Janis Burley Wilson, VP and Director of Jazz Programs at the Trust, says, “The Trust has established a creative partnership with Sean Jones and we always look forward to what he will create next.  Love is such a complex emotion, and every year, we present something fresh and new that resonates with audiences.  It has become a tradition to spend Valentine’s Day with the Trust and Sean Jones at JazzLive in the Cabaret.”

Jones has established a reputation as one of the finest jazz trumpet players in the world, touring with his own band, as lead trumpeter with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with the Marcus Miller band, and numerous other groups, all over the world.  He is artistic director
of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra at the August Wilson Center and artist in
residence for the Trust’s Pittsburgh JazzLive International Festival.  He is considered by his fellow musicians, and critics, to be the “heir apparent” to the jazz legacy left by greats like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard.  Sean Jones quintet  is Obed Calvaire on drums, Sullivan Fortner on piano, Luques Curtis on bass, and Brian Hogans on saxophone.  The band is made up of a group of young
superstars in their own right.  Luques Curtis plays with Latin jazz legend, Eddie Palmieri, and just released his first album as a leader of the Curtis Brothers.

Brian Hogans plays with Russell Gun, Soul Cycle, and has played with
Sean Jones 5 years.  A multi-instrumentalist, Hogans plays sax, drums, and piano.

For tickets to Soiree Voyage d’Amour featuring the Sean Jones Quintet, contact the Theater Square Box Office at 412 456-6666 or online at pgharts.org.

Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company (UK) strives to entertain and inform young people, drawing from different cultures and traditions to present entertaining and educational work. The company has presented original book adaptations for stage productions throughout the United Kingdom and United States. The Stage comments, “It’s a small-scale production…makes imaginative use of single hinged flats for scene changes and has some good songs – is a fine piece of theatre.”

Big Wooden Horse Theatre Company’s musical production of The Way Back Home, adapted from the award-winning story by author Oliver Jeffers, brings to the stage a tale about a small boy who finds a plane in his cupboard. After flying the plane higher and higher and then running out of gas, our hero lands on the moon, totally alone. Just as he begins to feel lost and frightened, he finds – to his surprise – that he is not the only visitor! Brought face to face with a Martian who also has landed on the moon, the boy and the alien begin a heartwarming companionship. “Well paced and full of the variety a very young audience needs.” – The Stage “The young audience loved every moment. I strongly recommend this play to any family.” – Halifax Courier

This 60-minute play features original music, colorful costumes and sets. The production was adapted for the stage by Adam Bampton-Smith, with music by Shock Productions, lyrics by Guy Picot and Lighting by Will Evans. Recommended for ages 3-10. Oliver Jeffers received the Somerset Fiction Award (2009) for his children’s book The Way Back Home.

Individual tickets ($11 at the door; $9.50 in advance) can be ordered online at www.trustarts.org/kids, by calling (412) 456-6666, or in person at the Box Office at Theater Square,655 Penn Avenue. Group tickets can be ordered by calling (412) 471-6930.

Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, opens the door for children to experience professional performing arts programming which inspires, challenges, educates, and stimulates respect for and an understanding of all cultures in an entertaining and enlightening way. Each year, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater presents a Family Series and the Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival, which is one of only four international children’s theater festivals in the nation.

Playing For Change was founded by Mark Johnson, an American music producer who assembled a team in a mobile recording studio and travelled with them around the world in the early 2000s searching for musical inspirations and ties between cultures. The project found new life in 2008 when the nonprofit Playing For Change Foundation established Timeless Media, a joint venture with the for-profit Concord Music Group, in order to support ongoing media projects. Their debut CD/DVD set Songs Around the World was released in 2009 and reached #10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart. The group released its second CD, Songs Around the World, Part 2 in 2011.

Songs Around the World was particularly inspired by a performance of “Stand By Me” by the late street performer Roger Ridley in Santa Monica, California. On the album’s familiar tracks, largely unknown street artists such as Ridley or New Orleans street performer “Grandpa” Elliott Small are featured alongside music artists like Bono. Songs Around the World, Part 2 continues the musical journey with global inspirations. “The journey of this album takes us from a village in Mali to the favelas (slums) of Brazil, from New Orleans to India, Jamaica to Japan. We stopped in 15 countries and recorded more than 150 musicians,” said Johnson. “[Playing For Change is] a great showcase for just what incredible, thoroughly accessible popular music is being made worldwide.” – Variety

Additionally, the project has formed a band drawn from the worldwide family network of musicians. The Playing For Change band lineup includes percussionist Mohammed Alidu (Northern Ghana), vocalist Clarence Bekker (Netherlands/Suriname), vocalist/harmonica Grandpa Elliott Small (New Orleans), vocalist/percussionist Mermans Kenkosenki (DRC Congo), guitarist Jason Tamba (Kinshasa, the capital of DRC Congo), and vocalist Titi Tsira (Gugulethu, African township in the Western Cape). “No one walked out at the end of the night on Saturday without a smile. In fact, it’s quite possible that no one has ever left a performance by the Playing for Change Band without sporting a huge, ear-to-ear grin.” – Greg Haymes, The Times Union

Tickets ($28.00-$38.00) for Playing for Change: The Band on February 29, 2012, at the Byham Theater may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

Tickets ($19-$45) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square, online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. First Commonwealth is the proud season sponsor of Pittsburgh Dance Council, and 90.5 Essential Public Radio is the media sponsor.

