The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra to Receive an NEA Art Works Grant

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced this month that the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is one of 919 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant.

The Pittsburgh Symphony is recommended for a $20,000 grant to support commission and performance of new orchestral works. This grant will support the premieres of two previously commissioned works, one by Jake Heggie for principal cello Anne Martindale Williams, "The Work at Hand: Symphonic Songs for Cello & Mezzo-Soprano," and one by Alan Fletcher for principal oboe Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida, "Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra." American composer Mason Bates also is featured this season as Composer of the Year, performing three of his pieces: two Pittsburgh Symphony premieres and one previous commission. During his residence, Bates will host a reading session at Heinz Hall and invite scores from music schools throughout Pennsylvania. The selected young composers will work with the orchestra librarians and have their pieces read by the Pittsburgh Symphony.

NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, "I'm pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives."

"We are very pleased that the National Endowment for the Arts continues to recognize the importance of commissioning and performing new classical works and the Pittsburgh Symphony's key role in advancing those goals," said James Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. "Being able to provide access to, and education about new works, for audiences of all ages is something we take great pride in here."

Art Works grants support the creation of art, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of $26.6 million. For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov. Follow the conversation about this and other NEA?funded projects on Twitter at #NEAFall2014.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, known for its artistic excellence for more than 117 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.

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