The Culture of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

stems from the city's long

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

as a center for cultural

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, as well as its rich ethnic traditions. In the 19th and 20th centuries, wealthy businessmen such as

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

Henry J. Heinz Henry John Heinz (October 11, 1844 – May 14, 1919) was an American entrepreneur of Palatine descent who, at the age of 25, co-founded a small horseradish concern in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania. This business failed, but his second business exp ...

, Henry Clay Frick, and nonprofit organizations such as the Carnegie Foundation donated millions of dollars to create educational and cultural institutions.

Architecture

Cathedral of Learning Pittsburgh by Jennifer Yang

The

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

masterpiece

Fallingwater Fallingwater is a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in the Laurel Highlands of southwest Pennsylvania, about southeast of Pittsburgh in the United States. It is built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run in the Mill R ...

is about an hour's drive from Downtown Pittsburgh. The North Shore has an 1895 neogothic church, Calvary Methodist, with an interior designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The church's stained glass windows are some of the largest and most elaborate work Tiffany ever created. The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Pittsburgh, an opulently decorated edifice with elaborate

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

flourishes is one of the finest examples of the so-called Polish Cathedral style, dominating the skyline over Polish Hill. The Allegheny County Courthouse (1886), designed by

H.H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

, is a unique and influential building. At 42 stories, the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

's Cathedral of Learning (1937) is the second tallest collegiate building in the world. The tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh is the triangular

U.S. Steel Tower The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...

. Both

Acrisure Stadium Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Pan ...

(2001) and PNC Park (2001) are designed to give fans a view of the city skyline.

Conventions

The

David L. Lawrence Convention Center The David L. Lawrence Convention Center (DLLCC) is a convention, conference and exhibition building in downtown Pittsburgh in the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is served by two exits on Interstate 579. The initial David L. Lawrence ...

, located on the south bank of the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ) is a long headwater stream of the Ohio River in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York. The Allegheny River runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border northwesterly into ...

, is able to accommodate all sizes of conventions, exhibitions and conferences. Certified with a Gold rating by th
U.S. Green Building Council'sLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
initiative, the building is considered the first ever "green" convention center and world's largest "green" building.

Film

The region has hosted over 1,000 film and television works since the first production filmed in the city in 1898. Since 1990 the

Pittsburgh Film Office The Pittsburgh Film Office (PFO) is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation dedicated to economic development in the Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania region. History Created in 1990 to attract film production projects to the greater Southwestern ...

has marketed the greater southwestern Pennsylvania region as a great location for movie, television and commercial productions. The PFO has assisted more than 102 feature films and television productions to southwestern Pennsylvania to generate an economic impact of more than $575 million for the region.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers Pittsburgh Filmmakers was one of the oldest and largest media arts centers in the United States, operating from 1971 to 2019. The non-profit institution in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania began as a filmmaking equipment access cooperative founded by cur ...

teaches media arts and runs three " arthouse" movie theaters and since 1981 the Three Rivers Film Festival has brought national attention to local talent and artists of the region.

Theatre

The Pittsburgh Playhouse at Point Park University has four resident theatre companies. Other theater companies include

Bald Theatre Company Bald Theatre Company is a Pittsburgh-based theatre company. Established in 2010 by Justin Zeno, the theatre company's mission, "is to explore and expose stereotypes, focus on the individual, and to embrace those qualities which make us unique and ...

barebones productions barebones productions is a professional theatre company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which produces contemporary plays. Its mission is to "facilitate the growth of local theater artists through the production of challenging, entertaining, thought-pr ...

Bricolage Production Company Bricolage Production Company is a professional theatre company based in downtown Pittsburgh. Established in 2001 by Jeffrey Carpenter, it is located aCommunity Forge an inclusive community center in Wilkinsburg, PA. The company's mission is to use ...

, City Theatre, Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh,

Quantum Theatre Quantum Theatre is an experimental theatre company that uses non-traditional stages in Pittsburgh, PA. Founded in 1990 by Karla Boos, it is the longest running producer of site specific plays. The theatre has been mentioned in American Theatre M ...

Phase 3 Productions Phase 3 Productions is a Pittsburgh-based theatre company. Established in 2008, the theatre's mission is to include "relevant social awareness in everything produced." The company has produced theatrical classics like August Strindberg's ''Miss Ju ...