Armitage Gone! Dance was created in 2005 upon Karole Armitage’s return from her 15-year stay in Europe. The company endorses innovation and is dedicated to refining the boundaries and perceptions of contemporary dance. Extending on classical and modern styles from the Balanchine and Cunningham tradition, Armitage permeates experimental thinking into the geometric balance, speed, rhythm and beauty of dance steps. Armitage derives inspiration from sources such as Japanese aesthetics, pop culture and new media, physics, fashion, and from her dancers of distinct cultural and dance backgrounds. Armitage Gone! Dance is noted for its collaborations with creators in the visual arts, science, and music, including artists Jeff Koons and David Salle, as well as string-theory physicist Brian Greene.

Three Theories (2010) is an evening-length work, inspired by renowned physicist Brian Greene’s best-selling book, The Elegant Universe. The performance itself is enriched with scientific discoveries and divided into three distinct sections – each defined by its own dance structure and musical language. Three Theories is performed by Leonides Arpon, Kristina Bethel-Blunt, Megumi Eda, William Isaac, Luke Manley, Bennyroyce Royon, Abbey Roesner, Marlon Taylor-Wiles, Emily Wagner, Mei-hua Wang, and Masayo Yamaguchi.

The series choreography begins with a prelude inspired by the Big Bang Theory, set to an excerpt from Chatham’s Two Gongs. The first section, titled Relativity, derives from Einstein’s hypothesis that gravity is the warping of the space-time fabric. Armitage advances her analysis of bending and twisting the horizontal and vertical lines of classical ballet in this dance. Relativity is a soothing dance, echoing Einstein’s recognition of the universe as a place of central order.

The second section, Quantum, is charged by Quantum Mechanics’ explanation of the volatility of the universe on the particle, or micro, level. As a result, Armitage created four ambiguous, rapid, off-kilter duets, set to Chatham’s driving initial score for 100 massed guitars precisely tuned to produce micro-tones. The choreographic structure for this section is inspired by Quantum Mechanics’ inception of “sum-over-paths,” which derives from a single dance phrase that is manipulated in a variation of ways.

The last section, String, draws from the string theory, which presumes that the fundamental matter of the universe is essentially a microscopic vibrating string, in which its vibrations are caused by the volume of the folded, intricate geometry surrounding it. “Legs twang like twisted arrows; hips pivot; feet slap sporadically on the floor…Armitage’s choreography is constantly morphing and moving into another mood, another feel (Dance Europe).”

Artistic director Karole Armitage, also known as the “punk ballerina,” began her professional career in 1973 as a member of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Switzerland. The company was devoted to the works of George Balanchine, which stems the majority of Armitage’s inspiration. In 1976, Armitage’s career blossomed with leading roles in Merce Cunningham’s landmark works. She stayed with Cunningham for five years, and since then – through her unique knowledge of the aesthetic values of Balanchine and Cunningham – Armitage has created her own place in the modern world of dance. In 1978, Armitage created her first piece, followed by her iconic Drastic-Classicism in 1981.

Karole Armitage has won several awards in various countries for her outstanding work, including the Grand Prix Roscigno Danza, Officier dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Chevalier dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and the Guggenheim Fellowship for Choreography. Her unique style has set her apart from others. “The ‘Armitage style’ is distinguished by its virtuosity and its urgency. She pushes the frontiers that traditionally separate dance, theater, music, and visual arts (Arte Magazine).”

Each year the Pittsburgh Dance Council, a division of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, showcases a world-class season of dance. As the largest presenter of international performances in the city, the Dance Council continues to help make our Cultural District one of the country’s leading arts and entertainment centers.

This concert is presented by Attila Glatz Concerts Productions in association with Columbia Artists Management, Inc. and appears as part of the Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents series.

Tickets ($38.25 – $78.25) for the February 25, 2012, performance of “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY” at the Benedum Center may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.TrustArts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666. To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

With more than 70 musicians on stage, “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY” is a multi-media feast for the ears and the eyes. Composer Nobuo Uematsu’s music, hailed by Time Magazine’s Christopher John Farley for “…imbuing FINAL FANTASY games with grandeur and depth, much the way John Williams’ score helped propel Star Wars into hyperspace,” is sweeping and richly atmospheric. Originally created to enhance the gaming experience of one of the best-selling video game franchises in history, the compositions have garnered legions of fans of their own.

“While originally composed to set the tone for the FINAL FANTASY games, Uematsu’s music is as emotionally compelling and sophisticated as the work of any composer working today,” said Music Director and Executive Producer Arnie Roth, who has held the baton for all FINAL FANTASY concerts in North America and Europe, including those featuring the San Francisco Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Chicagoland Pops Orchestra and Seattle Symphony, as well as the Tokyo Philharmonic. “The breadth of his work is astounding, encompassing traditional orchestral and operatic work to pop-inspired ballads. To witness the overwhelming reaction of audiences – and even veteran musicians – to this music is a genuine thrill.”

About the Concert and Tour

The “Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY” concert will include highlights from Uematsu’s music for the FINAL FANTASY game franchise (produced by Square Enix and now in its 14th edition since the franchise’s debut in 1987, with more than 97 million units sold). Also being performed is new music from the recently released FINAL FANTASY XIII, by composer Masashi Hamauzu and new scores by Nobuo Uematsu from the newest release, FINAL FANTASY XIV. This live performance celebrates the music of Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu and includes state-of -the-art HD video presentations filled with images direct from Square Enix and exclusive to the Distant Worlds concert production.

