Pittsburgh Symphony Touring
Five American orchestras have been traditionally known as the "Big Five." They are the famous ones in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cleveland. The fact that this label has existed for decades is alone an indication that there may have been some shifting of hierarchies in the meantime. One orchestra that has attracted attention in recent years is the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Around the same time when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck took over the orchestra as Music Director, the investment bank Lehman Brothers slipped into bankruptcy, marking the beginning of a worldwide economic downfall which also affected American orchestras. And yet, Honeck has taken his orchestra for international tours several times since he accepted his position in Pittsburgh. Right now, the orchestra is performing in Europe, with stops in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, before it makes its final stop in Luxembourg. The success of the orchestra is at least in part based on a collaboration with business people from the Pittsburgh region. Georg Hirsch, who visited the orchestra in Pittsburgh before it took off, describes how the business model works.
Listen (in German)
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