Composer Sir James MacMillan joins Jim Cunningham in the WQED-FM studio just hours before his world premiere to share his thoughts about his new music heard for the first time on commission from the Pittsburgh Symphony - March 17th ,18th and 19th, 2023. Her tears fell with the dews at even will be recorded along with the Mozart Requiem for Reference. He wrote the music and found the words of Tennyson From Mariana that seemed to fit.

Sir James has known Principal Flute Lorna McGhee since she was just starting out in Scotland and he wrote a considerable amount for the flute in the score. He discusses his time as Composer of the Year in Pittsburgh, and his music written for Pittsburgh starting with a Fanfare in 2016, the Fourth Symphony, the Larghetto for Manfred Honeck’s 10th year as Music Director.  

Also on the list of topics: the chant workshop he will lead on Saturday with the men of the Westminster Choir, his new music being heard around the globe including at the Cincinnati May Festival, St. Patrick’s Day in Scotland, Andrew Carnegie the Great Scot, the ability of music to lift us even in our darkest hour, how he shares much of Manfred Honeck’s thinking about spirituality and where we are with the state of the spiritual life in our world today.

The Music Director of the Pittsburgh Symphony runs down the concerts of March 7 with Lang Lang playing the Saint-Saens 2nd Concerto and March 10th and 12th with Franz Schmidt’s Fourth Symphony for the first time at Heinz Hall, along with Emanuel Ax playing Chopin’s Second Concerto . The weekend of March 17, 18 and 19, Manfred Honeck conducts his personal version of the Mozart Requiem which will be recorded for the Reference label with narrator F. Murray Abraham and soloists with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.

Emanuel Ax plays the Piano Concerto No. 2 by Chopin with Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Friday March 10 and Saturday March 12 at 2:30 at Heinz Hall. Jim Cunningham joined Mr. Ax to talk about Chopin, the love of his life George Sand, Ax's long association with the composer including the Chopin Competition in Warsaw, recording the concerto twice with Eugene Ormandy and Sir Charles Mackerras plus doing crosswords, a new cd on the way from Yo Yo Ma and much more in this interview recorded after rehearsal at Heinz Hall.

Conductor Dima Slobodeniouk, born in Moscow and  a long time resident of Finland where he conducted and recorded with the Lahti Symphony makes his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony this weekend. In this conversation with Jim Cunningham he speaks about the war in Ukraine and adding music by Valentin Silvestrov, the Prayer for Ukraine, played on the anniversary of entering year two of the conflict.

Violinist Gil Shaham talks about his unique approach to the Beethoven Violin Concerto and Franz Clement who played his instrument upside down during the cadenza at the premiere when the ink was still wet on the page. Gil also talks about his recording with the Knights, his long collaboration with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the 360 concert on Saturday night and how to pronounce his name depending on where you are in the world.

The Music Director of Syracuse New York’s Symphoria, Lawrence Loh, leads a program of favorite film scores by John Williams for the Pittsburgh Symphony Pops. After serving more than a decade as Resident Conductor in Pittsburgh and conducting hundreds of concerts in and out of Heinz Hall, Lawrence Loh has become an acknowledged master with concerts in Seattle, Detroit, Florida and Phoenix just recently in addition to a long standing annual holiday concert with the Dallas Symphony. He has the rundown of scores, the surprises, the Chewbacca Roar contest in the lobby, which players have nice solo moments, and much more in this discussion with Jim Cunningham.  

Jim Cunningham speaks with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Music Director Manfred Honeck and PSO Principal Cello Anne Martindale Williams during intermission of our live broadcast on February 15, 2023.  Yo-Yo Ma also says a quick hi at the end of the broadcast.