FINAL FANTASY VIII: “Eyes On Me” will receive its North American premiere performance in Pittsburgh featuring renowned vocalist Susan Calloway. It was released as a CD single in Japan and sold more than 400,000 copies, making it the highest-selling video game music disc ever released in that country at the time. “Eyes On Me” was the first song in video game history to win an award at the 14th Annual Japan Gold Disc Awards, where it won “Song of the Year (Western Music)” in 1999.

Susan Calloway is a singer well known to the FINAL FANTASY community as a featured soloist on the Distant Worlds concerts and recordings. Nobuo Uematsu personally requested Susan to sing the vocal theme of FINAL FANTASY XIV: “Answers.” She will be featured in FINAL FANTASY XII: “Kiss Me Good-bye” and FINAL FANTASY VIII: “Eyes On Me.”

After the success of the first live concert of this music in 2002, Uematsu’s music has been featured on several tours, including the first Distant Worlds worldwide tour 2007, which began in Stockholm, Sweden. Coinciding with the beginning of this tour, Roth and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra released the album Distant Worlds: music from Final Fantasy, which contains most of the songs performed at the concert. The album was praised as “one of life and energy” by Square Enix music online, who found the performance to be of superb quality.

Since the FINAL FANTASY concert’s debut in 2002 in Japan, the concerts have grown to become some of the most popular orchestral events in the world, frequently selling out in a matter of days.

About Composer Nobuo Uematsu

Nobuo Uematsu is universally recognized as one of the most celebrated video game composers in the field, having achieved global recognition for his music from the FINAL FANTASY franchise that has been performed by world-class orchestras around the globe. Seen as a major proponent and contributor for the increasing popularity and performance of video game music, his song “Eyes on Me,” the theme song from FINAL FANTASY VIII, sold a record number of copies and was the first video game song to win “Song of the Year (Western Music)” at the Japanese Gold Disc Awards in 1999. The music from the game series has grown to such notoriety that Nobuo Uematsu was named as one of the “Innovators” in Time Magazine’s “Time 100: the Next Wave Music” feature.

About Music Director Arnie Roth

Music Director Arnie Roth is a Grammy-winning artist known for his work with performers including Il Divo, Diana Ross, Jewel, The Irish Tenors, Charlotte Church, Peter Cetera, and Dennis DeYoung. Roth has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the Hollywood Bowl Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Dallas Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the BBC Symphony, the Czech National Chamber Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Diego Symphony, the Winnipeg Symphony, the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the Detroit Symphony, the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony.

Roth is well known in the world of video game music for his work with Nobuo Uematsu and Square Enix as Music Director and Conductor of the “Dear Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY,” “More Friends: music from FINAL FANTASY,” “VOICES: music from FINAL FANTASY,” as well as his role as Music Director and Conductor of “PLAY! A Video Game Symphony.” He was the winner of the Best Score Award at the 2003 DVD Premier Awards for his score for the film Barbie^TM as Rapunzel and was nominated for an Emmy in 2007 for his original song “Shine” from the movie Barbie^TM in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Roth has produced dozens of best-selling CDs. For more information, visit www.awrmusic.com.

About Presenter Attila Glatz Concert Productions

Attila Glatz Concert Productions arrived on the thriving North American concert scene in 1987 committed to maintaining both the quality and authenticity of popular musical presentations in Canada and the United States. The company’s signature event is the beloved New Year’s concert, “SALUTE TO VIENNA^TM,” patterned after Vienna’s original NEUJAHRSKONZERT and presented around New Year’s Day in many of North America’s major concert halls, from Lincoln Center in New York City to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A. and from Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall to Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre and Montreal’s Place des Arts. For the past 17 years, this simultaneously-produced holiday series has delighted audiences wanting to usher in the New Year to the sounds of Johann Strauss, Jr. and his contemporaries. All concerts feature a 70-piece symphonic orchestra under the baton of renowned European conductors, stellar European singers and Viennese dancers. Each and every year, the producers introduce a fresh new program with different headline artists. For their continuous hard work, passion and dedication, the co-founders of Attila Glatz Concert Productions, Marion and Attila Glatz, were awarded one of Europe’s finest honours, the Austrian Government’s Decoration of Merit in Gold, for their authentic recreation of Vienna’s adored New Year’ s tradition. www.salutetovienna.com. Attila Glatz Concert Productions has also produced and presented numerous other sell-outs including: Bravissimo! Opera’s Greatest Hits (annual New Year’s Eve Concert in Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall); The Lord of the Rings Symphony; Daniel O’Donnell, the famous Irish crooner; Tango Buenos Aires, and more. www.glatzconcerts.com.

About the members of BRIT FLOYD:

In the beginning of 1994, Damian Darlington joined the Australian Pink Floyd Show and, during a period of almost 17 years, he went on to play close to 1,300 shows all over the world in theatres, hall and arenas.  Ian Cattell spent six years with the Australian Pink Floyd show where he played bass and sung lead vocals in more than 500 performances in 32 countries around the world. Bobby Harrison has toured the USA and Canada extensively with the Australian Pink Floyd Show and has played guitar for the hit Queen show We Will Rock You in London’s West End, as well as in Zurich, Stuttgart, and Vienna, where he also performed with Brian May.

Carl Brunsdon began playing saxophone at age 11 and bass at age 23. For the Australian Pink Floyd Show, Brunsdon contributed his talents on sax, bass, percussion, guitar and keyboards.

