From Johnstown’s John Walker, organist, choirmaster, recording artist and current president of the 16,000-member American Guild of Organists, to Erie’s Chris Vrenna, one-time drummer for pioneering industrial rock group Nine Inch Nails, Western Pennsylvania is a hotbed of musical and other creative talent across a wide range of genres.
Pittsburgh has a dual connection to NBC’s hit show The Voice, with celebrity co-host and star singer Christina Aguilera growing up in the city’s Rochester suburb, and native son Chris Jamison finishing in third place (see “Zoom In,” page 39) on the show’s 2014 edition.
With venues ranging from restored theaters to grassy outdoor amphitheaters, Western Pennsylvania is tuned and ready to entertain groups.
City Beats
Born in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood in 1912, Hollywood and dance icon Gene Kelly is among the city’s most celebrated sons. In 1914, the 1,100-seat Regent Theatre silent movie house debuted in the same district. After decades of changing fortunes, the venue reopened in 2001 as the 350-seat Kelly Strayhorn Theater. Named jointly for Kelly and Pittsburgh-raised jazz great Billy Strayhorn, this performing arts standout in the city’s booming East End is available for event rental along with its newly renovated Alloy Studios.
Closed in 1964, the magnificent 1927 Loew’s Penn Theater was threatened with demolition before Henry John Heinz II (of ketchup fame) and present owner-operator Pittsburgh Symphony stepped in. Reopened in 1971 as the Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, this 2,661-seat treasure is globally renowned for world-class symphony, concerts and more. The venue is part of the 14-block Cultural District, the once seedy neighborhood transformed by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust into an arts and entertainment magnet featuring venues with rentable space, including the Benedum Center and Cabaret at Theater Square.
Occupying a repurposed 18th- century church minutes from downtown, Mr. Smalls Theatre & Funhouse is one of Pittsburgh’s premier music venues. Featuring 40-foot-high ceilings and a mix of spaces including art galleries, a restaurant and multiple bars, the 650-person capacity space offers versatile rental options such as the underground War Room draft beer bunker.
Neighboring Heinz Field and easily accessed by light rail, Stage AE hosts more than 100 headline music acts, sporting events, expos and other gatherings every year. Accommodating 5,000 people, the atmospheric venue offers versatile multilevel industrial space for indoor and outdoor events year-round.
Unique options include the cutting-edge Quantum Theatre, which stages productions in non-traditional spaces such as parking garages, cemeteries and defunct breweries, and the immensely popular Pittsburgh Banjo Club, which welcomes visitors to free performances every Wednesday night at Elks Lodge 339 on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Country Chords
From bucolic Washington County to lakeside Erie, Western Pennsylvania’s other group locales offer their own lineup of inviting musical stages.
In picturesque Zelienople, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, the 287-seat Strand Theater is the revival of an original vaudeville and silent-film palace built in 1914. Under ongoing renovation since 2005 and aimed at evolving into a state-of-the-art facility capable of presenting full-scale, theatrical productions, this beloved event-capable Butler County heirloom features live music, theater and movies.
Delegates meeting at the newly renovated 100,000-square-foot Monroeville Convention Center just east of Pittsburgh can enjoy musical interludes at the annual Monroeville Jazz Festival. Launched in 2003, the concert is held each August at Tall Trees Amphitheater in Monroeville Community Park, which also features an annual summer concert series.
Southwest of Pittsburgh, Washington County is steeped in lore, including its signature covered bridges and local performances of vocal music from all traditions from the Washington Festival Chorale. Since 1949, Little Lake Theatre Company has presented seasonal (May to December) plays in an intimate, 150-seat in-the-round indoor setting. In suburban Burgettstown, some 25 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, First Niagara Pavilion accommodates 7,100 people in a reserved open-air covered pavilion and 16,000 on a general admission lawn for a wide range of acts.
Seasonal music festivals dominate the scene in the expansive, mountainous Laurel Highlands and Johnstown region southeast of Pittsburgh.
Held each July on the grounds of the event-capable Laurel Arts center in Somerset, Somerfest at Laurel Arts is a three-day art and music festival featuring live music, food and crafts.
Founded as a street fair in 1989 to commemorate the centennial of the devastating Johnstown Flood of 1889, the AmeriServ Flood City Music Festival has since evolved into a major three-day happening attracting thousands of visitors. Celebrating American roots music, the August event features dozens of nationally known and local musicians performing at multiple venues, including Peoples Natural Gas Park.
Twice making the American Bus Association’s list of the Top 100 Events in North America and one of Western Pennsylvania’s premier fall festivals, the annual Fort Ligonier Days Festival in October features Celtic music, parades and much more in commemorating the key battle of the French & Indian War at Fort Ligonier.
Located in downtown Indiana, birthplace of legendary actor Jimmy Stewart, the Indiana Theater is a cultural district anchor featuring live music and cinema, and offering rentable space for creative activities, group functions and more.
Also in town on the campus of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex combines a conference center with multiple breakout rooms, the Corporate Training and Executive Conference Center, and a 630-seat auditorium with the multipurpose Ed Fry Arena. Featuring concerts and sporting events, the 5,000-seat venue is also available for event rental.
Erie offers a thriving arts and culture scene, with group-capable venues including the Erie Playhouse and Warner Theatre.
“We are fortunate to have several performance venues, theaters, outdoor concerts and events that offer diverse selections of music and entertainment year-round,” says John Oliver, VisitErie president & CEO. “One of our most appealing qualities is that most our events and festivals are free,” continues Oliver, “and with activity every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day, there’s something for everyone.”
Each May, the free Edinboro Art & Music Festival showcases grassroots music and art in the unique spirit of Appalachian tradition. Other ready group tie-ins include the “8 Great Tuesdays” free live concert series in July and August at the 5,000-seat grass Burger King Amphitheater at Liberty Park. Also free is the Wednesday night (June-July) Sunset Music Series at Presque Isle State Park Beach. In August, the Erie Art Museum Blues & Jazz Festival features national, regional and local blues and jazz entertainment in a scenic outdoor setting.
Longtime contributor JEFF HEILMAN has been singing Pennsylvania’s praises for Meetings Focus since 2004.
