Join Resonance Works the weekend before Thanksgiving for the regional premiere of Kamala Sankaram and Kelley Rourke’s The Jungle Book! Artistic Director Maria Sensi Sellner and bass Sergio Martinez, who is playing Baloo, joined Anna Singer live to talk about the opera.

New Hazlett Theater is showing Christine CMC Bethea's Birthday at Tiffany's to kick off their Community Supported Artist series. QED's Emily Brunner spoke with the playwright Christine CMC Bethea, and actors Mils James and Tanika Harris about the play.

The Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra begins it's 2025-2026 concert season with "PYSO Plays Opera" - Sunday, November 16th, 7:30pm at Heinz Hall. Jacob Joyce conducts the orchestra in music of Verdi, Wagner, Puccini and Ethyl Smith. Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Lauryn Davis joins the PYSO to sing "Matern aller Arten" by Mozart. Jacob Joyce joined Jim Cunningham on the QED Morning Show to talk about the concert. The concert is free, but they recommend you ordering a ticket in advance at https://pyso.org/tickets/

Pittsburgh Opera presents Gregory Spears' "Fellow Travelers" for 3 performances only - Friday November 14th (7pm), Saturday November 15th (7pm), and Sunday November 16th (2pm) at the Byham Theater. WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Logan Wagner, who sings the role of "Timothy Laughlin." He sang the role in a student production in Cincinnati with Erik Nordstrom. He talks about the music and the dynamic between his character and the character of "Hawkins." He did not grow up listening to opera, rather he sang Journey songs since his dad is in a rock cover band, "Fast Forward", who was recently inducted into the Northern Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.

Pittsburgh Opera presents Gregory Spears' "Fellow Travelers" for 3 performances only - Friday November 14th (7pm), Saturday November 15th (7pm), and Sunday November 16th (2pm) at the Byham Theater. WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Erik Nordstrom, who sings the role of "Hawkins Fuller." He sang the role in a student production in Cincinnati and is excited to revisit the role.

Pittsburgh Opera presents Gregory Spears' "Fellow Travelers" for 3 performances only - Friday November 14th (7pm), Saturday November 15th (7pm), and Sunday November 16th (2pm) at the Byham Theater. WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Stage Director Brian Staufenbiel, who talks about his vision for the opera, and how it's extremely helpful to have two cast members who have already done a production of the opera.

Pittsburgh Opera presents Gregory Spears' "Fellow Travelers" for 3 performances only - Friday November 14th (7pm), Saturday November 15th (7pm), and Sunday November 16th (2pm) at the Byham Theater. WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Pittsburgh Opera Music Director Antony Walker, who talks about the music, the historical context of the opera, and how he thinks its important as a conductor to sit in on every voice rehearsal.

Composer Joshua Malave talks about his work with the Tuesday Musical Club Composers workshop, and his piece he will play for the concert.

WQED's Anna Singer talks with Lindsey about her new album, "Transporting Bright", which features 11 commissioned works by living American composers.

See houses decorated for the Holidays during the 2025 Symphony Splendor Holiday House Tour. There are two tour times on November 22nd - from 11am to 4pm and 5pm to 8pm. The house tour is in the exclusive Lake Macleod neighborhood in Gibsonia. Pittsburgh Symphony Association President-Elect Ruth Ann Pritchard, and PSO Violinist Irene Cheng spoke with WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham about this year's tour - what people can expect to see in the houses. It's worth the trip up to the North Hills for this fundraising event for the PSO. Irene is getting many of her colleagues to play music at the houses. You can get into the holiday spirit by getting tickets at https://pittsburghsymphonyassociation.org/

The Frick Pittsburgh has a new art exhibit, perfect for the holiday season! Chief Curator and Director of Collections, Dawn Brean, and Director of Learning and Visitor Experience, Kelsie Paul, talks about the exhibit "The Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore".

It's an opera that Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn has wanted to put on stage for many years. "Fellow Travelers" is set in 1950's Washington DC during the Eisenhower administration while Joe McCarthy was sifting through the government in the red scare to sort out communists. Fellow Travelers turns up in Thomas Mallon's novel and several screen adaptations. Now the story is set to the music written by Gregory Spear which has won rave reviews in New York and Chicago with multiple additional performances also winning praise. The story weaves together political intrigue with personal drama, a bit of religious difference and keeping love under the radar in the lavender scare. There are sixteen scenes and a score that is in the minimalist mode but has a strong appeal and Spear has figured out how to capture the cadence of American speech in a special fit. Christopher Hahn is in his last year as General Director of Pittsburgh Opera. He shares with Jim Cunningham his plans and the search for his successor. Plus, he gives a view of where Opera is today and where Pittsburgh Opera is with bringing back fans following the stay-at-home pandemic. Hahn has kept the quality high with over 800 talented singers applying for any Resident Artist audition. What has he loved lately and which city is the current hotbed of operatic creativity?

Chatham Baroque members Andrew Fouts, Patricia Halverson, and Scott Pauley, talk about their upcoming concert "A Trio Virtuosic" in late November.

Horror and science fiction writer Lawrence C. Connolly talks about his latest writings, including a play for Prime Stage Theatre, and a book.

Composer Nancy Galbraith and Stephen Schultz talk about the world premiere of "Forest Cathedral" performed by Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic on November 2nd.

