When you think of cities where opera singers may reside, places like Paris, Milan, or New York may come to mind, but another alumna of the Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist Program has decided to call Pittsburgh home. “The weather in Pittsburgh, and I are still trying to get along, but I love it here,” said Laurel Semerdjian, a mezzo-soprano, who will be playing the part
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Market Square truly is the many faceted jewel in the heart of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was founded at The Point, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers merged to form the Ohio Rivers, but it was at Market Square where Pittsburghers gathered. As the budding community at Fort Pitt grew beyond the settlement there, it became apparent that the developing city needed some direction. In 1784, Philadelphia
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Puppetry and puppet making is one of the oldest art forms; it is believed to have originated 4,000 years ago. Pittsburgh has had a love affair with puppets. The Lovelace Marionette Theater, founded by Puppeteer Margo Lovelace, opened in 1964 and became the longest-running professional puppet theater in the country. The theater closed in 1985. Mr. Rogers and his cast of puppets from the Neighborhood
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The mention of Cinco de Mayo often brings to mind bright colors, refreshing alcoholic drinks, and a celebration of the Mexican people. Indeed, Americans love any reason to celebrate, allowing the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo to be lost beneath fluttering piñatas and the glitters of alcohol-fueled parties. But fear not, because of Popular Pittsburgh’s never-ending thirst for knowledge, we’ve got the history behind
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“Pittsburgh just felt like home,” said Danielle Pastin, opera soprano. Ms. Pastin has lived a nomadic life and performed all across the country including at the famed Metropolitan Opera, but she developed an affinity for Pittsburgh. “My father was a Navy band leader, and we moved around probably every two years. But my parents were born here, and my grandparents lived in McKees Rocks. We
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Buying art is the same thing as falling in love. ~Nohra Haime Thank goodness, Pittsburgh-born philanthropist Paul Mellon (1907-1999) and his wife, Rachel (Bunny) (1910-2014), fell in love with art many times, or we wouldn’t be enjoying the masterpieces now on display at The Frick Art Museum. From March 17 through July 8 2018, The Frick is exhibiting Van Gogh, Monet, Degas: The Mellon Collection
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Pittsburgh is an ever-changing city. Many places of historical interest have been replaced with something more modern and arguably better. This was the fate for many of the amusement parks that were once scattered around the Greater Pittsburgh area. Modern day amusement parks got much of their start from trolley parks dating back to the late 1800’s. Trolley parks were created to give streetcar riders
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You may think that Punxsutawney Phil slumbers in his burrow the year round only to rise early once a year on February 2, Groundhog Day, to greet his devotees and hand down his weather wisdom. But Phil is the original party animal. There are so many events and parties leading up to his big day, that we suspect the furry fellow needs to hole-up until
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In his farewell address to Congress on April 19, 1951, legendary soldier General Douglas MacArthur said that, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” No disrespect to the general, but Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood was founded to ensure that our soldiers and sailors and their selfless service never fade from our memories. During the Reconstruction and healing of the
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The City of Pittsburgh website states that there are 712 city steps, but in a 2014 Wall Street Journal article, Guy Costa, chief operations officer for the city, said that number was approximately 675. Bob Regan, who wrote the definitive book, The Steps of Pittsburgh: A Portrait of a City, contended in his book that that there were 712 sets of city staircases composed of
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