Pittsburgh Concert Society

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Pittsburgh Concert Society

Celebrating Pittsburgh's Classical Musicians Since 1943 All artists appearing on the Society’s programs are chosen by audition.

Our organization is composed of dedicated officers and board members, all volunteers, consistently working to maintain the highest possible level of talent in our concert presentations. To afford each candidate a fair opportunity, a judge of national reputation, from a city other than Pittsburgh, adjudicates. The Pittsburgh Concert Society is proud of its history and its contribution to the arts in the Pittsburgh area.

08/21/2026

Save the dates for the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s 2026 Major Winners Concerts!

Sunday, September 27
Le Lys Duo: Jenny Li and Grace Kikuchi, harps
Rachael Kwa, violin, with Billie Miller, piano

Sunday, October 11
A J Schmidt, flute, with Matthew Klumpp, piano
Daniel Muller and Xuelai Wu, saxophone and piano duo

Sunday, November 1
The Trillium Trio: Emma Locarnini, clarinet; William Geiler, piano; and Joshua Lee, violin
The Mezza String Quartet: Cassie May and Joshua Lee, violins; Nathan Gaynor, viola; and Ellery Schade, cello

All concerts begin at 2 p.m. in Kresge Theatre at Carnegie Mellon University.

Concert details and tickets: pittsburghconcertsociety.org/concerts

08/14/2026

What does a Saturday morning sound like with a harp in the studio? 🎶

PCS Young Artist Lace Hilboky brought her music to SLB Radio’s *The Saturday Light Brigade* for a live performance and conversation with host Larry Berger.

We loved seeing Lace represent the next generation of musicians and share the harp with a whole new audience. Thanks to for welcoming her into the studio!

07/31/2026

PCS Young Artist Lace Hilboky takes to the airwaves on Saturday, August 8!

Lace, a harp performance major at Duquesne University studying with Gretchen Van Hoesen, will join host Larry Berger on SLB Radio’s The Saturday Light Brigade for conversation and a live performance.

Tune in Saturday morning to hear this outstanding young artist share her music with listeners throughout the region.

🎧 Listen live on The Saturday Light Brigade

07/24/2026

Did you know? Every Pittsburgh Concert Society award carries a name and a legacy. Major Auditions winners receive $1,500 from the William and Eleanor Benswanger Memorial Fund and the Homer Wickline and Conrad Seamen Memorial Fund. Young Artists winners receive $600 from the Benjamin and Anna Perlow Scholarships Fund, dedicated to furthering their music studies.

All three funds are held at The Pittsburgh Foundation, and we are deeply grateful for the Foundation’s continued stewardship and support.

These aren't just prizes. They're a living tribute to people who believed in Pittsburgh's musicians. 🎻🎹

07/18/2026

🎻 Listen to PCS Young Artist winner Brady Conley on The Saturday Light Brigade!

Brady, an 11th-grade violist at Woodland Hills High School, was recently featured on SLB Radio’s *Youth Express*, performing selections for viola. A student of Sean Juhl, Brady has also performed with the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra’s NYO2 program.

Hear this talented young musician in performance on SLB Radio.

07/10/2026

For several years, PCS Young Artists have been invited to enjoy their own “30 minutes of fame” through a special one-on-one interview with Larry Berger, host of SLB Radio’s The Saturday Light Brigade, along with a live performance on the instrument that earned them their PCS audition win.

Broadcast since 1978, The Saturday Light Brigade has long celebrated music, conversation, youth voices, and live performance. PCS is grateful for the opportunity to share these outstanding young artists with SLB’s listeners.

These programs are beautifully managed by Tai Chirovsky, with a PCS board member present to support each Young Artist during their visit. Each session is livestreamed, recorded, shared with the artist and PCS, and archived as part of this ongoing Young Artist tradition.

PCS 2026 Young Artists at SLB Radio:

August 8: Lace Hilboky, harp
September 5: Jocelyn Hsu and Emily Nickl, harp and flute duo
October 10: Zachary Wand, cello
November 7: Brady Conley, viola
December 12: Xudong Zhou, piano

Find out more about SLB Radio’s The Saturday Light Brigade at https://slbradio.org/on-the-air/the-saturday-light-brigade/

We are proud to celebrate the PCS Young Artists and grateful to SLB Radio for helping their music reach a wider audience.

07/01/2026

Among those in the audience at Leslie’s Amper's recent performance was her Aunt Iris, nearly 100 years old, pictured here with Leslie at the post-concert reception.

It was a fitting personal note for a program built around music, memory, storytelling, and connection.

Following Leslie’s performance of Robert and Clara Schumann: Power Couple of the 19th Century, audience members shared what made the concert so memorable:

“Thrilled I came. Such a creative performance!”

“We thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was very unique.”

“Leslie has a kind honesty about the way she interacts with an audience. She drew us into her world!”

“I loved how Leslie wove all the music and story lines together. As a pianist, she’s a master of phrasing melody lines to stand out for the listener. She kept my attention the whole time.”

Thank you to Leslie Amper for bringing such a thoughtful, personal, and engaging program to the Pittsburgh Concert Society stage.

06/19/2026

If you missed Leslie Amper's Pittsburgh Concert Society performance on Sunday, June 7, you can still get a behind-the-scenes look at the ideas that inspired the program.

Prior to the concert, Leslie joined Jim Cunningham on WQED-FM's Voice of the Arts to discuss Robert and Clara Schumann: Power Couple of the 19th Century, exploring the music, letters, and remarkable partnership of one of classical music's most influential couples.

Listen to the interview here:

https://www.wqed.org/podcasts/an-afternoon-of-schumann-with-leslie-amper/

06/05/2026

This Sunday, join Pittsburgh Concert Society for a special Alumni Concert featuring pianist Leslie Amper in a program that brings Robert and Clara Schumann’s music, letters, and love story vividly to life.

Amper will perform Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana, with spoken excerpts from Robert and Clara’s letters woven between its eight movements. The program also includes Lotte Reiniger’s 1934 silent animated film Stolen Heart, accompanied live by Schumann’s piano music, followed by a Q&A and additional works by Robert and Clara Schumann.

Sunday, June 7
2:00 PM
Kresge Theatre, Carnegie Mellon University

Tickets: Adult $15 | Senior $10 | Student FREE

Get tickets:
https://pittsburghconcertsociety.org/event/alumni-concert-june-7-2026/

05/29/2026

Some of the most beautiful music ever written began as a conversation between two people.

As Robert Schumann composed Kreisleriana in 1838, he frequently wrote to Clara Wieck, the pianist who would later become his wife. Their letters reveal a relationship filled with admiration, longing, artistic inspiration, and an unwavering belief in one another's talents.

For the June 7 PCS Alumni Concert, Leslie Amper will weave excerpts from Robert and Clara's correspondence throughout a performance of Kreisleriana, offering audiences a glimpse into the personal story behind the music.

More than 180 years later, their words still speak to the power of love, creativity, and artistic partnership.

Join us as we explore one of classical music's most remarkable relationships through both music and the voices of those who lived it.

📅 June 7, 2026 | 2:00 PM
📍 Kresge Theater

Tickets and more info at https://pittsburghconcertsociety.org/event/alumni-concert-june-7-2026/

Address

Pittsburgh, PA

Telephone

+14122792970

Website

http://www.pittsburghconcertsociety.org/

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