Pittsburgh Symphony Rocks Out With 'A Night of Symphonic Rock' Tonight

Heinz Hall will "rock 'n' roll" when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra presents "A Night of Symphonic Rock" tonight, July 25 at 8 p.m.

Pittsburgh Symphony Resident Conductor Lawrence Loh leads the orchestra and a full rock band in some of classic rock's biggest hits like "Hotel California," "More Than a Feeling" and "Barracuda" from legendary bands. Special guest vocalist John Elefante, former lead singer of supergroup Kansas, joins the orchestra performing songs like "Dust in the Wind" and "Carry on Wayward Son."

The house band from the School of Rock will perform in the Grand Lobby beginning at 7 p.m.

Tickets for A Night of Symphonic Rock with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra range in price from $35 to $99, and can be purchased by calling the Heinz Hall box office at 412-392-4900 or by visiting pittsburghsymphony.org/summer.

Those interested in attending more than one summer concert can craft their own series of concerts at a discounted rate. Buy tickets to two concerts and receive 10% off the ticket price; three concerts receive 20% off the ticket price; and four or more concerts receive 30% off the ticket price. These discounts are only available via phone or in person at the Heinz Hall box office. Pittsburgh Symphony subscribers can receive a 15% subscriber discount by calling their patron services representative (PSR).

Resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and music director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, Lawrence Loh is an engaging conductor of impressive range and talent. Beginning in the 2015-16 season, Loh will become the first music director of Symphoria, based in Syracuse N.Y., founded by former members of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra. As resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Loh works closely with Music Director Manfred Honeck and conducts a wide range of concerts including classical, educational and pops. He is active in the Pittsburgh Symphony's Community Engagement and Partnership Concerts, extending the symphony's reach into other communities. He made his debut on the main classical series conducting Handel's Messiah in December 2008. Loh led the enormously popular Fiddlesticks Family Concert Series where he played the part of host and conductor. In addition to his duties on the podium, he is an audience favorite in the Pittsburgh Symphony's Concert Preludes lecture series, edits radio broadcasts and makes many public appearances. His association with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra began as assistant conductor in 2005. He was promoted to associate conductor in 2006 and to resident conductor in 2007. Since his appointment as music director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic in 2005, the orchestra has made its mark as an ensemble of superb musicianship, performing electrifying performances year-round. Off the podium, Loh is very active in the region as an arts leader and music advocate, and is constantly in demand as a guest speaker and clinician. Loh's recent guest conducting engagements include the National Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC), Greater Bridgeport Symphony and return engagements with the Dallas and El Paso Symphonies. Other recent guest conducting appearances include the Malaysian Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony and the San Angelo Symphony. He has conducted the symphony orchestras of Portland, Cedar Rapids, Colorado Springs, East Texas, Fort Collins, Fort Worth, Lubbock, Plano, Shreveport, Sioux City, Spokane and Tallahassee among others. He has led Korea's Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, the Binghamton Philharmonic, the Yale Philharmonia, Omaha Area Youth Orchestra, Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Dallas Chamber Orchestra. His summer appearances include the festivals of Bravo Vail Valley, Breckenridge, Las Vegas and Hot Springs, the Kinhaven Music School (Vt.), the Performing Arts Institute (Pa.) and the Carnegie Mellon Summer Strings Camp. Loh held the positions of assistant and associate conductor of the Dallas Symphony from 2001 to 2005. He led the Dallas Symphony in a variety of classical subscription and educational programs throughout each season. He was brought to national attention in February 2004 when he stepped in to conduct on short notice for an ailing Charles Dutoit, conducting Stravinsky's Petrouchka and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. Prior to his Dallas appointment, Loh was appointed by Music Director Marin Alsop to be associate conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. From 1998 to 2001, he conducted more than 50 concerts annually, including classical subscription, pops, education, family and outreach programs. While in Denver, he was also music director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, the premiere youth orchestra in the Colorado Rocky Mountain Region. Additionally, Loh served as the interim director of Orchestras and Head of the Orchestral Conducting Program at Denver University's Lamont School of Music in 2000-2001. In May 1998, Loh received his artist diploma in orchestral conducting from Yale University, also earning the Eleazar de Carvalho Prize, given to the most outstanding conductor in the Yale graduating class. During his years at Yale, he was selected to be the assistant conductor of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and apprentice conductor of the Hot Springs Music Festival. He received further training at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival and School and has additional degrees from Indiana University and the University of Rochester. A dedicated teacher, Loh held the position of associate instructor in music theory at Indiana University and teaching assistant at Yale University in advanced hearing, conducting and orchestration. He was also the guest curator at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science for "What Makes Music?" an interactive exhibit, offering the opportunity to explore the science of music and sound, as well as the role of music in culture. Loh was born in southern California of Korean parentage and raised in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennifer have a son, Charlie, and a daughter, Hilary.

Producer Stephen Cook, president and CEO of TCG Entertainment, has 20 years of entertainment marketing experience. TCG works in the entertainment, performing arts, and symphony industry by providing top quality programming, booking, producing, marketing and publicity services. TCG Productions include Cirque Musica, Rewind - Celebrating the Music of the 80s, The Legends of Classic Rock, The King - The Music of Elvis and more. TCG clients include Kenny G, Le Ombre, the AT&T Performing Arts Center and the Saint Louis Symphony, among others. Prior to starting TCG, Cook held leadership positions at top entertainment companies including Universal Studios, Six Flags Over Texas, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Tussauds Group in Las Vegas and Feld Entertainment, Inc. Cook, a native of Lakeland, Florida, holds an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and an MBA from The University of Florida.

John Elefante is a Grammy Award-winning multi-faceted performer, writer and producer for more than 30 years. Elefante was the lead singer for the supergroup Kansas in the early 80s. Elefante co-wrote hits like "Right Away," "Fight Fire with Fire" and more. Elefante has produced more than 30 albums for multiple groups including Petra. His solo career has spanned for decades in both the Christian and rock music genre.

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. 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

Editors please note:

Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 p.m.

Heinz Hall

PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

A NIGHT OF SYMPHONIC ROCK WITH THE PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

LAWRENCE LOH, conductor

JOHN ELEFANTE, vocalist

CHRISTINE LA FOND, vocalist

JOEY FINGER, drums & vocalist

KEITH HUBACHER, bass & vocalist

MICHAEL JOHNSON, guitar & vocalist

TOM LIPPS, keyboard & vocalist

Selections to be announced from stage.