Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra


Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,

founded in 1895, gave its first concert the following year under the direction of Frederic Archer. Victor Herbert was the chief conductor from 1898 to 1904; he was succeeded by Emil Paur (1904–10). The orchestra was then disbanded. It was revived in 1926, and over the next decade it was led by Elias Breeskin (1927–30) and Antonio Modarelli (1930–37). The orchestra was reorganized by Otto KlempererKlemperer, Otto
, 1885–1973, German conductor, b. Breslau. Klemperer studied in Frankfurt and Berlin. Working first in Prague, he later conducted the Berlin State Opera (1927–33), introducing new works by Janáček, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, and Hindemith.
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 in 1937. Fritz ReinerReiner, Fritz
, 1888–1963, American conductor, b. Budapest. After serving as conductor of the People's Opera in Budapest (1911–14) and the Court Opera in Dresden (1914–21), he came (1922) to the United States as conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony
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 was chief conductor from 1938 to 1948, followed by William Steinberg (1952–76), André PrevinPrevin, Sir André
, 1929–2019, American conductor, composer, and pianist, b. Germany, as Andreas Ludwig Priwin. A classical music recording artist from 1946, he also made a number of highly successful jazz piano albums in the 1950s, and later (1990s) resumed
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 (1976–84), Lorin Maazel (1984–96), and Mariss Jansons (1997–2004). Since 2005, however, a trio of conductors (Sir Andrew Davis as artistic adviser and two guest conductors) has led the symphony. The orchestra performs in Heinz Hall, the renovated Loew's Penn Theater (built 1927).