By Caelin Grambau, University of Pittsburgh English Writing & Spanish double major. Photo by: Al Reid © 2022
The Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra has been a Pittsburgh staple for over 64 years, and for over a decade, renowned musician and tango artist Alejandro Pinzón has been a part of the orchestra’s legacy. Now, Pinzón will be stepping into a new title, having just been named the new Director of the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra.
Pinzón, a musician and tango artist, has been involved with music since a young age. As a musician, Pinzón has been involved with the orchestra for over a decade, and even acted as the guest conductor for the orchestra in previous years. He has received numerous awards both in and outside of the United States.
A native of Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, Pinzón is excited to bring a little bit of a new flavor to the orchestra’s repertoire, but also notes that he aims to keep things in line with traditional orchestra music, while still adding his own flair.
“For good or for bad we will not become a dance orchestra,” Pinzón joked, “but we will definitely have moments. The beauty of a community orchestra is that you can program for very different audiences. It’s our job to explore different styles and different genres to give the musicians and the audience a chance to explore other kinds of music,” he said of the direction the orchestra will take with their range of compositions this year.
It is a great honor to be named as the new director, and Pinzón is looking forward to this season, especially as the orchestra makes its first return to a full season of in-person concerts following the previous two seasons which were afflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra’s first concert, “Classics with a Twist!”, will be held on October 29th at St. Thomas More Church. Tickets will not be sold for the performance, but donations will be accepted at the door, with a suggested donation of $10 per person. More details for this performance and more can be found on http://www.pittsburghcivicorchestra.net/.