MainStage Live
Our 2022–23 season welcomes some of the world’s top chamber musicians for six concerts that illustrate the breathtaking range and musical excellence of this versatile genre. Each season, we aim to highlight new and established performers who are pushing the boundaries of what chamber music can be. This year we are honored to present Karim Nagi, Garrick Ohlsson with Apollon Musagete Quartet, Imani Winds, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Takács String Quartet, and Pacifica Quartet with Anthony McGill.
This year, our MainStage Live concerts will take place at The Award Winning Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University, a state-of-the-art and acoustically vibrant new venue in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh. Purchase single tickets and pick your seat for the concert(s) of your choice, or join us as a digital subscriber and enjoy high-quality video recording of each concert following every MainStage Live performance!
Tickets may also be purchased by calling the PNC Theatre Box Office at 412-392-8000. Student tickets require valid student ID.
frequently asked questions
When do subscriptions and single tickets go on sale?
Six-Concert Subscriptions May 21 at 2 pm
NOTE: Because of several changes to our ticketing protocols and new ticketing provider capabilities, we will now ONLY offer a subscription for ALL SIX concerts. Pick 5 and Pick 4 subscription options will no longer be available.
see seating chart above for Tiers
Tier 1 $255 • Tier 2 $202 • Tier 3 $168
As always, a subscription offers the best deal for tickets (a 20% discount) while offering you the opportunity to secure the best seats in the house before individual ticket buyers.
Single tickets August 15
$53, $42, and $35 (see seating chart for Tiers)
student subscription all tiers $72
$15 student rush tickets available one hour prior to each concert
No Osher, please
What perks are included with my subscription?
- 20% off single ticket prices and choice of the best seats in the house before single ticket buyers
- Digital version of each concert via weblink one week after each concert which can be viewed on-demand at home for one week after release
- $5 off additional single tickets purchased during the season
- Easy and convenient exchanges: if you’re unable to attend a MainStage concert, subscribers may exchange ticket(s) for another concert in the same MainStage season
Will Chamber Music Pittsburgh offer online weblinks this season? How does that work?
YES. Each concert will be recorded live and produced into a beautiful video that will be sent via email one week following the live concert. These videos will be available to view on-demand as many times as you’d like for one week following delivery. All weblinks are included with each subscription.
Can I buy a weblink subscription or a subscription that combines in-person and weblink tickets?
Unfortunately, unlike last season, we will not be offering mix-and-match subscriptions. All in-person subscription tickets must be all six in-person concerts ONLY. Weblink subscriptions may be purchased for $144 here and single weblinks may be purchased individually at $30 each here. All in-person subscriptions include each weblink video.
How can I buy a subscription? A Single ticket?
Subscriptions may be purchased online, by mailing in a subscription form with a check or credit card payment, or you may call the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000. Checks should be made out to Pittsburgh Playhouse.
Single tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000.
What are your protocols for COVID-19?
COVID19 vaccination and masking are optional but encouraged. Please do not attend if you are feeling unwell or have been exposed to COVID19. CMP reserves the right to change/update/enforce these policies as regulations may change. Please check reminder emails and/or signage at individual events for updated information.
Where is PNC Theatre at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and where should I park?
PNC Theatre is located at 350 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, at the corner of Smithfield and Forbes. There is ample parking within 2 blocks of the venue at the following garages:
- Mellon Square Garage (500 Smithfield St.)
- Oliver Garage (350 Oliver Ave off of Wood St)
- Third Avenue Garage (238 Fourth Avenue)
All are flat rates between $4-$6 after 4 PM. Street parking is free after 6 PM.
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnerships has a wonderful interactive map to find up to date parking info. Find parking map here.
I have more questions!
We’d love to hear from you and offer any help we can!
Please email info(at)chambermusicpittsburgh(dot)org or call Chamber Music Pittsburgh at 412-626-6121 x 1, or the Pittsburgh Playhouse box office at 412-392-8000.
Isidore String Quartet
February 13, 2023, 7:30PM
Program:
Haydn String Quartet in C Major, Op. 20, No. 2
Billy Childs String Quartet No. 2 “Awakening” (2012)
Intermission
Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132