Prime Stage Theatre Prime Stage Theatre is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.Pittsburgh Public Theater, Attack Theater,

Unseam'd Shakespeare Company Unseam'd Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1993, the theatre's mission is to "rediscover and reinvent classic and classically inspired plays for modern audiences and present these ...

Terra Nova Theatre Group Terra Nova Theatre Group is a theatre company located in the area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded by William Cameron. Originally located in Washington, PA, the company has also utilized the Grey Box Theatre in Pittsburgh. Terra Nova has produc ...

Cup-A-Jo Productions Cup-A-Jo Productions is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2004 by Joanna Lowe, the company's mission is to "further new & established works in an effort to focus on the artist by tackling a variety of subjects, ...

Hiawatha Project Hiawatha Project is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh. Established in 2010 by Anya Martin and Michelle Carello, the company's mission is to "create original performances exploring specific social questions through myth, free as ...

12 Peers Theater 12 Peers Theater is a professional theatre company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2011 by Vince Ventura and Sara Fisher, the company has held productions in the Grey Box Theatre in Lawrenceville and Modern Formations Gallery in ...

Organic Theater Pittsburgh Organic Theater Pittsburgh is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the first theatre company in Pittsburgh to focus on being "eco-friendly." Founded in 2011 by Jaime Slavinsky, the company's mission is to create an "organi ...

, Three Rivers Theatre Company, Carrnivale Theatrics,

Theatre Sans Serif Theatre Sans Serif is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by Andrew Huntley in 2009, the theatre company's mission is to "produce classical and new works, in innovative and widely ranging styles" and to "foster collabora ...

The Summer Company The Summer Company is a Pittsburgh-based theatre company that produces classical and contemporary plays. Established in 1993 by Steve Fatla, Jay Keenan, and John E. Lane, Jr., the company was initially founded with the mission “to produce quality ...

Throughline Theatre Company Throughline Theatre Company is a Pittsburgh-based theatre company. Established in 2009 by recent college graduates from Catawba College, the company's mission is to "focus on the past, its impact on the present, and what it holds for the future." ...

No Name Players No Name Players is a professional theatre company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2000 by Don DiGiulio at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, the theatre company began as a creative outlet for DiGiulio and his classmates ...

Pittsburgh Musical Theater Pittsburgh Musical Theater (PMT) is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1990, the company has since expanded with the educational programs offered by the Richard E. Rauh Conservatory of Musical Theater. T ...

Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh Caravan Theatre of Pittsburgh is a theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2007 by John Gresh, the company has produced contemporary plays, such as ''800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick'', ''Savage in Limbo'' ...

Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (Pittsburgh CLO) is a nonprofit professional theater company based in the Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Despite its name, the organization presents musical theatre classics rather than ...

Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company is a professional theatre company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2003 by artistic director Mark Clayton Southers, the company originally held productions at the Penn Theater in ...

, Stage Right, and

Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre PICT (formerly known as Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre) was founded in 1996 by Andrew S. Paul and Stephanie Riso in Pittsburgh. PICT has emerged as a significant contributor to the cultural fabric of Pittsburgh with almost 2,000 season subsc ...

. The

Pittsburgh New Works Festival Pittsburgh New Works Festival is an annual festival where participating Pittsburgh-area theatre companies each produce an original one-act play. Established in 1990 by Donna Rae, the Festival features four weeks of productions of new plays as well ...

utilizes local theatre companies to stage productions of original one-act plays by playwrights from all parts of the country. Similarly,

Future Ten Future Ten is an annual ten-minute play festival located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Established in 2003 by Future Tenant, an organization that showcases art projects from a variety of disciplines, the festival presents 8-10 plays selected from an ...

showcases new ten-minute plays.

Saint Vincent Summer Theatre Saint Vincent Summer Theatre is a professional theatre company that is associated with Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1969 by Father Tom Devereux, O.S.B., the company was originally composed entirely of St. Vincent stud ...

Off the Wall Productions Off the Wall Productions is a theater production company located in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, USA. A non-profit 501 C3 and Carnegie Stage’s Resident Professional Theater Company, working under contract with Actors' Equity Association, producing a ...

Mountain Playhouse Mountain Playhouse is Pennsylvania's oldest professional summer stock theatre company and is located in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania. Housed in a restored 1805 gristmill, the theatre was founded by James Stoughton in 1939. It produces musicals, farce ...

, and

Stage Right! Stage Right! is a professional theatre company and performing arts school located in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Established in 1998 as an organization for young people to take classes in musical theatre by Chris Rizk, Stage Right! also became a pr ...

in nearby Latrobe, Carnegie, Jennerstown, and Greensburg, respectively, employ Pittsburgh actors and contribute to the culture of the region. August Wilson, one of the best known playwrights of his generation, was a Pittsburgh native. The majority of his plays are set in the city as well including the two that he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for ( Fences (play) and

The Piano Lesson ''The Piano Lesson'' is a 1987 play by American playwright August Wilson. It is the fourth play in Wilson's ''The Pittsburgh Cycle''. Wilson began writing this play by playing with the various answers regarding the possibility of "acquir nga se ...

Friday Nite Improvs Friday Nite Improvs, or Friday Night Improvs (FNI), was a long-running weekly improvisational comedy show staged on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show functioned as an improv ...

, an improv show at the

's Cathedral of Learning, is Pittsburgh's longest-running theatre show. It has produced a number of professional writers and actors. Since 1991, the

Gene Kelly Awards The Gene Kelly Awards for Excellence in High School Musical Theater, named after the actor/director Gene Kelly, are given out yearly by the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and the University of Pittsburgh. The award was founded in 1991 and celebrate ...

have honored students in drama in the region, giving a platform to some who have gone on to both theater and film careers.

Cuisine

Traditional Pittsburgh foods reflect the city's multicultural heritage, especially that of the European immigrants of the early 20th century. While these immigrant populations introduced dishes such as pierogis to the city, they are now enjoyed by Pittsburghers in general. Other Pittsburgh food specialties were developed in the city. In general, these dishes are still popular because for many years, they satisfied the hearty appetite of the archetypal Pittsburgher: the hard-working, blue-collar steelworker. *

Cabbage rolls A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the cuisines of Central, Northern, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and much of Western Asia, Northern China, as well as parts ...

–(aka ''Halupki'')– Beef, pork, rice, green pepper, wrapped in cabbage and baked with sauerkraut and tomato soup or juice. * Chipped Ham – (aka Chipped Chopped Ham) thinly-sliced processed ham, from

Isaly's Isaly's () was a chain of family-owned dairies and restaurants started in Mansfield, Ohio, Mansfield (Richland County, Ohio, Richland County), Ohio, with locations throughout the American Midwest from the early 20th century until the 1970s. It ...

since 1933. *

City Chicken City chicken is an American entrée consisting of cubes of meat, which have been placed on a wooden skewer (approximately 4–5 inches long), then fried and/or baked. Depending on the recipe, they may be breaded. Despite the name of the dish ...

– cubes of pork and/or veal baked or fried on a wooden skewer. * Clark Bar – chocolate candy bar; developed in the city in 1917. * Essie's Original Hot Dog shop - an Oakland staple since 1960. *

Halušky Halušky (, plural in Czech and Slovak; hu, galuska, or ''nokedli''; ro, gălușcă; uk, галушка; lt, virtinukai) are a traditional variety of thick, soft noodles or dumplings found in many Central and Eastern European cuisines wher ...

– noodles with fried cabbage (Polish), or cottage cheese (Slovak). *

Iron City Beer Pittsburgh Brewing Company (formerly known as Iron City Brewing Company) is a beer company headquartered in the Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh), Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States best known for producing brands ...

– native brew; with a shot of whiskey, a boilermaker; with a shot of Imperial, an imp-n-arn. * Italian sausage – with grilled peppers and onions. *

Kielbasa Kielbasa (, ; from Polish ) is any type of meat sausage from Poland and a staple of Polish cuisine. In American English the word typically refers to a coarse, U-shaped smoked sausage of any kind of meat, which closely resembles the ''Wiejska'' ...

– eastern European sausages. *

Pepperoni roll The pepperoni roll is an Italian-American cuisine, Italian-American stuffed bread roll. Originally conceived of as a coal miner's lunch, it is popular in West Virginia and some nearby regions of the Appalachian Mountains such as Eastern Kentucky ...

- an Italian American snack made of a soft white bread with pepperoni and cheese in the middle. Various shops in the Strip District as well as

Giant Eagle Giant Eagle, Inc. (Western Pennsylvania English: ) and stylized as giant eagle) is an American supermarket chain with stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylv ...

sell this snack in Pittsburgh. *

Pierogi Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savory or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. Pierogi or their varieties are associated with the cuisines of Central, Easter ...