Frank Zappa's "Ruth is Sleeping" leads off Canadian born pianist Mark Andre Hamelin's new Hyperion cd "Found Objects/Sound Objects" with Salvatore Martirano heard in "Stuck on Stella," "The Perilous Night" by John Cage, Stefan Wolpe with "Passacaglia," "Refrain" by his friend Yehudi Wyner and "Hexensabbat" written by the pianist. On January 12, 2026, Mark-Andre Hamelin will have his Pittsburgh recital debut for Chamber Music Pittsburgh playing Concord Sonata by Charles Ives, Forest Scenes by Robert Schumann and Gaspard de la Nuit by Ravel. He tells Jim Cunningham he listens to radio WCRB all day being married to pianist and announcer Cathy Fuller. Nearing 100 CDs in his catalog, he says he likes to stay busy. He's been named a member of the Order of Canada and honored by Quebec for his start in Montreal then heading to Temple in Philadelphia and concertizing around the globe but only a few stops in Pittsburgh including Heinz Hall with the Turangalila Symphony by Olivier Messaien and the Ellen Zwilich Piano Concerto.

German born pianist Burkard Schliessmann has concertized around the world with a base in Frankfurt. He teaches at Curtis and in New York. He spoke with Jim Cunningham by Zoom from Germany about the solo piano works of Robert Schumann, Fantasies for the Divine Art label. The deluxe pressing is being issued as a triple gold audiophile LP. Burkard discussed his interpretation of Schumann's Kreisleriana and other masterpieces written in some cases near the end of his life when he was said to be losing his sanity. Herr Schliessmann feels this has been exaggerated. He also discusses Johann Wolfgang von Goethe whose name came with one of the many awards Schliessmann has been given. Is gold vinyl an addition to the sound quality or a fad? Etwas ganz Besonderes! Naturlich. He says he was fortunate to record on a great Steinway and loves working at the Berlin Teldex Studio where so many great keyboard legends from Barenboim to Arcadi Volodos have recorded.

Stage 62 presents Oklahoma at the Carnegie Music Hall in Carnegie, PA for two weekends - November 6-9 and November 13-15 with a cast of 40 directed by Rob James . Brian Ferris, Curly, who sings “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” and Rachel Fox, Aunt Eller, who serves as the emotional overseer for the cast bring to life the Rodgers and Hammerstein ground breaking Broadway hit that tells the story of America as the Oklahoma territory is becoming a state. Rachel and Brian joined Jim Cunningham on the QED Morning Show to reveal the special qualities of the production complete with a dining deal for visitors to Carnegie who’d like to try a new restaurant. Rachel says there is nothing that can compete with the presence and excitement of live theater and Stage 62 has been providing quality productions since 1962. Rachel and Brian are Grove City graduates who have enjoyed a life long passion for theater. Rachel and Brian are both veterans of the Stage 62 productions which included a long successful partnership last summer at the Greer Cabaret Theater downtown and Rachel’s previous success in Guys and Dolls.

With a strong presence on Facebook, Frank Kurtik is a different kind of poster. No cats or dogs - instead posts of Pittsburgh historical highlights, concert news, and restaurant discoveries. Frank was a long time docent at Heinz Chapel making brides comfortable on their wedding day and arranging organ recitals and tours after working as Pitt archivist. He started his higher level of educational discovery at Duquesne University and has crossed paths with many WQED regulars including Herb Stein of Newsroom. Mr. and Mrs. Kurtik brave the travel miles from Uniontown for countless musical events in Western Pa.   Kurtik recently presented an in depth look at the H. J. Heinz mansion on Penn Avenue in Point Breeze, Greenlawn, for the East Liberty Historical Society. He condenses his remarks in a conversation with Jim Cunningham describing the Music Room with a white mahogany Steinway grand and has reliefs of Bach, Handel, Verdi, and Gounod.  The architectural wonder was destroyed in 1924 with only the wrought iron black fence still standing. Just a few steps away, Mr. Heinz’s museum of Asian antiquities and clock museum still exists with the amazing history of having been open to the public. Frank speaks about the dining room where the family dressed formally for dinner, recalls the family history, and gives an overview of special features of the house with stained glass and the upstairs-downstairs staff arrangements. Mr. Heinz was an early major donor to the Pittsburgh Orchestra and supporter of the music world in Pittsburgh and was behind a Beethoven Club in Sharpsburg. Heinz served as an officer of the Pittsburgh Male Chorus which invited Marie Rappold of the Metropolitan Opera to appear as soloist. Heinz was a backer of the visiting Russian Symphony Orchestra in presenting Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream in Exposition Hall. H J Heinz helped to sponsor three seasons of concerts with the visiting Philadelphia Orchestra with no works by German composers due to tensions from WWI. Heinz helped in presenting the Walter Damrosch Orchestra during the Pittsburgh Exposition of 1904 held where the David Lawrence Convention Center now stands. The soloist, Henriette Keil, gave a highly praised Wagner concert enjoyed by Heinz. Frank Kurtik suggest surely she must have visited the music room at Greenlawn in Point Breeze.

The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh’s second annual CrosSING Bridges Choral Festival takes place on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 4pm in the newly renovated Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Mendelssohn will share the stage once again with Heritage Gospel Chorale Pittsburgh (Dr. Herbert V.R.P. Jones, director) and Coro Latinoamericano Pittsburgh (Lourdes Santiesteban, director), along with their new choral partner, the Pittsburgh Pride Choir (Dr. Kym Scott, director). You’ll hear music from varied music traditions representing communities across Pittsburgh, and you’ll witness over 200 voices coming together to show all that collaboration can accomplish. Jim Cunningham spoke with Mendelssohn Choir Music Director Daniel Singer about the concert, the upcoming Junior Mendelssohn Joy Concert, his work in Cleveland with Beethoven's Ninth and Fidelio, their Holiday concert, and the Joe Hisaishi concert with the PSO.