Voice of the Arts

Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Shannon Crowley is one of only six Grand Finals winners of the Metropolitan Opera's Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition! She sat down with QED's Anna Singer to talk about the competition process and her finals experience, which took place on Sunday, March 22nd.

Shannon explains how she entered the competition, progressing from qualifying to Districts (which were held in Pittsburgh), Regionals, an...

Kathleen Dean, Director of Administration and Governance at Washington National Opera, sat down with QED's Jim Cunningham to talk about the WNO's split from the Kennedy Center, their current season, financing opera, and more.

The company is currently showing a hit production of The Crucible, which received high praise from the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. It is the first show they've produced in a new venue since leaving the ...

The Juilliard Quartet returns to Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland on March 30th at 7:30pm! All four members joined QED's Jim Cunningham via Zoom to talk about the concert, presented by Chamber Music Pittsburgh.

The current members of the Juilliard String Quartet are violinists Areta Zhulla and Leonard Fu, violist Molly Carr, and cellist Astrid Schween. They were the first ensemble presented by Chamber Music Pittsburgh in its inaugura...

Pittsburgh contemporary ensemble, the IonSound Project, have an upcoming concert titled "Respite and Reflection" at St. Vincent's Basilica crypt. Cellist Elisa Kohanski and clarinetist Kathleen Costello spoke with QED's Jim Cunningham about the concert.

Included on the program for "Respite and Reflection" are Robert Muczynski, Jessie Montgomery, Mark Abel, Connor Chee, and James MacMillan. Elisa and Kathleen will play a few duos by...

The Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Mellon University School of Art's MFA program continue their collaboration to present the class of 2026's thesis exhibition at the Warhol. Katie Briski, Associate Registrar of Exhibitions and Loans at the Warhol, and CMU School of Art's Elizabeth Chodos talked with QED's Anna singer about the exhibition.

Elizabeth introduces the artists. They include Naomi Chambers, a mixed-media artist who hails...

Music for Food returns with Romantic Masterpieces, featuring the music of the Mendelssohn siblings. Pianist Nanette Kaplan Solomon, cellist Paula Tuttle, and violinist Alison Fujito spoke with QED's Jim Cunningham about the program.

Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in D minor will serve as the cornerstone of the concert. Nanette recounts the relationship between Fanny and Felix, including Fanny's pursuit of music against the expectat...

Alaine Fink, pianist and Minister of Music at First Presbyterian Church downtown, is starting a new concert series called First with Friends! She spoke with Jim Cunningham about the creation of the series.

First with Friends will take place on Tuesdays at 12:00pm at the church. Alaine explains the motivation for the series, focusing on revitalizing Pittsburgh's downtown area. She encourages residents and professionals to attend, an...

Chatham Baroque celebrate Bach's birthday next weekend with "Bach's Sublime Chamber Music," featuring mostly Bach but also his contemporaries Telemann and Sylvius Leopold Weiss. QED's Anna Singer spoke with Chatham Baroque members Scott Pauley and Patricia Halverson live on the QED Afternoon Show about the program.

Scott and Patty walk Anna through the pieces, which include sonatas for the full group and breakaway pieces for smalle...

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust presents "Betsy and Joe Seamans: Abide in This Place for a While" on Saturday Mach 21st at 7pm in the Harris Theater. Betsy and Joe began their careers at WQED where Joe filmed award-winning documentaries for National Geographic and later for WGBH’s Nova programs. He worked on hundreds of WQED programs while making documentaries with his wife Elizabeth. Elizabeth appeared on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood a...

The Steinway Society of Western Pennsylvania presents Vladimir Milošević, virtuoso pianist, and multiple award-winning faculty member of the University of the Arts in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday March 22nd at 3:00pm, at the Kresge Theater at CMU. Vladimir spoke with Jim Cunningham about his program.

Vladimir plans to play a demanding concert featuring Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker arranged by Mikhail Pletnev, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet...

The Pittsburgh Savoyards will wrap up their 88th season with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel! Production Manager Lynette Garlan and Stage Director Olivia Hartle stopped by the studio to chat with QED's Melissa Black about the show.

Olivia summarizes the plot of the operetta, detailing the wild shenanigans of a theater troupe organizing an uprising against the Grand Duke. She also talks about double-cas...

The Bach Choir of Pittsburgh returns with their signature fundraising event, Bach Day Bash, celebrating J.S. Bach's 341st birthday! Amy Herlich, who is the Major Gifts Officer of the Cultural Trust and a member of BPC's Special Events Committee, stopped by the WQED studio to chat live with Anna Singer about the event.

This year's bash is co-chaired and emceed by WQED's own Anna Singer and Jim Cunningham, and will celebrate the succ...

Principal harpist of the PSO Gretchen Van Hoesen will play French music for harp and strings in the Allegheny Historical Preservation Society’s Tiffany Concert Series. Gretchen joined Jim Cunningham live on the QED Morning Show to talk about the concert.  

The program features music by Gretchen’s former teacher, Marcel Grandjany,  Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne, Bernard Andrès’ Zerbina, Ravel’s String Quartet, and concludes with Gabriel...

Tuesday Musical Club's upcoming concert celebrates composers born in March, featuring music from Bach, Haydn, Chopin, Bartók, and Barber. WQED volunteer Giovanni Mori spoke with organizer Catherine Crotty and pianist Vanessa Schmithorst about the program.

Catherine explains how the concert idea came to fruition and points out highlights on the program. Vanessa will play Bach's Partita in C minor for the concert--she talks about the...

Resonance Works presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Reena Esmail’s Malhaar: A Requiem for Water and the return of Nancy Galbraith’s Flute Concerto, which Resonance Works commissioned and premiered in 2019. Conductor/producer Maria Sensi Sellner, Hindustani vocalist Vidita Kanniks, and flutist Lindsey Goodman joined Jim Cunningham live on the QED Morning Show to talk about the program.

Vidita and Maria provide background on Malhaar,...

The Bruckner Society of America President Benjamin Korstvedt joins Jim Cunningham to recall the presentation of the Kilenyi Award from the Bruckner Society to Manfred Honeck on February 21, 2026, at Heinz Hall. The Pittsburgh Symphony followed the presentation with a performance of Bruckner's Eighth Symphony, which was recorded for broadcast on WQED-FM and for a Reference CD.

Manfred Honeck had already received an award from the So...

Last week, Disney's Beauty and the Beast returned to Pittsburgh's Benedum Center for its first North American production in over 25 years! WQED Digital Correspondent Nick Tommarello spoke with Assistant Conductor and keyboardist Connor Doran about this very special occasion.

Connor talks about the timeless nature of the story and its music, his role in performances, and the joy of interacting with audiences. Born in Pittsburgh, Con...

Slippery Rock University recently hosted their 11th annual Honors Flute Ensemble on February 21st-22nd. Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich, composer Greg Lutz, and SRU sophomore Ben Bellomo joined Jim Cunningham live on the QED Morning Show to give a recap of the concert.

Cassandra talks about the Honors Flute Ensemble, which brought high school students to SRU for two days of rehearsals, workshops, and the concert. Greg, who was commissione...

Pittsburgh Opera presents the World Premiere of "Time to Act" at the Bitz Opera Factory from February 28th through March 8th. The opera follows a group of high school students preparing for a production of Sophocles’ Antigone, who are joined by a new student, Alona, who comes with a formidable secret. WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Timothi Williams, who sings the role of Alona. Timothi talks about her character, what its like ...