Two Russians livestreamed a standoff with police in 2016, and now it's an opera. Sort of by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"In opera, if we end up telling new stories in old ways we haven't gotten ourselves much farther down the road."

4 openings, 800 young applicants: The Pittsburgh Ballet holds grueling open auditions by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It was audition day at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, which set a recent record with the "Nutcracker," with around 32,000 tickets sold.

Review: A smart new series at the symphony seeks to introduce listeners to classical music " it needs polish by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This wasn't a typical concert, where listeners sit in silence. It was more interactive " at times for better and at times for worse.

New play 'Perseverance' captures jeweler's memories of the Holocaust and new life in Pittsburgh by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In the 1970s, Melvin Goldman bought a tape recorder and talked through his memories of his early life and the Holocaust...

A new immersive play opening in Pittsburgh throws shareholders on the devil's mercies by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The play sounds a bit like a cross between a murder mystery, an art installation and a reality TV show.

Review: Pittsburgh Opera's latest is a must-see, on par with cult classics by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's a bit like if Shakespeare drafted a mistaken identity plot and threw in some infanticide on a ghastly whim.

Review: The Pittsburgh Symphony married music and religious tradition " it was a touch unsettling by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mozart didn't finish the "Requiem" before his death at the age of 35.

Commentary: Does anyone read 'expert' music reviews anymore? by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Even the classical fans that still attend concerts can't easily articulate why they like a Beethoven symphony.

Ahead of his Pittsburgh Symphony appearance, 'White Lotus' and 'Amadeus' actor F. Murray Abraham discusses musicality in acting by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This week, Murray appears with the Pittsburgh Symphony in Mozart's "Requiem," his final " unfinished " composition.

Two Pittsburgh orchestras to play musical tales of trickery and devilry this weekend by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

For Attack Theatre's intimate upcoming show, 'selling out' the hall is only 100 people " does size matter? by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Attack Theatre's next show is "Behind Ourself Concealed," which features contemporary dance set to a variety of jazz, folk and world music.

Pittsburgh Opera's 2023-24 season highlights the distinction between operas and musicals by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The opera on Wednesday announced its lineup for the 2023-24 season which includes "The Barber of Seville" and other favorites.

Pittsburgh arts organizations oppose plan to raise visa fees, which could hamper showcasing international talent by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A proposed increase in visa application fees could threaten a core practice of American arts organizations.

Pittsburgh's ballet's next season has fairy tales and a Holocaust-themed world premiere by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's next season includes a regular blend of story ballets and mixed repertory programs.

On Valentine's weekend, it's an R-rated 'Dracula' from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's "Dracula" premieres Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Benedum Center, Downtown, and continues through Sunday.

Review: It's time for Pittsburgh Opera to stop attempting baroque operas by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Mendelssohn Choir " the Pittsburgh Symphony's partner in crime " is changing leaders by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Mendelssohn Choir is also latest in a string of Pittsburgh arts organizations to announce a change in leadership.

Amid worrisome attendance trends, Pittsburgh's ballet hires a new artistic director by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fresh from a productive stint in Fort Worth, Tex., Adam McKinney, 46, will take over as the company's new artistic director on March 15. 

In preparing for her next Pittsburgh opera, a director discusses lighting's emotional impact by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ariodante is an opera set in Scotland about a betrothed princess who is falsely accused of sleeping with an enemy suitor.

'Second chair' musicians are just as trained as principals and paid lower. Here's why by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a professional orchestra, playing first chair can mean earning tens of thousands of dollars of additional compensation.

Pittsburgh's performing arts venues show signs of resilience with surge in single-ticket sales by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Subscriptions have been declining since long before COVID, as attendees' buying habits have shifted toward more spontaneous nights out. 

CMU music school students learn 'transferable skills' and find jobs, new dean says by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Most students who study at music conservatories won't wind up performing music professionally. Why study music, then?

Review: 'Figaro' subs sexism for class warfare amid opera's most famous tunes by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Opera's charismatic and excellent production of "Figaro" runs at the Benedum Center through Sunday.

New Pittsburgh Cultural Trust CEO eager to return to where career started by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Opera's 'Marriage of Figaro' won't break even. So how do they stay in business? by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Opera is indeed staging Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro" from Nov. 5-12 at the Benedum Center.

Review: 'Staggering' talent on display in Quantum Theatre's 300-year-old baroque opera 'Idaspe' by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The artistry of the singers and musicians popped against sets that paired rustic and modernist elements.

The 'Serena Williams' of baroque singing is joining Pittsburgh arts groups in a huge collaboration " will anyone come? by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Quantum Theatre has a budget of about $1 million, and its new production of "Idaspe" will cost about half a million. It's a risk.

Review: Marianne Cornetti, a sassy, singing witch, steals the show in Pittsburgh Opera's 'Rusalka' by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

This ain't no Disney story. In the Czech variant of the tale, things go bump in the night, set to fluid melodies by the composer Dvorak. 

Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council connects artists with professional help, dollars by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Anyone who's spent time in Pittsburgh knows that the arts scene punches above its weight. GPAC is part of the reason.

Behind the baton: There's no easy path to becoming an orchestra conductor by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In addition to musical ability, people skills and leadership skills are perhaps the most essential qualifiers for a conductor.

Pittsburgh's arts groups struggle to bring back audiences in the wake of COVID by Jeremy Reynolds / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette