Caitlin McDonnell

December 5, 2017

COPA 250

Paul Reynolds

Manfred Honeck

Throughout the course of this semester, I have encountered many forms of artistry. From

museums to dance shows to symphonies, I have thoroughly enjoyed myself this semester,

growing both as a person and an artist myself. I had the opportunity to see many different

performances and visit art galleries that I otherwise might not have gone to. I found it fulfilling

to see many different art forms in so little time.

On September 24, 2017, I went to Heinz Hall to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

They were performing the BNY Mellon Grand Classics celebrating Manfred Honeck and his ten

years with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Honeck has served as the music director for the

orchestra since their 2008-2009 season. Because of him, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has

created a relationship with the Musikverein in Vienna. This relationship led the orchestra on an

extensive tour through Europe in 2016. His success with the orchestra can also be heard on many

recordings with the Reference and Exton labels. His success with these recordings earned him a

Grammy Nomination for Bruckner’s Fourth. He also won the International Classical Music

Award in 2012 for his work on Mahler’s Symphony No. 4.

Honeck was born in 1958 in Austria where he received his musical training at the

Academy of Music in Vienna. He was a member of the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna

State Opera Orchestra for many years. It was there that he also received prestigious conducting

training. He began his career as an assistant to Italian conductor, Claudio Abbado and as the
artistic leader of the Vienna Jeunesse Orchestra. He also won the European Conductor’s Award

in 1993 from the Zurich Opera House.

Honeck has held many high positions, including Music Director at the Norwegian

National Opera and Principal Guest Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for several

years. In addition to Music Directing the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, He also served as the

Principal Guest Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra between 2013 and 2016.

However, as a Guest Conductor, Manfred Honeck also worked with many leading orchestras all

around the world including the New York Philharmonic in New York, New York. In the 2017-

2018 season, he will conduct the New Year’s Concert of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and

continue traveling the world to conduct and music direct with many other orchestras.

It was very exciting to see someone so established conduct right in our own cities. I did

not realize exactly who Honeck was until I got to the symphony. His conducting was seamless

and the orchestra sounded beautiful. Overall it was a great performance. Before I started going to

symphonies, I was never really interested. However, I quickly realized that they are a great outlet

from our everyday life, just like any other art. Classical music soothes the mind and body and it

feels great to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy art for an hour and a half and forget about any

other stresses we might have.