– Polish dish, pasta dough filled with potato and cheese, onion or sauerkraut. *

Primanti Brothers Primanti Brothers (, ), sometimes called Primanti’s for short, is a chain of sandwich shops in the eastern United States. Since its founding in 1933 in Pittsburgh, Primanti's has become a cultural icon of the region. The chain is known for its ...

– sandwich with

fries French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips (Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. The ...

and coleslaw in it. *

Sarris Candies Sarris Candies, Inc., is a specialty chocolate and candies company based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1960 by Frank Sarris. History Frank Sarris (September 22, 1931 ...

- chocolates and ice cream originating in Canonsburg * Teutonia Männerchor - Deutschtown (East Allegheny)

German food The cuisine of Germany () is made up of many different local or regional cuisines, reflecting the country's federal history. Germany itself is part of the larger cultural region of Central Europe, sharing many culinary traditions with neighbo ...

. *

Wholey's Wholey’s , officially known as Robert Wholey & Co. Inc., is a prominent fish market and grocery store in Pittsburgh's historic Strip District neighborhood. In 2007, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that they are a "household word in the regio ...

– Founded in 1912 in Pittsburgh's market square and now located on Penn Ave; Wholey's serves a wide variety of seafood and a famous fish sandwich. The Wholey company has been the anchor and main attraction of the historic "strip District" for over 60 years.

Restaurants/nightlife

Pittsburgh is home to several night spots.
2014 best restaurants2003 news feature2003 news remembrance feature1998 feature on seafood1994 news feature
and
chefs feature from 1994News feature on the "new" Hofbrau1984-85 dining guideListing of nightspots from 1978

Listing of nightspots from 1950May 1950
an
July 1950

Listing of nightspots from 1949
an
another

Listing of nightspots from 1937
an
August 1937

Hofbrau feature from 1934

Gardens and parks

In addition to numerous large and small neighborhood parks, Pittsburgh has five large city parks covering hundreds of acres: * Schenley Park in the

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

and

Squirrel Hill Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated a ...

neighborhoods. This park contains Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. *

Frick Park Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, covering . It is one of Pittsburgh's four historic large parks. History The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed south of Clayto ...

in the

and Regent Square neighborhoods * Highland Park in the neighborhood of the same name. This park contains the

Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium __NOTOC__ The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park, the zoo sits on of park land where it exhibits more than 4,000 animals rep ...

. * Riverview Park on the

Northside Northside or North Side may refer to: Music * Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, England * NorthSide, an American record label * NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark * "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vinc ...

, home to the historic Allegheny Observatory. *

Grand View Scenic Byway Park Emerald View Park (formerly called Grand View Scenic Byway Park) is a large municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It encircles the neighborhoods of Mt. Washington, Duquesne Heights and Allentown and offers scenic views of the city that dra ...

circling the Mt. Washington and Duquesne Heights neighborhoods. Several other parks and gardens are in Pittsburgh: *The

National Aviary The National Aviary, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is the only independent indoor nonprofit aviary in the United States. It is also the country's largest aviary, and the only one accorded honorary "National" statu ...

* Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens *

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium __NOTOC__ The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park, the zoo sits on of park land where it exhibits more than 4,000 animals repr ...

Libraries

The city has an extensive library system, both public and university. Most notable are the

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city. Like hundreds of other Carn ...

and the

's University Library System. Many local history materials are available on-line a
Historic Pittsburgh
a collection that includes materials from the

's University Library System, the Library & Archives of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania at th
Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center
and the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art, is an art museum in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was at what is now the Main Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsbur ...

.
Pittsburgh History
is an on-line service maintained by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Literature

With the leadership of native

Samuel Hazo Samuel Robert Hazo (born 1966) is an American composer, primarily of music for concert band. Biography Hazo is the son of the poet and playwright Samuel John Hazo and his wife, Mary Anne. After elementary and secondary schooling in the Upp ...

the city hosted a poetry forum. Pittsburgh is also renown for its deep and enduring literary culture. Pittsburgh literary history goes back to the early 20th century, with dozens of prominent authors, the city for a time was considered more closely identified with literature than with steel.

Music

The

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...

performs in

Heinz Hall Heinz Hall is a performing arts center and concert hall located at 600 Penn Avenue in the Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and the Pittsburgh Youth Sym ...

