Voice of the Arts

This Sunday, September 20th marks the beginning of Academy Concerts' Opus: Impact season. Vocalist Sydney Kaczorowski, PSO cellist Adam Liu, and pianist Fabio Gentilli speak with Anna Singer about the program.

Mozart's Sonata for Piano and Violin in G major, K. 301 opens the concert, followed by Brahms's Sonata for Piano and Cello in F major, Op. 99 and Beethoven's Piano Trio in C minor Op. 1, No. 3. Adam talks about the intimacy of...

City Theatre opens its 35th anniversary season this weekend with In Clay. Director Kimberly Senior and City Theatre Artistic Director Clare Drobot speak with Anna Singer about the production.

In Clay is a "pandemic play," a solo musical written by Rebecca Simmonds and Jack Miles that unearths the overlooked artistry of ceramic artist Marie-Berthe Cazin. Clare describes seeing In Clay in Washington, D.C., where Kimberly also directed...

Chamber Music Pittsburgh returns for their 2026-2027 season, Revolutions: A Radical Returning! Executive Director Martha Bonta speaks with Jim Cunningham about the season's theme and stellar lineup.

This season takes inspiration from Ludwig van Beethoven, himself a revolutionary composer. Two centuries after Beethoven's death, this theme is an exploration of the radical, imaginative, and unique voices in chamber music across four ce...

Duquesne University's Music on the Bluff series returns for its 2026-2027 season, which features the music of Johannes Brahms. Dean of Music and Artistic Director of the series, David Allen Wehr, joined Anna Singer live on the QED Morning Show to talk about the season.

Brahms on the Bluff includes four concerts over the academic year, opening this Sunday, September 13th. The first concert features the Hungarian Dances and Waltzes, a...

The Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall have teamed up with Cello Fury for the next concert in Carnegie Carnegie's inaugural family series! Music Hall Director Heidi Matthews and Cello Fury members Nicole Meyers and Simon Cummings speak with Jim Cunningham about the concert.

Cello Fury's program, “Melodies, Moods and Movies,” takes students on a journey from the silent film era to today’s mov...

Tuesday Musical Club begins its 2026-2027 season with a concert by pianist Vanessa Schmithorst. Vanessa and Tuesday Musical Club's concert organizer, Catherine Crotty, speak with Anna Singer about the program.

Vanessa Schmithorst began studying piano at age 4, which, together with science, became a lifelong passion. For her recital, she'll play music by Bach-Busoni, Schubert, Liszt, and Chopin. Vanessa shares what she loves about ea...

Albert Manders, composer, flutist, concert organizer, and supporter of WQED, recently visited Pittsburgh from his home in Amsterdam. He stopped by the studio to chat with Jim Cunningham about the Pittsburgh Symphony's stop in his city on their 2026 European tour.

Albert, who grew up in Pittsburgh, moved to Amsterdam 20 years ago to foster his career as a musician. He will attend the PSO's performance in Amsterdam on September 7th. ...

The Washington Symphony Orchestra and Washington Festival Chorale are joining forces for a 9/11 remembrance concert on September 12th. WSO Music Director Yugo Ikach and WFC Artistic Director Mitchell Stenker spoke with Jim Cunningham about the event.

This year marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks. The concert highlights Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest, a modern version of the traditional Requiem. Barber's Adagio for ...

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks returns next weekend, September 4th, with The Merry Wives of Windsor! Founder Jennifer Tober, director Cat Aceto, and Jo Getting (Falstaff) spoke with Anna Singer live on the QED Afternoon Show about the show.

It's Merry Wives with a twist---set in the 1980s, Cat's adaptation channels the spirit of self-expression, desire, and getting what you want. The play includes MTV references, timely fashio...

Rishi Sethi, resident filmmaker at the Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center in Sewickley, joined Anna Singer live on the QED Afternoon Show to talk about upcoming Emerging Filmmakers Showcases and the Lindsay's 2026 Documentary Series.

On September 3rd,  Fedeltà. Soldier. Prisoner. Bloomfield-raised director Steve Mancini focuses on Italian soldiers captured during World War II who ended up at a POW facility outside of Chambers...

The Pittsburgh New Works Festival kicks off this weekend at Duquesne University's Genesius Theater! Colleen Hammond, who will direct a show during the festival's second weekend, speaks with Melissa Black about her production, Ruth is Dead.

The New Works Festival is an annual event that fosters the creation of original one-act plays produced by local theater companies. Colleen is working with the Heritage Players for Ruth is Dead, w...

In her third album, María Dueñas conveys a heartfelt tribute to Jascha Heifetz, one of the greatest violinists of all time. She speaks with Anna Singer about Homage to Heifetz, releasing August 28th.

María remembers listening to Heifetz and other great violinists while growing up taking inspiration from him as a player. She explains working with Gustavo Dudamel for this album, which features Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, Korngold's V...

Cameron Gunsbury-Massey has been announced as the new Executive Director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh! He and the choir's conductor, Daniel Singer, speak with Jim Cunningham about the appointment and MCP's upcoming season.

Cameron began his musical journey as a child in Croatia and studied flute performance at the University of Texas. He most recently served as the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Youth Philharmonic O...

New music ensemble NAT 28 will perform Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians at CMU's Kresge Theater on August 22nd! Jim Cunningham speaks with Music Director/pianist Brian Gilling and conductor Daniel Nesta Curtis about the concert and their recent recording of Nancy Galbraith's Piano Concerto No. 4.

Brian and Daniel will both play piano in the Reich piece, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. They talk about the diffic...