The
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performs in
Heinz Hall, which also plays host to other events throughout the year. The
Benedum Center and Heinz Hall provide venues for numerous musicals, lectures, speeches, and other performances, including
Pittsburgh Opera. Pittsburgh is also home to one of the few professional brass bands in the world, the
River City Brass Band. Other musical arts groups include the
Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (
PYSO) and the River City Youth Brass Band. The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh is an acclaimed semi-professional choir, with performances that are usually free to the public. The
Teutonia Männerchor, founded in 1854 and based in
East Allegheny (Deutschtown) furthers choral singing in
German and folk dancing. The
Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. And the
Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh hosts early music concerts of artists from across the country.
Jazz Pittsburgh became an important gateway between the north, south, east and west of the U.S., playing a strong role in the development of
jazz. Jazz came to the city's
African American neighborhoods after 1925. The
Hill District became known as "Little Harlem" from the 1920s until the early 1950s. There were hundreds of jazz venues in the community, which later helped to promote the emergence of
bebop, the most famous was probably the
Crawford Grill which nightly attracted top national talent. Other noted jazz musicians include:
Eric Kloss,
Dodo Marmarosa,
Walt Harper,
Tommy and
Stanley Turrentine,
Horace Parlan, pianist,
Nathan Davis, guitarist
George Benson, and drummers
Art Blakey,
Roger Humphries and
Jeff "Tain" Watts. A young
Lena Horne also spent her formative years learning jazz and blues in the city's Hill District.
Popular music Pittsburgh's role in popular music began with native
Stephen Foster and his enduring classics of the 1800s. So influential was Foster's works that he has been called the "Father of American music", has had five films made of his life, has heavily influenced such talents as
Nellie Bly and
Jackie Gleason and has had two of his songs chosen as state anthems (Kentucky and Florida) as well as the annual selections of
Churchill Downs. Pittsburgh is perhaps most associated for the plethora of
Doo Wop artists that were produced during the 1950s and 1960s, thanks in part to local legendary disc jockey
Porky Chedwick playing songs that in most other major markets wouldn't risk being played. Several groups such as the
Del-Vikings,
The Marcels,
The Vogues and
The Skyliners exemplify the regions doo-wop contributions. During this same era notable solo acts such as
Henry Mancini,
Perry Como,
Dean Martin and
Bobby Vinton came out of the region to reach world fame in the industry. A years long engagement at the city's
William Penn Hotel also launched the national career of
Lawrence Welk. During the 1970s and 1980s rock era Pittsburgh had a major role in the success of both
Wild Cherry and their most popular song/album
Play That Funky Music (inspired by a fan's plea to them during a performance at the
North Side's 2001 Club in 1976), and being the home to
Bret Michaels, known for his fame in the band
Poison. Both
Joe Grushecky and
Donnie Iris achieved one-hit wonder fame and lasting regional rock fame. Several notable bands emerged from Pittsburgh in the 1990s, including
Rusted Root,
The Clarks,
Don Caballero, and the punk rock bands
Anti-Flag and
Aus-Rotten. Rusted Root and The Clarks appeared on the
Late Show with David Letterman. Formed in 1999, the
garage rock group
Modey Lemon toured the U.S. and internationally, gaining favorable reviews. Singer
Christina Aguilera, a student at
North Allegheny Intermediate High School, debuted locally at the 1999
Lilith Fair, before going on to sell over 43 million albums worldwide. Since 2010, solo acts such as natives
Jackie Evancho,
Slimmie Hendrix,
Wiz Khalifa,
Daya, and
Mac Miller have achieved worldwide fame.
Josh Groban was trained in Pittsburgh, having attended
Carnegie Mellon University. While it has historically been overshadowed by other regional scenes, Pittsburgh's Hardcore/Metal scene has gained international attention since the mid-2010s, as witnessed by the critical and commercial success of the band
Code Orange. Other popular metal bands from Pittsburgh include Signs Of The Swarm and Those Who Fear. In the late 2010s and 2020s, many Pittsburgh-based bands involved in the city's local music scene rose to nationwide prominence, including
Feeble Little Horse,
Short Fictions, and
Merce Lemon. This period of time has been marked by an uptick in
shoegaze,
noise rock,
emo, and
slowcore music coming from within the local scene, as well.
Hellbender Vinyl, the largest vinyl record manufacturing company in Pennsylvania, is located in Pittsburgh. == Dance ==