, which also plays host to other events throughout the year. The

Benedum Center The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Stanley Theatre) is a theater and concert hall located at 237 7th Street in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm Hoffman-He ...

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 The River City Brass Band (River City Brass, RCB) is a modified British-style brass band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The 28-piece ensemble tours extensively throughout the United States and performs more than 35 concerts each year as part ...

. 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and folk dancing. The

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the group was established by composer David Stock in 1976. It has premiered over 20 ...

(PNME) is an American ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. And the

Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh Renaissance & Baroque, formerly known as the Renaissance and Baroque Society of Pittsburgh is a non-profit performing arts organization in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that presents performances of music from the Medieval music, Medieval, Renaissance m ...

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 is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Jazz came to the city's

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

neighborhoods after 1925. The

Hill District The Hill District is a grouping of historically African American neighborhoods in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Beginning in the years leading up to World War I, "the Hill" was the cultural center of black life in the city and a major cent ...

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. A number of influential musicians emerged from the city. Mary Lou Williams,

Ahmad Jamal Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones, July 2, 1930) is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader and educator. For six decades, he has been one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. Biography Early life Jamal was born Fr ...

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad "Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first rec ...

, and

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

, who was

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

's primary musical collaborator for 28 years, came from the city's East End regions of Homewood and East Liberty. A number of musicians came from communities outside the city, including:

Maxine Sullivan Maxine Sullivan (May 13, 1911 – April 7, 1987), born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, United States, was an American jazz vocalist and performer. As a vocalist, Sullivan was active for half a century, from the mid-1930s to just be ...

(

Homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

), Sonny Clark (

Herminie Herminie is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sewickley Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 856 at the 2000 census. History Herminie (pronounced ''hurr-many'') is named for Herminie Berwind, whose h ...

) and

Earl "Fatha" Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, "o ...

( Duquesne). Vocalist and bandleader

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

was one of the first musicians to be paid a $1 million recording contract. Trumpeter Roy Eldridge, drummer Kenneth Spearman "Klook" Clarke, and influential bassist Ray Brown were born in the city; singer

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

was raised in Pittsburgh. Bassist

Paul Chambers Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Jr. (April 22, 1935 – January 4, 1969) was an American jazz double bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, he has become one of the most widely-known jazz bassists of the hard bop era. ...

, also born in Pittsburgh, played on two of the most important albums in jazz history:

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

' ''

Kind of Blue ''Kind of Blue'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded on March 2 and April 22, 1959, at Columbia's 30th Street Studio in New York City, and released on August 17 of that year by Co ...

'' (1959) and John Coltrane's ''

Giant Steps ''Giant Steps'' is the fifth studio album by jazz musician John Coltrane as leader. It was released in February 1960 on Atlantic Records. This was his first album as leader for Atlantic Records, with which he had signed a new contract the previou ...

'' (1960). Other noted jazz musicians include: Eric Kloss, Dodo Marmarosa,

Walt Harper Walter Eugene Harper (July 3, 1926 – October 25, 2006) was an American jazz pianist and influential nightclub owner. Early life Harper grew up in the Schenley Heights section of Pittsburgh and was the sixth of eight children. Harper's father h ...

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

and Stanley Turrentine,

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Char ...

, pianist, Nathan Davis, guitarist George Benson, and drummers

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

Roger Humphries Roger Humphries (born January 30, 1944) is an American jazz drummer. Born into a family of ten children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Humphries began playing drums at age four, and went professional at age 14. He led an ensemble at Carnegie Hall ...

and Jeff "Tain" Watts. A young

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 been called the "Father of American music", has had five films made of his life, has heavily influenced such talents as

Nellie Bly Elizabeth Cochran Seaman (born Elizabeth Jane Cochran; May 5, 1864 – January 27, 1922), better known by her pen name Nellie Bly, was an American journalist, industrialist, inventor, and charity worker who was widely known for her record-breaki ...

and

Jackie Gleason John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916June 24, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, writer, composer, and conductor known affectionately as "The Great One." Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was know ...

and has had two of his songs chosen as state anthems (Kentucky and Florida) as well as the annual selections of

Churchill Downs Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...

. Pittsburgh is perhaps most associated for the plethora of

Doo Wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

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 Del-Vikings (also known as The Dell-Vikings) were an American doo-wop musical group that recorded several hit singles in the 1950s and continued to record and tour with various lineups in later decades. The group is notable for the hit song ...