At 6 years old, Rob Stringer began playing on a honkey-tonk piano in his parents’ utility room. That talent evolved into playing keyboards on two previous Australian Pink Floyd shows, and he has recently performed in a Beatles theatre show.

Arran Ahmun turned pro at 19 and shortly thereafter spent two years in London playing in West End shows. Throughout the 90s, he continued extensive touring and recording with artists such as Alison Moyet, Linda Lewis, The Proclaimers (including two No. 1 hits), Robbie Robertson, and the Jools Holland Big Band.

Ola Bienkowska‘s latest solo credits include two large-scale orchestral projects, one whose live recording went gold in April 2010, and her duet with Polish crooner Wojciech Gassowski for a rendition of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me.”

Emily Jolland‘s passion has been singing since she was a young girl, and she first toured as the lead in a National Opera production of Cinderella at age twelve. In 2003, she began working with the Australian Pink Floyd tribute band and has been a part of the project ever since.

Jacquie Williams has performed backing vocals for musicians such as Michael Buble, Martin Fry, Jason Donovan, Thelma Houston, and many others.  In 2005, a song she wrote for U.S. Diva Kathy Brown called “Stronger on my Own” reached U.K. chart position number six.

Tickets are $32.25-$47.25 and may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.  To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call (412) 471-6930.

Performances for CIRQUE DRAMS Pop Goes the Rock at Heinz Hall are Tuesday, February 21, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, February 22, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, February 24, 8:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 25, 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, February 26, 1:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Tickets ($20-$65) are now on sale for all performances by calling (412) 392-4900, visiting the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue) or online at www.TrustArts.org. For more information about the PNC Broadway Across America-Pittsburgh subscription series, please call (412) 456-1390. Groups of 10 or more may call (412) 471-6930.  PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh series is a presentation of The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony and Broadway Across America.

CIRQUE DREAMS Pop Goes the Rock is created, directed and produced by Neil Goldberg, creator of the groundbreaking Broadway hit “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” and the famed Cirque Dreams entertainment brand.  This one-of a kind variety show unites generations through a mash-up of celebrated pop and rock tunes that will entertain family audiences of all ages.  Cirque Dreams daring aerialists, gravity defying balancers, powerful strongmen and an array of edgy awe-inspiring acts are accompanied by a hip dance crew, cool singers and a jammin’ band performing over 20-chart topping hits live on stage.

Goldberg’s stage wizardry blends an international cast of astonishing Cirque Dreamers who transform a carnival funhouse into a rock ‘n’ roll party that’s movin’ & groovin’ to an original live band.  Music and fantasy ignite the funhouse when Jack pops out of his box and catapults the artists into feats of impossibilities, mayhem and uncontrollable sensory  spectacle that never stops until…Jack’s back in the box.  The songs for Pop Goes The Rock are presented and performed live through special arrangements with Sony ATV/Music Publishing and accompany over 14 variety acts, more than 100 costumed characters, elaborate lighting, special effects and more.  Song titles include “Call Me Irresponsible”, “King of the Road”, “Womanizer”, “Beautiful,” “Zoot Suit Riot,” “She Bangs”,  “The Heat is On,” “In the  Summertime,” “Let it Ride,” “Apologize,” “No More  Mister Nice Guy,”  “Never Gonna Let you Go” “Like a Prayer,” “Right ‘Round”, “Jump (For My Love),” “Rapper’s Delight,” “I Love the Nightlife” and decades more!

Since 1993, the Cirque Dreams brand has entertained more than 50 million people
worldwide under the artistic direction of Neil Goldberg.  Cirque Dreams shows have appeared in theaters, casinos, theme parks, at sea and on Broadway.  Cirque Dreams has garnered critical acclaim from USA Today, The New York Times, The Associated Press, CNN, the Today Show, Fox & Friends and more.  The Cirque Dreams franchise includes a growing number of popular Cirque Dreams brand shows nationwide including the afore-mentioned “Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy” as well as “Cirque Dreams & Dinner” onboard Norwegian Epic, “Cirque Dreams Illumination,” “Cirque Dreams Pandemonia” and the recent multiple company tours of “Cirque Dreams Holidaze,” including a first time ever engagement at The Kennedy Center.  “Cirque Dreams 2012 World Tour” for Armed Forces Entertainment recently launched from Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii to entertain U.S. service members and their families in 17 military bases throughout 10 countries.

Goldberg has designed and created productions for two Superbowls, the NBA, Disney, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Miss Universe, NBC, ABC & CBS.  He has created and directed shows with the Pittsburgh, Baltimore and New World symphonies; with Marvin Hamlisch & The National Symphony and the youngARTS program of the National Foundation for
Advancement in the Arts.  Neil conceived and directed Cirque Ingenieux for theatre and PBS, and has produced and directed Cirque Dreams shows for MGM, Harrah’s, Caesars, Ballys, Trump, Foxwoods, Hilton Hotels and casinos worldwide.

All of his creations are designed, developed, rehearsed and produced, including the manufacturing of every costume, at his 30,000 sq. ft. Dream Studios production complex in Pompano Beach, FL.  His companies and shows engage hundreds of performers, an endless array of creative staff and aspiring artists and dreamers whose lives have been enriched and transformed by their work with Neil Goldberg both on and off the stage.  He has also established “The Neil Goldberg Dream Foundation” supporting charitable ventures that enrich the pursuit of dreams worldwide.

