore this special relationship, the College of Fine Arts boasts 20 symphony members on its current faculty, who bring expertise from the Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Downtown Pittsburgh and abroad to Carnegie Mellon’s Oakland campus.  

“This agreement illuminates the place of CMU Music in the lively artistic web of our great city: like the PSO, we educate musicians; like the PSO, we take advantage of the interplay of generations to do so; like the PSO, we provide moments of beauty and transcendence to our community. We’ll both be stronger at a time when that transcendence is much needed,” said Mary Ellen Poole, Stanley and Marcia Gumberg Dean of the College of Fine Arts. 

In recent years, several orchestra members have engaged with music majors in the classroom. The Composer’s Forum, a weekly meeting of undergraduate composers, invites students to hear guest lectures, participate in discussions, and present student works and works-in-progress. PSO musicians often visit students during these events, providing them with professional-level feedback and insight in an educational setting. 

“When Pittsburgh Symphony musicians and guest artists appear in our performance spaces and up close in our classrooms, the line between student and professional begins to dissolve in productive ways,” Laufer said. “That benefits audiences, the orchestral field and the city.” 

Manfred Honeck, music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and one of the world’s leading conductors, will visit the School of Music once per season. Additionally, PSO associate conductors will rehearse and direct the CMU Philharmonic in two concerts per academic year. PSO guest soloists and conductors will visit campus five times per season for master classes, rehearsals, performances and career talks. 

The history of both institutions can be traced back to Andrew Carnegie himself, who funded the orchestra’s first trip from Pittsburgh to New York City. 

“This multiyear agreement formalizes what should always be true in a city like Pittsburgh: that its premier orchestra and the School of Music at its leading research university are active partners, not parallel institutions,” Laufer said.