, The Marcels,

The Vogues The Vogues are an American vocal rock and roll group from Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The original lineup consisted of Bill Burkette (lead baritone), Don Miller (baritone), Hugh Geyer (first tenor), and Chuck Blasko (seco ...

and

The Skyliners The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh. The original lineup was: Jimmy Beaumont (lead), Janet Vogel (soprano), Wally Lester (tenor), Jackie Taylor (bass voice, guitarist), Joe Verscharen (baritone). The Skyliners were best ...

exemplify the regions doo-wop contributions. During this same era notable solo acts such as Henry Mancini,

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

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 The Omni William Penn Hotel is a 23 floor (3 underground) hotel located at 530 William Penn Place on Mellon Square in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A variety of luminaries have stayed at the hotel, including John F. Kennedy. The hotel staf ...

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 Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He gained fame as the frontman of rock band Poison who has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the U ...

, known for his fame in the band

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

. Both

Joe Grushecky Joe Grushecky (born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a rock musician in the United States known for his work with the Iron City Houserockers in the late 1970s and early 1980s; and for his works since the late the 1980s with his act Joe Grushecky and T ...

and

Donnie Iris Donnie Iris (born Dominic Ierace, February 28, 1943) is an American rock musician known for his work with the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry during the 1970s, and for his solo career beginning in the 1980s with his band, the Cruisers. He wrote the ...

achieved one-hit wonder fame and lasting regional rock fame. Several notable bands emerged from Pittsburgh in the 1990s, including Rusted Root,

The Clarks The Clarks are an American rock band from the Pittsburgh region, originating at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Over the course of thirty-plus years, they have produced eleven studio albums, two live albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and f ...

Don Caballero Don Caballero (often shortened by members as 'Don Cab') was an American instrumental rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although the band has had numerous lineup changes with co-founder Damon Che (drums and percussion) being the only cons ...

, and the punk rock bands

Anti-Flag Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The band is known for its left-wing political activism. Their current members include Justin Sane (vocals, guitar), Chris Head (guitar), Pat Thetic (drums), and Chris Ba ...

and

Aus-Rotten Aus-Rotten was an American crust punk band formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Active from 1991 to 2001, its members practiced and promoted a philosophy of anarchist politics. The band included lead vocalist Dave Trenga, vocalist/guitarist Eric Go ...

. Rusted Root and The Clarks appeared on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

''. Formed in 1999, the

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

group

Modey Lemon Modey Lemon is an American garage rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group formed in Pittsburgh's South Oakland neighborhood in 1999 as an informal side project of Dean Swagger, a rock trio that had spent the previous year mainly perf ...

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. In the 2000s, Anti-Flag produced five albums, signed to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

and appeared several times on the

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running touring ...

. Rapper

Wiz Khalifa Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...

, who signed to

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

but left without releasing an album, topped the

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

singles chart by the end of the decade.

Mashup Mashup may refer to: * Mashup (culture), the rearrangement of spliced parts of musical pieces as part of a subculture * Mashup (education), combining various forms of data and media by a teacher or student in an instructional setting * Mashup (mus ...

/laptop music artist Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) found mainstream success. His 2006 album ''

Night Ripper ''Night Ripper'' is the third studio album by American musician Gregg Gillis, released under his stage name Girl Talk on May 9, 2006 by Illegal Art. It is a mashup album primarily composed of samples taken from other artists' music, while also ...

'' gained favorable reviews and ''

Feed the Animals ''Feed the Animals'' is the fourth studio album by American musician Gregg Gillis, released under his stage name Girl Talk by Illegal Art on June 19, 2008. Illegal Art originally released the album as a digital download through their website usin ...

'' (2008) topped year end album lists in national media. Since 2010, solo acts such as natives

Jackie Evancho Jacqueline Marie Evancho ( ; born April 9, 2000) is an American crossover music#Classical crossover, classical crossover singer who gained wide recognition at an early age. Since 2009, she has issued a platinum-selling extended play, EP and nine ...

, Slimmie Hendrix,

Daya (singer) Grace Martine Tandon (born October 24, 1998), better known by her stage name Daya (stylized DΛYΛ; pronounced ), is an American singer and songwriter from Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. She is signed to Sandlot Records and AWAL, and released her ...

