When I was growing up, the Pittsburgh Symphony was considered one of the great Pittsburgh institutions - right up there with the Steelers. My mother loved going to concerts, and my father loved getting dressed up and being a good husband. When my parents bought me a recording of the Pittsburgh Symphony playing Beethoven’s first, I wore it out all the while staring at the photo of the entire symphony on the back cover. Even at a young age, I wanted to be that photographer. In the last year I have become that photographer.
A symphony conductor is like a football coach. They both have teams of similar size. They both have to take charge and bring out the best in each player. They need each player to perform at their very best while also being generous team members. They both strive for excellence on every play on the field and with every note played on the stage.
The Pittsburgh Symphony hired me to come in and create music with my camera. What an incredible honor for this local boy. I am doing portraits of each musician and the conductors. Most of the musicians probably think of getting their photo taken as checking a box. Hopefully not too painful. Probably boring. My job was to humor them, cajole them, and inspire them into sharing who they really are on the inside of this large ensemble. I love doing that. These photos are the beginning of the project I am doing with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Thanks to Jodi Weisfield for the introduction,Julie Goetz for bringing me in, and Jay Nesbitt for the design.
Photographs by George. Lange @2023
for the design. Make sure to check out the PSO when you are in Pittsburgh - the orchestra is world class and the concerts are thrilling.
Stay tuned for my next post - I have a really big announcement coming up.
Photographs by George Lange @2023