Tickets ($20-$40) may be purchased at the Box Office at Theater Square (655 Penn Avenue), online at www.trustarts.org, or by calling (412) 456-6666.  To purchase 10 or more tickets at special discounted rates, please call group sales at (412) 471-6930.

Using his camera to communicate, Brian Skerry has spent three decades—and more than 10,000 hours underwater—telling the oceans’ stories. His images celebrate the mystery and beauty of the depths and offer portraits of creatures so detailed and intimate they sometimes appear to have been shot in a studio. Skerry dives eight months of the year, often in extreme conditions beneath Arctic ice or in predator-infested waters, and has even lived at the bottom of the sea to be close to his subjects.

Skerry’s National Geographic book, Ocean Soul, offers a powerful retrospective of Skerry’s photographs and showcases his ability to create images that blend strong aesthetic beauty with journalistic relevance. Skerry explains, “I fell in love with the sea as a child and I wanted to tell stories about all I saw underwater. I never cease to be amazed at the extraordinary encounters I have when I’m at sea.” Ocean Soul takes readers from the glacial waters of the North Atlantic, where harp seals face pressure from commercial hunting, to the balmy central Pacific, where Skerry’s camera caught evidence of damaged coral ecosystems actually rebuilding themselves.

When not in the field, Skerry is a passionate advocate for the oceans he loves to photograph. His riveting talks before audiences at TED, Harvard, The National Press Club, and London’s Royal Geographic Society reinforce his lifelong mission to build reverence for these exquisite landscapes and encourage protection of them for future generations of ocean lovers.

*National Geographic Live! speakers series, at the Byham Theater, also will feature Annie Griffiths: A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel, on Sunday, April 22, 2012, at 4:00 p.m.

(Pittsburgh, PA) The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, a nonprofit arts and economic development  organization at the center of Downtown Pittsburgh’s revival, will host an array  of U.S. and world premieres as part of an interdisciplinary arts festival: The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s  Distinctively Dutch Festival. Celebrating the culture and contemporary  performing and visual arts from the Netherlands, the three-month festival will  feature dance, theater, music, visual art, film, literature and architecture.
Events will be held February 18-May 20, 2012, throughout Pittsburgh’s Cultural
District, as well as at select venues, including MCG Jazz, City of Asylum/Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Library Lecture Hall,  Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and Carnegie Mellon University.

Presented by The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The Distinctively Dutch Festival is supported by the Kingdom of the  Netherlands, Performing Arts Fund NL, Music Center the Netherlands and Theater  Instituut Nederland. In addition, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
gratefully acknowledges the Carol R. Brown Performance Fund for support of the
Festival, as well as media partners Pittsburgh City Paper and 90.5 Essential  Public Media.

Drawing on a long-standing history of presenting Dutch contemporary artists in  Pittsburgh, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust identified 2012 as the year to launch  another punctuating, culturally-focused festival—in line with its preceding  Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts (2008 and 2004), Australia Festival  (2007) and Québec Festival (2004).

J. Kevin McMahon, Cultural Trust President and CEO said, “Dutch artists are  renowned for their innovation and creativity, and one of our objectives at the  Trust is to share their extraordinary performing and visual arts and Dutch  culture with Pittsburgh audiences.  The  artists whom The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has invited showcase the outstanding
caliber of craft, technique, expression, collaboration and bold spirit of  exploration we identify as ‘distinctively Dutch’.”

Dutch Ambassador to the U.S. Renée Jones-Bos said,  “We are thrilled to be collaborating with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on this  exciting project to showcase many Dutch artists in the heart of Pittsburgh’s  Cultural District, one of the most creative cities in the United States. It  reflects the forward-looking mentality, entrepreneurial spirit and innovative  nature that the Netherlands shares with the US and with Pittsburgh in
particular.”

The festival was made  possible through a generous grant from the Performing Arts Fund NL, Music Center the Netherlands and Theater  Instituut Nederland and is actively supported by the Dutch Embassy network,  specifically the Consulate-General of The Netherlands in New York. The  festival is an example of how cultural diplomacy can create lasting economic,  political, academic and artistic ties between the Netherlands and Pittsburgh.

Creativity and innovation stands at the core of  Pittsburgh’s strategic transformation. Pittsburgh’s rich cultural heritage  includes the likes of Andy Warhol, Art Blakey, Rachel Carson and Martha Graham.  That heritage provides fertile grounds for the innovative and creative  performances of Dance Works Rotterdam/André Gingras, Jiří Kylián and Michael  Schumacher, PIPS:lab, Wunderbaum, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, JacobTV, Drums United  and many others. Distinctely Dutch marks the cultural tradition of innovation
that Pittsburgh shares with the Dutch.

Additional programs may  be added to the festival calendar. For a listing of events and to receive  updates, please visit TrustArts.org/dutchfestival or call 412-456-6666. Groups
may purchase discounted tickets by calling 412-471-6930. Visit www.dutchartevents.com
for more information on Dutch arts in the U.S. and follow Dutch Art Events on
Facebook and Twitter.

DISTINCTIVELY DUTCH FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES & EXHIBITIONS

Dance Works Rotterdam/ André Gingras
ANATOMICA
U.S.  Premiere
Presented by Pittsburgh Dance Council
Sponsored by First Commonwealth
Saturday, February 18, 8pm
Byham  Theater
101 Sixth Street, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$14-$45

“It’s a terrific splurge of vibrant physicality and joie de vivre that sets out to
showcase what an amazing miracle the body represents.” —The Times of London

Choreographed by the daring André Gingras, ANATOMICA is  an unyielding exploration of the physical  extremes of sexual competition and attraction. Inspired by the danger, beauty  and  consequences of the body on display,  Gingras delves and soars into the body’s extraordinary abilities and profound  fragility.

Dance Works Rotterdam/André Gingras puts contemporary dance in a social context,
bringing relevant moral dilemmas into the theater with energetic raw dance.
Described by theater and visual artist Robert Wilson as “rigorous, intellectual
and free in spirit,” the company emphasizes collaboration and dialogue with
other organizations and artists beyond the boundaries of contemporary dance.

Wunderbaum
Detroit Dealers
World Premiere
Thursday-Saturday,  February 23–25, 8pm
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center
805 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$30

Set against the rise and fall of the American car industry, theater maker Walter
Bart tells the story of his granddad, car dealer Arie Bart. In a cross-over of
dramatized documentary, theater and music, Arie’s remarkable life is juxtaposed
with the romance of the American Dream and the transience of the car as a sex
symbol.

Based in Rotterdam, Wunderbaum is a group of actors who work collectively, together
with a designer and a dramaturge, as well as musicians, writers, photographers
and film producers.  Chameleonic,  collaborative and often site specific, the performances of Wunderbaum take on  many shapes resulting in newly discovered theater forms combined with a fresh  look at humankind and society.

PIPS:lab
Diespace
U.S.  Premiere
Friday–Sunday, time: to be confirmed.
March 23–25, 8pm
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center
805 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$30

Born in the underground party scene of Amsterdam, PIPS:lab is known throughout the
Netherlands for producing raw, expressive, visually stunning, interactive
multimedia performances. The six members of this tech-theater collective have
emerged as do-it-yourself masters of the unexpected. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn.
Now PIPS:lab has created Diespace:  “the first active internet community for the deceased.” Interactive video  technology, music, and sardonic wit: Diespace
is an innovative look at life, death and the Internet. Co-produced by Melkweg Paradiso Productiehuis. DieSpace is supported  by the Fonds voor Amateurkunst en Podiumkunsten, Amsterdams Fonds  voor de Kunsten, Prins Bernhard Cultuur Fonds
and VSB Fonds.

Jiří Kylián & Michael Schumacher
Last Touch First
U.S.  Premiere
Presented  by Pittsburgh Dance Council
Sponsored by First Commonwealth
Friday & Saturday, April 6–7, 8pm
August Wilson Center
980 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$35

“It’s that rare occurrence: a performance that really grabs you and leaves you
affected In mind and body for days…Last  Touch First is such a performance; a joining of the best forces of dance.” -Trouw

Choreographer-in-residence  and former artistic director of the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater, Jiří  Kylián has joined forces with master of dance improvisation Michael Schumacher  to create Last Touch First. Set  within an imagined 18th-century manor house, the performance touches the depths  of desperation, madness and loneliness within six characters. Through  incredibly slow stop-motion movement these gripping and magical vignettes  resonate like a Chekhovian drama. A Holland Dance Festival production in cooperation with Nederlands Dans Theater and Steps Festval, Switzerland.

Rachel Nieborg & Ine Mulder
Girls’N’Guns
April  27–June 10
707 Penn Gallery
707 Penn Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh

The famed “still life” of old masters is reinterpreted by two young Dutch
artists: photographer Rachel Nieborg and designer Ine Mulder. The duo began
working together on Girls’N’Guns in  2008 when Ine Mulder asked Nieborg to join her for shooting practice. The  project evolved into a carefully crafted set recasting the still life paintings  of the 17th century. Working with a metronome to fine tune the precision
timing, one would literally shoot a gun while the other shot photographs. The
images have not been edited with photo software, but capture the raw tension of
stillness and movement, violence and beauty.

Global Navigators
April  27–June 10
Wood Street Galleries / SPACE
601 Wood Street / 812 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh

“Global Navigators explores and embodies  our fascination with unknown cultures through various media, forms and  processes.” -Murray Horne, Curator, Wood
Street Galleries

For the Distinctively Dutch Festival, more than a dozen visual artists—
including Peter Bogers, Gerard Holthuis, Marnix de Nijs, Folkert de Jong, Guido
van der Werve and Karen Sargsyan—will be featured in this exhibition that
examines the very nature of global exploration. This contemporary Dutch
expedition traverses the terrains of the Internet and new media as well as mines
the historical context of Dutch exploration.

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has a long history of presenting visual artists from
the Netherlands, including most recently Edwin van der Heide, telcosystems and
Informationlab, which created Pittsburgh’s first art+technology public art
installation entitled Cell Phone Disco.

JacobTV
The News
World Premiere
Sponsored  by Joan Humphrey
Friday, April 27, 9pm
Byham Theater
101 Sixth Street, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$20–$30

“JacobTV is preoccupied with American media and world events and draws raw
materials from those sources. His work possesses an explosive strength and raw
energy combined with extraordinarily intricate architectural design.” -Limor Tomer, General Manager, The Metropolitan  Museum of Art

A tragicomical story of our times … never finished, constantly updated! Classical
music outlaw and avant-pop composer, Jacob Ter Veldhuis a.k.a. JacobTV has
created his newest opus, The News. In  an orchestrated video-opera of talking heads and political pundits, JacobTV has  sampled speeches and sound bites from news media to create everything from a militant  staccato for the angry evangelist to a lyrical adagio for elegant presidential  rhetoric. This unique synthesis of speech, music and video is performed by  JacobTV and the intrepid Chicago-based chamber ensemble, Fulcrum Point.  Featured soloists are Josefien Stoppelenburg, soprano, and Lori Cotler, alto.

MCG Jazz presents
Dutch Women of  Jazz
Friday–Saturday,  May 18–19, 8pm
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild
1815  Metropolitan Street, (North Side), Pittsburgh
Adults: $30 or buy both shows for $50; Students: $20 or buy both shows for $30

MCG Jazz is proud to present Holland’s finest female jazz musicians. Specially
recommended by the Muziek Centrum Netherland, a distinguished center for the
promotion of music both in the Netherlands and abroad, these three diverse
bands represent the best in Dutch jazz.

On Friday, May 18, MCG Jazz features a double-bill with Amina Figarova Sextet and
the saxophone-led Tineke Postma Quartet. The immensely talented and critically-acclaimed  Saskia Laroo Band performs on Saturday, May 19. Discounted packages are available  if you purchase both performances.

With her penchant for thoughtful, enthralling melodies and bright, clear alto sax
sound, Tineke Postma’s bright voice has been making a mark on the U.S. scene
over the last couple years.

Called “one of the most important composers to come into jazz in the new millennium”
by Jazztimes, Amina Figarova’s graceful and erudite piano style and showstopping
band will challenge and inspire you.

Saskia Laroo, hailed by American public and press at large as “Lady Miles of
Europe,” is one of the few women trumpet stylists, and headlines her own show
for this once-in-a-lifetime Pittsburgh  concert.

Beumer and Drost
Dudes
North American Premiere
Presented by Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival
Sponsored by Giant Eagle
Wednesday–Sunday,  May 16–20
Charity Randall Theater
4301 Forbes Avenue, (Oakland), Pittsburgh
$8

Dudes is a hybrid  performance of song, dance, puppetry, slap-stick and mime that takes place in  the confines of a small locker room where the limitless possibilities of the imagination  unfold. Founded by Loek Beumer and Peter Drost, B&D is a self-made theater  company that has built a strong reputation and loyal audiences in the
Netherlands and Belgium for their innovative theatrical works for children,
youth and adults.

Drums United
World of Rhythm
Presented by Pittsburgh International Children’s Festival
Sponsored by Giant Eagle
Friday–Sunday,  May 18–20
Univeristy of Pittsburgh, Bellefield Hall
315  S. Bellefield Avenue, (Oakland), Pittsburgh
$8

Drums United is an explosive and exciting world-percussion group interweaving the
rhythms of African drums, Indian tablas, Cuban rumbas and more, with percussionists
from nations such as Bangladesh, Senegal, Spain, Germany, Surinam and
Venezuela. Led by award-winning Dutch percussionist and bandleader, Lucas van
Merwijk, Drums United celebrates the unifying power of music that transcends
culture, language and difference.

DUTCH ARTS IN  PITTSBURGH

Wednesday Wine Flight: Dutch Diaspora
Wednesday, February 1, 6:15pm Cabaret at Theater Square
655 Penn Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$35.75

Explore the Dutch influence on the global wine industry as part of The Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust’s Wednesday Wine Flights. Call 412-456-6666 to reserve tickets
to this popular wine series.

A Creative Conversation with Wunderbaum
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in partnership with Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
Thursday,  February 16, time: to be confirmed.
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center
805  Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh

Join director Walter Bart and members of Wunderbaum in a creative conversation about
the collaborative and interdisciplinary process of theater making and  performance. Call 412-394-3353 to register for this free event.

Choreography Workshop with André Gingras
Friday, February 17, time: to be confirmed.
Dance Alloy Studio
5530 Penn Ave, East Liberty, PA

Professional dancers and choreographers are invited to study with renowned choreographer André Gingras for this intimate examination of choreography and creative
process. Space is limited. To register, call 412-471-6079 or email education@trustarts.org.

Craft Beer School: Let’s Go Dutch
Tuesday, February 21, 6:15pm
Cabaret at Theater Square
655 Penn Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh
$25.75

Experience Dutch culinary arts paired with craft beers that will delight the beer lover’s
palette. Call 412-456-6666 to reserve tickets to this popular beer series.

Ben Van Berkel: “The New Understanding”
Wednesday, February 29, 6pm
Carnegie Library Lecture Hall
4400 Forbes Avenue, (Oakland), Pittsburgh

Join architect Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio in Amsterdam for a lecture presented by the
Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture and the Heinz Architectural
Center at Carnegie Museum of Art. This free lecture is supported, in part, by
public funds from the Netherlands Cultural Services. For more information visit
www.cmu.edu/architecture/lecture.

Spring Flower Show
March 17–April 15
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
One  Schenley Park, (Oakland), Pittsburgh

$12 for adults, $11 for seniors, $11 for students, $9 for children, members and
children under 2 are free. Open daily: 9:30am–5pm; Fridays until 10pm. 412-622-6914
www.phipps.conservatory.org

Take a trip around the world at the Spring Flower Show, a colorful celebration of vibrant
locales and cultures. A Dutch display in the historic and spacious South  Conservatory will showcase the beauty of tulips with swaths of blooms; intricately-painted  wooden shoes and an iconic windmill. Nearly 15,000 bulbs planted in the front  of the glasshouse will also flower to represent the spectacular fields of  Holland right here in Pittsburgh.