, and

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

have achieved worldwide fame. Josh Groban was trained in Pittsburgh, having attended

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

. While it has historically been low-key, Pittsburgh's Hardcore/Metal scene has also gained international attention since the early 2010s, as witnessed by the critical success of the band Code Orange. Other extreme bands from Pittsburgh include Signs Of The Swarm and Those Who Fear.

Dance

Pittsburgh Dance Council The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust (PCT) is a nonprofit arts organization formed in 1984 to promote economic and cultural development in Downtown Pittsburgh. The "Trust" has focused its work on a 14-square block section called the Cultural District, wh ...

and the

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). History 1969 - Founding The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre was founded in 1969 by a Yugoslavian choreog ...

host a variety of dance events. Polka, folk, square and round dancing have a long history in the city and are celebrated by the internationally famous

Duquesne University Tamburitzans The Tamburitzans (Formerly the Duquesne University Tamburitzans) are the longest-running multicultural song and dance company in the United States. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the company's members are full-time students who rece ...

, a multicultural academy dedicated to the preservation and presentation of folk songs and dance.

Museums and art

Pittsburgh has several visual arts museums, including the Andy Warhol Museum, dedicated to the works of Pittsburgh native

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

. The

is home to works by artists including

Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, , ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of impressionist painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During ...

and Robert Adam, along with galleries of sculpture, modern art, the Heinz Architectural Center, a large film and video collection, and various traveling exhibits. Installation art is featured outdoors at ArtGardens of Pittsburgh. The

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts The Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (PCA) is a non-profit community arts campus that offers arts education programs and contemporary art exhibitions in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It also provides services and resources for artists th ...

shows contemporary art and provides resources for

Western Pennsylvania Western Pennsylvania is a region in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, covering the western third of the state. Pittsburgh is the region's principal city, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic ...

artists. The town's history museum is the Heinz History Center with an annual attendance of 130,000. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, located in

, has extensive dinosaur collections on display, including the most complete '' Tyrannosaurus rex'' skeleton ever discovered, and an

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

wing. The building may be distinguished by a life-size statue known as, " Dippy the Diplodocus" to the right of the main entrance. Other dinosaur statues are visible around the Pittsburgh area, these decorated by artists nationwide and sold as a benefit to the

Carnegie Museums Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Carnegie Institute complex in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Carnegie Institute complex, which includes t ...

. The Carnegie Science Center, located in the North Side near PNC Park and

Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...

, is more technology oriented. The

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a hands-on interactive children's museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is in the Allegheny Center neighborhood in Pittsburgh's Northside. History The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh was founded in 1983 i ...

, located on Pittsburgh's Northside, has a variety of interactive exhibits and programs for children and families including a multimedia art studio, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, water area and theater for performances.

Recreation

Close by the Phipp's Conservatory is the

Schenley Park Golf Course Bob O'Connor Golf Course at Schenley Park, formerly known as Schenley Park Golf Course, is located in the rolling hills of Schenley Park between Oakland and Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is the only golf course within the city ...

, a public golf links. Kennywood Park is widely regarded by rollercoaster enthusiasts to have some of the best rollercoasters in the world, including several early 20th century wooden coasters: the Racer, the Thunderbolt, and the Jackrabbit. A water park owned by Kennywood, Sandcastle, is another local amusement park.

Counter-culture

Pittsburgh has recently gained attention as a burgeoning center for counter-culture. The annual Pennsic War, the Society for Creative Anachronism's largest re-enactment of pre-17th-century Europe, is hosted nearby. Anthrocon, the world's largest anthropomorphics convention (better known as furry convention), returns every summer to the

. The Pittsburgh

Cacophony Society The Cacophony Society is "a randomly gathered network of free spirits united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the pale of mainstream society." It was started in 1986 by surviving members of the now defunct Suicide Club of San Francisco. C ...

is also very active,Pittsburgh Cacophony Society blog
and in 2008, the Pittsburgh

Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...

community launched a winter regional burn event calle
Frostburn

References

External links

*
Pittsburgh Cultural GuideThe Pittsburgh Cultural TrustPittpunkPittsburgh Music History''Wall St. Journal'' featureTeutonia Männerchor
{{Pittsburgh

Architecture

Conventions

Film

Theatre

Cuisine

Restaurants/nightlife

Gardens and parks

Libraries

Literature

Music

Jazz

Popular music

Dance

Museums and art

Recreation

Counter-culture

See also

References

External links