Pittsburgh Opera to have Valentine’s Celebration

January 21, 2021
Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications
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Pittsburgh Opera to have Valentine’s Day Celebration and February concert of works by William Grant Still and Florence Price

Pittsburgh Opera will be broadcasting two free performances in February:

• “Songs from the Heart: A Valentine from Pittsburgh Opera”, by their acclaimed Resident Artists on Sunday, Feb. 14th at 5:30PM, sponsored by Edward Marc Chocolatier
• “I, Too, Am America: The Music of William Grant Still and Florence Price”, featuring Pittsburgh Opera Head of Music Glenn Lewis on piano and baritone Yazid Gray on Friday, February 26th at 7PM

The "Songs from the Heart" Valentine's Day concert sponsored by Edward Marc Chocolatier, will be the culmination of a special Valentine’s Day serenade designed to spread love and good cheer from Pittsburgh Opera to the greater Pittsburgh community.

As part of the festivities, members of the public can purchase pre-recorded Valentine Video-Grams for their loved ones, along with a personalized greeting from one of Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artists and a delicious treat from Edward Marc Chocolatier. Edward Marc is providing a special five-piece package of Milk Salted Caramels - soft caramels made in small batches in copper kettles, covered in their signature milk chocolate, topped with sea salt. Patrons also have the option to purchase non-personalized, pre-recorded Valentine’s Video-Grams. All Video-Grams will be delivered to their recipients via email on Valentine’s Day, and can be ordered online at pittsburghopera.org/valentine. Please see the footnote at the end of this announcement for order deadlines.

The ~45-minute “Songs from the Heart” concert will feature a variety of amorous arias, tender duets, and romantic ensembles spanning both operatic favorites and beloved selections from the Great American Songbook, and is intended as a love letter from Pittsburgh Opera to the people of Pittsburgh. It will be livestreamed free on both Pittsburgh Opera’s YouTube Channel and Facebook page.

People can register online for “Songs from the Heart” at pittsburghopera.org/valentine to both receive reminder emails with links to the free livestream and to purchase on-screen dedications to their Valentines that will be displayed as part of the live concert.

“I, Too, Am America” on Friday, February 26th at 7PM by Mr. Lewis and Mr. Gray will showcase a program of works by William Grant Still and Florence Price. Mr. Grant Still is often referred to as the Dean of African American composers. Mrs. Price was the first African American woman to have one of her compositions played by a major orchestra, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed her first symphony in 1933.

“Our hope is that their works achieve a greater frequency of performance,” says Mr. Lewis, “and that they can take their rightful place alongside more famous American composers like Aaron Copland, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.”

The recital will be broadcast on Pittsburgh Opera’s YouTube Channel; people can register online at pittsburghopera.org/RecitalRSVP to receive reminder emails.

*Order deadlines:

• Customized Video-Grams, with a personal video greeting from a Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist to your Valentine, must be ordered by February 7th
• All Video-Gram orders with Milk Salted Caramels must be placed by February 9th to guarantee Valentine’s Day weekend delivery.
• On-screen dedications during the “Songs from the Heart” concert must be ordered by Feb. 10th
• Pre-recorded Video-Grams, with a personalized email message to your Valentine, must be ordered by February 11th.