Composer and concert producer Christian Kriegeskotte has over twenty years of experience in the arts. The film and television credits of this CMU School of Music grad include Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Simpsons, as well as Family Guy. His compositions and arrangements have been performed by The Pittsburgh Symphony, Houston Symphony, New York Pops, American Composers Orchestra, Juno Orchestra Project, Las Cruces Symphony, and others. He shares with TABLE readers a 2025 list of must hear symphony performances in Pittsburgh that just might change your life.
Classical Music and Symphonic Concerts in Pittsburgh 2025
Kamraton
Jimena Maldonado: Observance of Light
Eric Moe/Angie Cruz: We Crossed the River
Eddy Theater, Chatham University, May 29, 2025
For more adventurous fans of the contemporary classical idiom, a performance by the all-female new music ensemble Kamraton is not to be missed. To close out their 10th season, the group will premiere a special version of Pittsburgh-based composer Eric Moe’s We Crossed the River, with words by Dominican- American novelist Angie Cruz. Originally devised in 2020, this work reflects upon the detention of children in camps on the US border, with text based upon the testimonies of the detainees.
Pittsburgh Camerata: Music in a Great Space
Shadyside Presbyterian Church, June 4, 2025
As an avid record collector, I reserve abundant shelf space for the seemingly infallible catalog of ECM Records. One of my favorites is a 1994 release called Officium. Recorded in an Austrian monastery, it combined the sounds of British vocal quartet, The Hilliard Ensemble, and also solo saxophonist Jan Garbarek. While programmatically unrelated, I’m excited to experience this analogous combination of sounds and textures as imagined by The Pittsburgh Camerata (now celebrating its 50th concert season!) and solo saxophonist Jeff Siegfried within the magnificent sanctuary of Shadyside Presbyterian Church.
Charlene Canty, Soprano, Ellen Fast, Piano
Shadyside Presbyterian Church June 11, 2025
Song as a classical artform boasts a body of work and depth of discipline as profound and compelling as the symphony orchestra. This program includes works by American composers Florence Price and Ned Rorem. Price (1887-1953) holds the distinction of having been the first African-American woman
to have a work performed by a major symphony orchestra and enjoyed widespread recognition for this accomplishment during her lifetime. Rorem (who died in 2022 at the age of 99) is well known for his extensive catalog of artsongs, numbering over 500. This is sure to be a beautiful evening of music-making that’s also Shadyside Presbyterian’s incredible sanctuary. Free and open to the public.
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Heinz Hall, June 27, 28 and 29, 2025
If your volume knob doesn’t go up to “eleven”, the Pittsburgh Symphony can get you close thanks to the sheer forces required to present this live performance of Howard Shore’s score from Peter Jackson’s epic 2001 adaptation of J.R.R Tolkein’s fantasy masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and vocal soloists will also join the PSO to bring a full-length screening of the film to life as they perform the music in real time. I love these event as they offer a chance to see just how much goes into the creation of an iconic movie score, and you get to watch your favorite movie at the same time!
Erie Philharmonic
Mahler: 6th Symphony (Mahler Hammer!)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20
November 15, 2025
A particularly eye-opening moment during my time in music school was the discovery of the “Mahler Hammer.” While writing his iconic 6th Symphony, Mahler felt pressed to capture a special sound that was not available to him in the percussion section of his day. So, as other composers had done before him (see: “Wagner Tuba”) he decided to invent his own instrument for the occasion. If the remarkable music of Mahler and Mozart isn’t compelling enough on its own, take this chance to see a member of the orchestra whack a big wooden box with a gigantic, wooden hammer at the apex of this symphony.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Christopher Theofanidis: Rainbow Body
Sibelius: Violin Concerto
Dvořák: Symphony No. 8
Heinz Hall, September 26 and September 28, 2025
I can’t wait to hear Christopher Theofanidis’ work Rainbow Body, which is from the year 2000. Since that time, it has become among his most-programmed works. Combining inspiration from Medieval European composer Hildegard of Bingen as well as the Tibetan Buddhist concept from which the piece takes its name, this seminal work of American contemporary classical music is not to be missed in live performance.
Music of John Williams by Erie Philharmonic
September 27 and September 28, 2025
I may have a slight bias toward this one, as I had the great fortune to work with John Williams in the music department of both Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Stephen Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. Conductor Daniel Meyer always brings energy and charisma to the stage and I anticipate this program
will be no exception. Williams’ body of work is so extensive, there’s a possibility you may hear something new alongside his most recognizable scores.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Dracula
October 31, November 1 and November 2, 2025
With the recent release of Robert Eggers’ film Nosferatu, Gothic vampire tales are having a serious moment. It’s probably not everyone who thinks about ballet on Halloween, but if you do, The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has you covered with the return of choreographer Michael Pink’s Dracula, set to the music of Philip Feeney.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Roberto Sierra: Alegría Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F major
Franck: Symphony in D minor
Heinz Hall, November 7 and November 9, 2025
2024 was the centennial year of George Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, which harkened in celebrations of the great American composer’s life and work internationally. While Rhapsody established his reputation, I much prefer
his Piano Concerto in F, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year. That said, on this program I am most eager to hear the work of Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra. A recipient of numerous awards and prestigious honors, Sierra’s work offers another uniquely American perspective that continues on in the 21st century.
Pittsburgh Opera’s Fellow Travelers
November 14, 15 and 16, 2025
Based upon the 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon, Fellow Travelers becomes a 2017 opera by composer Gregory Spears as well as librettist Greg Pierce. Set in Washington D.C. during the McCarthy Era of the 1950s, this work explores the “lavender scare” during which mass firings of gay people from the Federal Government were carried out. Hauntingly and perhaps unexpectedly relevant today, this is a pointed inclusion in the Pittsburgh Opera’s coming season that’s sure to spark more than a few conversations.
Highmark Holiday Pops; Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Tamburitzans
Heinz Hall, December 12-14 and 19-21, 2025
It’s probably a given that as the holiday season rolls in you’ll be making plans to visit Heinz Hall to join the Pittsburgh Symphony for the Highmark Holiday Pops. In addition to mainstays like the Mendelssohn Choir and returning friends of the symphony such as guest conductor Daniel Meyer, vocalist Baline Alden Krauss and, of course, Santa Claus, I can’t wait to see take the stage is Pittsburgh’s folk music and dance troupe, The Tamburitzans. Founded in the 1930s at Duquesne University, The Tamburitzans showcase the strong ethnic diversity of Pittsburgh and are sure to add a thoughtful dimension of inclusivity to this season’s Holiday Pops.
Carnegie Mellon University School of Music Holiday Concert
Great Hall of the College of Fine Arts, December 2025
While the exact dates and program have not yet been announced, if you’re looking for a free holiday concert that showcases up-and-coming generations of fine musicians, I strongly recommend stopping by Carnegie Mellon University for the School of Music’s annual holiday concert. Tickets can usually be purchased through the university’s website for performances off campus, but in my opinion the best way to experience this wonderful tradition is the on-campus performance given from within the Great Hall of the College of Fine Arts.
Note: Pittsburgh Symphony does not release individual tickets for sale until September 1. Currently they are only offering subscription renewals.
Story by Christian Kriegeskotte
Photos Courtesy of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
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