2012 Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival
March  22–April 15
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh

Faces of Others is a series of international  film festivals featuring selections from Poland, Netherlands, South Africa, Israel,  Palestine, Argentina, France, Germany, Austria, Greece, Norway, Iran, Korea,  Romania, Russia and Pittsburgh. The “Distinctively Dutch” program highlights  the recent cinematography of Holland and encompasses a wide range of the
latest, award-winning films, documentaries and video installations by Dutch artists.
For a full description of films, venues, and ticket info, visit  www.cmu.edu/faces or call 412-445-6292.

Pittsburgh Technology Council Night &
Artist Talk with PIPS:lab
Saturday, March 24, time: to be confirmed
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust  Arts Education Center
805  Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh

Join the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Creative Technology Network for a
post-performance artist talk with members of PIPS:lab focused on the do-it-yourself
programming and technology behind Diespace.  Special rates available for Pittsburgh Technology Council members.

Improvisation Workshop with Michael Schumacher
Saturday, April 7, time: to be confirmed.
Dance Alloy Studio
5530 Penn Ave, East Liberty, PA

Professional dancers and choreographers are invited to study with master of improvisation Michael Schumacher. Space is limited. To register, call 412-471-6079 or email education@trustarts.org.

Dutch Poetry
Tuesday, April 17, time: to be confirmed.
City of Asylum/Pittsburgh
330 Sampsonia Way, (North Side), Pittsburgh

Join City of Asylum/Pittsburgh for an evening with Dutch poets Joost Zwagerman, Erik Jan Harmens, Helene Gelens, John Schoorl, Pieter Boskma and Lucas Hirsch. For more information visit www.cityofasylumpittsburgh.org or call 412-321-2190.

Dutch Dining in the Cultural District
Monday–Friday,  April 23–27
various venues

Visit our website trustarts.org/dutchfestival to see a list of participating restaurants,
including Meat & Potatoes among many others that will feature a Dutch-inspired
dishes and other special offerings during this week.

Rethinking Cities in the 21st Century
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
Thursday, April 26, time: to be confirmed
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Arts Education Center
805 Liberty Avenue, Cultural District, Pittsburgh

Join creative thinkers from Pittsburgh and Holland to discuss the transformation of urban
cities in the 21st century. For more information, call 412-456-6666.

Dutch Art At Carnegie Museum of Art: Self-Guided Tour
Carnegie Museum of Art
4400 Forbes Avenue, (Oakland), Pittsburgh

The Carnegie Museum of Art’s world class collection includes great works from the
Netherlands. Enjoy masterpieces as diverse as Droog Design’s cabinet You Can’t Lay Down Your Memories to elegant 17th century inlaid Cabinet on Stand. Paintings range from Van Gogh’s important landscape The Plain of Auvers to innovations
in early 20th century abstraction by Mondrian and Bart Antony van der Leck. For
more info visit www.cmoa.org.

Ticket Information & Advanced Reservations

For Tickets & Updates

ONLINE: www.TrustArts.org/dutchfestival

Follow us on Facebook.com/CulturalTrust and Twitter@CulturalTrust

PHONE: 412-456-6666

GROUPS: 412-471-6930

IN PERSON: Box  Office at Theater Square, 655 Penn Avenue, Cultural District

Programming is subject to change. Please call or visit website for additional information.

###

High-quality Trailers:

JacobTV: http://media.trustarts.org/images/sending/video_jacobtv.zip
Last Touch First: http://media.trustarts.org/images/sending/video_lasttouchfirst.zip
La Voix Humaine: http://media.trustarts.org/images/sending/video_lavoixhumane.zip
 

Windows and Mirrors is a traveling exhibit of 45 murals from artists across the U.S., shown alongside drawings collected from Afghan high school students about their daily lives. This art invites us to view the war through the eyes of the Afghan people as they move from despair to hope.  

In the War Dialogues Project, refugees and military veterans of the same wars collaborate through art and storytelling. Featuring two local artists—Joyce Wagner, a U.S. Iraq veteran, and Mina Al Doori, a high-school Iraqi refugee. (Sponsored by The Sprout Fund, a nonprofit supporting innovative grassroots community projects that are catalyzing change in Pittsburgh.)

Who Should Attend: All who are interested in civilian and soldiers’ experiences of war; the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; peace-making; Pittsburgh war-refugee communities; interfaith dialogue; mural art and poetry.

Exhibit Sponsor: American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that works worldwide on peace and justice.

Gallery Hours: Wed and Thurs 11:00 am – 6:00 pm; Friday and Sat 11:00 am – 8:00 pm; Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm.

Events: January 29, 1:30 pm:  Disarming Words. Gallery talk and poetry readings by Terrance Hayes and Lynn Emmanuel at the Out of Rubble exhibit at SPACE gallery; 2:30 pm: singing escort by the Raging Grannies to Windows and Mirrors; 2:40 pm: readings of translated Iraqi public poetry and poetry by war veterans.

February 4, 6:00 pm: Women and War: Women and Peace. Testimonies by women on the impact of war and their search for peace, followed by improvisational performance by Pittsburgh Playback Theatre.

February 11, 3:00 pm: Lessons Learned from Iraq. Peter Lems, American Friends Service Committee Program Director for Iraq and Afghanistan, discusses how the lessons of troop withdrawal from Iraq can help us speed up withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Media Contact: Scilla Wahrhaftig, Program Director, American Friends Service Committee PA; (412) 371-3607; SWahrhaftig@afsc.org

www.afsc.org/office/pittsburgh-pa

www.windowsandmirrors.org