Takács Quartet
March 20, 2023, 7:30PM
The world-renowned Takács Quartet, “one of the world’s greatest string quartets” (The New York Times) travel to Pittsburgh following a dizzying tour of Europe’s greatest concert halls. The group is celebrated for their innovative approach to chamber music and mastery of the genre.
Program:
Fanny Mendelssohn String Quartet in E-flat Major
Bela Bartok String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 114
Intermission
Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887

Pacifica Quartet with Anthony McGill
Principal clarinet of NY Philharmonic
April 24, 2023, 7:30PM
“Brilliant young” Anthony McGill (The New York Times), principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, joins the Grammy Award–winning Pacifica Quartet to present a refreshing mix of familiar and unexpected chamber works.
Program: American Stories
James Lee III Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet
Antonin Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American”
Intermission
Florence Price String Quartet No. 1 in G Major
Valerie Coleman Shotgun Houses

Past Concerts:
Karim Nagi
Arab Musician and Folklorist
September 12, 2022, 7:30PM
Arab musician and folklorist Karim Nagi opens the season with a concert highlighting Arab musical traditions through his unique blend of performance and storytelling. Nagi has taught and lectured internationally about Arab culture and music, participating in the TEDx program with his talk, The Tambourine, My Partner in Diplomacy and Disruption.
Program
- Nashwa (Bliss) composed by Karim Nagi for bendir (frame drum)
- Teletaashir (13) composed by Karim Nagi for riqq (tambourine)
- Ahu Da Illi Sar (This is What Happened) composed by Sheikh Sayed Darwish, Cairo 1921 AD
- Tala’ Al-Badru ‘Alayna (The Full Moon Rose Over Us) composed by The Ansar, Medina 622 AD
- Tarab Lesson (how to hear and react to Arab music)
- Taqasim (divisions) in 5 Maqam Modes arranged by Karim Nagi for buzuq lute
- Huzam (a mode that starts on a microtone) composed by Karim Nagi for buzuq lute
- Arabized arranged by Karim Nagi
- Hewar (dialogue) composed by Karim Nagi for the sagat finger cymbals
- Pan-Arab rhythms arranged by Karim Nagi for tublah goblet drum

Pianist Garrick Ohlsson with Apollon Musagète Quartet
October 17, 2022, 7:30PM
Pianist Garrick Ohlsson, “justly acclaimed as a titanic force at the keyboard” (Cleveland.com) headlines an intimate chamber performance with the dynamic and charismatic Apollon Musagète Quartet.
Program
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
The Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, Nos. 1, 4, and 9
Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)
Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major for Strings, Op. 51
- Allegro ma non troppo
- Dumka: Andante con moto — Vivace
- Romanza: Andante con moto
- Finale: Allegro assai
Intermission
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 57
- Prelude: Lento
- Fugue: Adagio
- Scherzo: Allegretto
- Intermezzo: Lento
- Finale: Allegretto
This concert is generously sponsored in part by Russell and Kathy Ayres

Imani Winds
Grammy-nominated Wind Ensemble
December 5, 2022, 7:30PM
Grammy-nominated quintet Imani Winds, praised for their “hot rapport” and “conviction” (Gramophone), close their one-year residency with Chamber Music Pittsburgh with a culminating performance dedicated to works by Black and Brown composers.
Program
BLACK AND BROWN
An entire program celebrating composers of color
Jeff Scott
Titilayo
Reena Esmail
The Light is the Same*
Paquito D’Rivera
Aires Tropicales
i. Alborada
ii. Son
iii. Habanera
iv. Vals Venezolano
v. Dizzyness
vi. Afro
vii. Contradanza
Intermission
Valerie Coleman
Rubispheres No. 1 (For flute, clarinet & bassoon)
i. DROM
ii. Serenade
iii. Revival
Wayne Shorter
Terra Incognita**
Júlio Medaglia
Belle Epoque en Sud-America
i. El Porsche Negro
ii. Vals Paulista
iii. Requinta Maluca
*Written for Imani Winds. Commissioned by The Lied Center of Kansas & premiered March 15, 2017 at the University of Kansas, Lawrence
**Written for Imani Winds. Commissioned by the La Jolla Music Society, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Da Camera of Houston and the Library of Congress. Premiered in La Jolla, CA August
2006