PSO_GT
Heinz Hall

November 14, 15 & 16
7:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Calling all Trekkies and Vulcans to Heinz Hall on Sol III!

Symphonic music and science fiction will chart new sonic galaxies for three thrilling nights at Heinz Hall. Hosted by famed actor, social media maven and LGBT advocate George Takei—who is also the subject of a new documentary—the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra‘s Sci-Fi Spectacular will take audiences to far-away galaxies for three nights only. The concert marks Takei’s debut with the PSO, and highlights his best known role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the hit television series Star Trek.

Fans of Star Trek, classical music and sci-fi pop culture alike will enjoy an out-of-this-world concert led by internationally-renowned conductor Jack Everly, with narration by Takei. Featuring epic music from films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, along with the surreal soundtracks to classic sci-fi TV programs, the extraterrestrial journey will be further augmented via special effects and costume changes.

During the cosmic concert, Everly will lead the PSO, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Betsy Burleigh, and award-winning soprano, Kristen Plumley. Audiences can expect some surprises during this voyage to the stars, which will showcase the timeless sounds of the big and small screen, such as John Williams’ Main Title from Star Wars, John Barry’s Somewhere in Time and Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op.30.

Another highlight will be Takei’s live narration of the Klaatu speech (read: a fictional humanoid alien) from the 1951 sci-fi classic, The Day the Earth Stood Still, directed by Robert Wise, along with original music by the film’s renowned composer, Bernard Herrmann.

Think you’re a sci-fi aficionado? Brush up on your stats now, because each night Everly will invite an audience member on stage to vie for a light saber prize during trivia games.

Another concert highlight is the involvement of Pittsburgh artist, entrepreneur and former NFL running back Baron Batch of Studio A.M., who will create paintings inspired by the show’s sci-fi themes before each show and during intermission in Heinz Hall’s Grand Lobby, where audiences can watch him as he works. Following each concert, Batch will present a finished painting and all works will be auctioned online.

Principal pops conductor of the Indianapolis and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Everly has also worked on Broadway shows, and with leading philharmonics and PBS. A graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from Franklin College, Everly has conducted 90-plus performances in more than 20 North American cities this year alone.

Live long and prosper! And purchase tickets.

Jennifer has worked at the Mattress Factory, Brooklyn Museum of Art and Dahesh Museum of Art and is co-author of Pittsburgh Signs Project: 250 Signs of Western Pennsylvania. She also is co-coordinator of Handmade Arcade. Musically, she is in a band called The Garment District and is a founding member of Brooklyn's The Ladybug Transistor.