@ the Symphony

@ the Symphony

Insights and anecdotes from musicians, dancers, artists, actors and directors, as well as audience response.

Episodes

April 9, 2026 22 mins
The Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 is her favorite but she knows them all. Yulianna Avdeeva brings the 2nd to Heinz Hall with the Pittsburgh Symphony April 10th and 12th conducted by Rafael Payare. Yulianna Avdeeva spoke with Jim Cunningham about the special features of the Second Concerto. It is filled with tricky writing but born in Moscow, Yulianna Avdeeva has special love for the complex composer who returned to Russia with ...
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Rafael Payare has been a rising star for more than a decade having worked with Gustavo Dudamel, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim and Lorin Maazel on his way to the Music Director spot in Montreal and San Diego. In his dressing room with the portrait of former Pittsburgh Symphony Music Director Lorin Maazel looking over his shoulder, he tells Jim Cunningham he loved playing the French Horn in the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, but h...
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March 30, 2026 26 mins

The Principal Guest Conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, Daniele Rustioni, speaks with Jim Cunningham in the Guest Conductor's Dressing Room at Heinz Hall about his program for March 27,28 and 29, with Yefim Bronfman playing the Schumann Concerto, Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Samuel Barber's School for Scandal Overture. Maestro Rustioni discusses his upcoming concerts, his work in Pittsburgh (including his visit to Carnegie Hall...

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March 26, 2026 20 mins

Piano superstar Yefim Bronfman is a Mets fan. Yefim also loves making his coffee mostly at home in New York when he isn't jetting around China, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Boston or wherever great music happens.  

 

He spoke with Jim Cunningham in his dressing room at Heinz Hall after rehearsing the Schumann Concerto. He plays March 27-29 with Daniele Rustioni and the Pittsburgh Symphony. It's their first time working t...

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March 13, 2026 24 mins
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Manfred Honeck, plays Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection". WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey. She talks about singing with Ying Fang before; her thoughts on the music; and this being her very first time in Pittsburgh, even though she grew up in Virginia. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for informat...
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March 13, 2026 15 mins
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Manfred Honeck, plays Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection". WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with soprano Ying Fang. She talks about her work with Manfred Honeck; doing the piece recently with Yannick Nezet-Seguin; performing Mozart's Idomeneo with Manfred at the Met; and her espresso machine she takes on the road with her. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company....
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March 6, 2026 26 mins

Piano legend, global classical music superstar, and Musical America Artist of the year 2026 Emanuel Ax plays Brahms' First Concerto with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony this weekend at Heinz Hall! WQED's Jim Cunningham ventured down to Heinz Hall for a chat with Mr. Ax during Friday's rehearsals.  

Ax talks about his honors and the memory he has of pianist Arthur Rubinstein at the Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv in 19...

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On Friday February 13, 2026, WQED-FM broadcast the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert live from Heinz Hall. The concert featured Arturs Maskats "Tango;" Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with soloist Randall Goosby; Barber's Adagio for Strings, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story." After the concert, WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Jim Cunningham about the scene in the lobby with the table of WQED giveaways;...
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On Friday February 13, 2026, WQED-FM broadcast the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert live from Heinz Hall. The concert featured Arturs Maskats "Tango;" Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with soloist Randall Goosby; Barber's Adagio for Strings, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story." During intermission, WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham was joined by Music Director Manfred Honeck, who talked about the Mozart and the pl...
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On Friday February 13, 2026, WQED-FM broadcast the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert live from Heinz Hall. The concert featured Arturs Maskats "Tango;" Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with soloist Randall Goosby; Barber's Adagio for Strings, and Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story." Prior to the start of the concert WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham was joined by cellist Charlie Powers, who talked about their post-conc...
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January 22, 2026 17 mins
WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with PSO guest violinist Josef Spacek making his Heinz Hall debut with the Dvorak Violin Concerto. Spacek spoke about his long relationship with guest conductor Petr Popelka; his work in his native country and arrival in the US at Curtis in Philadelphia before going to Julliard where he studied with Itzhak Perlman. Spacek has worked to develop a new line of violin strings, which he will be playing o...
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January 22, 2026 22 mins
WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with returning guest conductor Petr Popelka leading the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, the Dvorak Violin Concerto and Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra. Maestro Popelka speaks in his dressing room about Pittsburgh's connection to the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra; his work with soloist Josef Spacek; their love of fellow countryman Antonin Dvorak; his successful de...
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WQED-FM was at Heinz Hall for a live broadcast of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Friday January 16, 2026. The concert featured guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk conducting "Flounce" by Lotta Wennakoski and the Sibelius Symphony No. 2, along with Lucas and Arthur Jussen playing the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos. WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham was joined by Vice President of Artistic Planning for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra...
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WQED-FM was at Heinz Hall for a live broadcast of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Friday January 16, 2026. The concert featured guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk conducting "Flounce" by Lotta Wennakoski and the Sibelius Symphony No. 2, along with Lucas and Arthur Jussen playing the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos. WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham was joined by guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk during intermission to talk about the c...
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WQED-FM was at Heinz Hall for a live broadcast of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Friday January 16, 2026. The concert featured guest conductor Dima Slobodeniouk conducting "Flouce" by Lotta Wennakoski and the Sibelius Symphony No. 2, along with Lucas and Arthur Jussen playing the Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos. Before the concert, host Jim Cunningham spoke with Principal Contrabassoon James Rodgers who talked about the p...
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The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man;" Beethoven's Violin Concerto with PSO Concertmaster David McCarroll as soloist, and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 at Heinz Hall the weekend of December 5th, 2025. WQED-FM was there to broadcast the concert on Sunday December 7th live. After the concert, WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with violist Sean Juhl about their busy schedule the last week or ...
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The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man;" Beethoven's Violin Concerto with PSO Concertmaster David McCarroll as soloist, and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 at Heinz Hall the weekend of December 5th, 2025. WQED-FM was there to broadcast the concert on Sunday December 7th live. During intermission, WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with PSO Music Director Manfred Honeck, who spoke about the rave...
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The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra played Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man;" Beethoven's Violin Concerto with PSO Concertmaster David McCarroll as soloist, and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 at Heinz Hall the weekend of December 5th, 2025. WQED-FM was there to broadcast the concert on Sunday December 7th live. Before the concert, WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with PSO violist Tatjana Mead Chamis and PSO Violinist Lorien Ben...
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November 24, 2025 10 mins

Violin prodigy Himari makes her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony on November 28th with Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. She joined Jim Cunningham to talk about the Bruch, her first EP with Decca Records, and playing with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Himari began playing the violin at the age of three and by the age of six, was already performing with professional orchestras. In 2022, she became the younges...

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November 13, 2025 20 mins
 Houston Symphony Music Director Juraj Valcuha returns to conduct the Richard Strauss "Ein Heldenleben," A hero's Life, which reveals the autobiography of the composer complete with his thoughts on music critics but does it end with a triumph? Not exactly.  It is a giant piece and 45 minutes of delightful music. Maestro Valcuha tells Jim Cunningham in his dressing room after rehearsal on Thursday evening that he has already given t...
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