Heinz Hall – A Place For Pittsburgh to “Band” Together

If you’re looking to hear a variety of music played by an outstanding orchestra, to see your favorite artists perform at a fancier venue, or to hear some words of wisdom from the authors, politicians, and other celebrities you idolize, then there’s no better place to accomplish these things than Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh.

Located in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Heinz Hall first opened in 1927 as a movie palace known as Loew’s Penn Theater. However, Loew’s Penn and other movie palaces began to struggle in the 1960s financially, as they were losing patrons due to the rise of suburban movie theaters and of television. Consequently, Loew’s Penn was closed in 1964 and was set to be demolished. This is when John Heinz II came forward, offering to instead have Loew’s converted into a new performance hall for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Heinz bought the site and ordered a $10 million reconstruction of it. The venue now known as Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts opened in 1971. To this day, it has remained the home of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. It also hosts a number of concerts, plays, and other events, as well as the Pittsburgh Speaker Series. It contains 2,676 seats.

Everyone has their own preference when it comes to music. But if you’re one of those people who enjoys “a little bit of everything”, you should definitely check out a few of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s concerts. The acclaimed Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra plays a large variety of music, such as classical, jazz, rock, pop, children’s music, movie soundtracks, Broadway, and even hip-hop. They are also known for touring around the world, which they have done since their establishment in 1895. In fact, traveling was mainly all they were doing until they had their own concert hall built in 1971. They have also performed with a number of well-known film and stage stars, as well as recording artists and other orchestral musicians such as Yo-Yo Ma. A reviewer on TripAdvisor stated that she “always enjoys” the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and that they have a “wonderful 19th Century feel.” The best place to hear the perfect musical megamix in Pittsburgh is at a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert.

While it’s mainly known for being the concert hall of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, a number of plays have been performed at Heinz Hall as well. Plays, however, are more commonly performed at the nearby Benedum Center and the Byham Theater. Heinz Hall does only a very small amount of plays a year, so they’re definitely worth checking out. Some notable plays that have been performed at Heinz Hall include The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and The Nutcracker. I interviewed a student at my university about her experience seeing The Lion King at Heinz Hall. She said that the design and architecture of Heinz Hall set it apart from other theaters, and that when you see a play there, you “feel more like you’re seeing a show than seeing a play.” Below, you can view a video of a number from a production of Beauty and the Beast at Heinz Hall.

Another thing that’s definitely worth checking out at Heinz Hall is the Pittsburgh Speaker Series. Every year, Robert Morris University and UPMC sponsor this series, in which the world’s most famous authors, politicians, and other celebrities give lectures about topics related to their own lives/careers, as well as the events and issues taking place in the world, both bad and good. My mom has gone to a number of them, and from what she’s told me before, it seems as though her experiences have been invaluable. She took me to see world-renowned author John Irving speak as part of the series a few years ago. I thought it was quite interesting. When she first invited me to come, I was worried about having to sit through an incredibly boring lecture. But when I got there, I really thought the format was interesting: Instead of Irving giving a lecture all on his own, he was being asked a series of questions by an RMU representative. These were questions that RMU students had submitted hoping to get answers. So while it wasn’t really a “lecture”, per se, I still got to hear some words of wisdom from a world-famous author. It’s definitely worth it to check out the Pittsburgh Speaker Series at Heinz Hall.

If you want a rare chance to see a play at such an elegant performance hall, want a chance to play your favorite “megamix” without even downloading the music, or want a chance to see your idols speaking words of wisdom right before your eyes, Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts is the place to get it done.