Chamber Music Pittsburgh Announces 2026 Pittsburgh Performs Series, Marking the American Semiquincentennial Curated by Pittsburgh Creators, “A Hip Hop 250” and “The Cowboy Evolves” Close CMP’s Landmark 65th Anniversary Season

PITTSBURGH, PA—Chamber Music Pittsburgh (CMP) announces its 12th annual Pittsburgh Performs series, four June concerts performed by local musicians in a diversity of Pittsburgh neighborhood venues. As the culmination of CMP’s landmark 65th Anniversary Season which coincides with the U.S. semiquincentennial, this week-long festival features programs specially curated by the performers themselves, offering uniquely personal responses to and reflections on America at 250.  Our curators hail from all walks of musical life in the city and are accustomed to bringing positive impact to their communities. Carlos Clark is a bassoonist and current Paul J. Ross Fellow at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, INEZ is a powerhouse singer-songwriter-arranger-producer and proud resident of Homewood, and Michael Chapman is founder of the Hip Hop Orchestra, a nonprofit creative ensemble that merges traditional hip-hop beats with acoustic orchestral instruments. Also curating will be the individual members of the Hip Hop Orchestra, many of whom have benefitted from access to CMPs free, need-based musical instrument lending library, operated in partnership with the Hope Academy of Music and the Arts in East Liberty.  Two distinct concert programs will receive multiple performances throughout Pittsburgh, with concerts taking place in East Liberty, Downtown, on the North Shore and in Millvale.   “A Hip Hop 250,” jointly curated by INEZ, Michael Chapman and members of the Hip Hop Orchestra, honors the groundbreaking art forms and original voices that have helped shape American music and culture. This innovative and electrifying program explores what the semiquincentennial means to we, all the people.  Concerts will take place on June 13, 2026 in partnership with the East Liberty Presbyterian Church and on June 17, 2026 in partnership with the August Wilson African American Cultural Center..   Carlos Clark’s program, “The Cowboy Evolves:  Journeys Through the Music of the Americas" celebrates the histories, voices and viewpoints of pan-American creators, with music by composers from the United States, Uruguay, and Brazil. Concerts will take place on June 15, 2026 in partnership with City of Asylum on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, and on June 16, 2026, in partnership with the Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka. Attendees to the concert in the historic St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale will enjoy an introduction to the one-of-a-kind paintings by immigrant artist Maxo Vanka prior to the performance. The murals powerfully depict and celebrate Pittsburgh’s rich immigrant history, the enduring theme of social justice and the heartbreak of love, loss, and war. “Pittsburgh is rich with original, innovative creators, and it is Pittsburgh Performs’ mission to amplify and uplift their voices,” says Martha Bonta, Executive and Artistic Director of Chamber Music Pittsburgh. “The United States Semiquincentennial this July offers an opportunity for some of Pittsburgh’s boldest and most thoughtful artists to reflect on our nation’s complex and varied histories.  I am very excited to hear what Carlos, Michael, INEZ, and the members of the Hip Hop Orchestra have to say about America at 250.”

“A Hip Hop 250” featuring INEZ and the Hip Hop Orchestra Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 5:00PM, East Liberty Presbyterian Church, East Liberty Wednesday, June 17, 2026 at 7:00PM, August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown

“The Cowboy Evolves:  Journeys Through the Music of the Americas" curated by Carlos Clark Monday, June 15, 2026 at 7:00pm, City of Asylum, North Shore Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 7:30pm, The Vanka Murals, St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale (Mural tour starts at 6pm) Carlos Clark, bassoon Dylan Naroff, violin Omari Abdul-Alim, violin Sean Juhl, viola Bronwyn Banerdt, cello Amaury Morales, piano Florence Price Adoration Fantasy No. 1 Miguel del Águila Malambo Villa Lobos Divagacão (1946) Preludio No. 2 (1913) Wynton Marsalis Meeelaan

A Hip Hop 250 Saturday, June 13 • 5:00 PM • East Liberty Presbyterian Church, East Liberty Wednesday, June 17 • 7:00PM • August Wilson African American Cultural Center, Downtown The Cowboy Evolves:  Journeys Through the Music of the Americas Monday, June 15 • 7:00PM • City of Asylum, North Shore Tuesday, June 16 • 7:30PM • Vanka Murals, St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church, Millvale (Mural tour starts at 6pm) Tickets are pay-what-you-wish and can be purchased online here for East Liberty Presbyterian Church, here for Vanka Murals, and here for the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.  City of Asylum tickets are free; registrations for that event will open on Tuesday, May 26 and will be available at https://cityofasylum.org/programs/. About Pittsburgh Performs Pittsburgh Performs is a four-concert series that highlights innovative local and regional musicians. This program is a central part of Chamber Music Pittsburgh’s mission to celebrate the diverse range of genres, instrumentation, and eras that chamber music represents. Each pay-what-you-wish performance takes place at a community-centric venue, many in underserved neighborhoods. Past concerts include Hugo Crúz and Caminos at the Mattress Factory museum, ANQWENIQUE and Friends at Emerald City downtown, and solo piano works by the maverick American composer John Cage performed at Construction Junction.

About Chamber Music Pittsburgh Since 1961, Chamber Music Pittsburgh (CMP) has provided Pittsburgh audiences with the opportunity to hear the world’s finest chamber music artists. CMP serves Pittsburgh’s many communities through a variety of series and programs, including its MainStage Live subscription series; its Pittsburgh Performs series featuring Pittsburgh artists in unusual venues outside of the traditional concert hall setting; and its free, need-based musical instrument lending library, administered in partnership with East Liberty's Hope Academy of Music and the Arts. Each CMP season features a carefully balanced menu of acclaimed chamber ensembles and brilliant emerging groups, performing traditional musical masterpieces as well as contemporary, intercultural, and crossover compositions. Chamber Music Pittsburgh remains a vital element of cultural life in Pittsburgh and is recognized throughout the classical music world. The 2026-2027 MainStage Live Season is entitled “Revolutions:  A Radical Returning” and takes as its inspiration the music of Ludwig van Beethoven, a revolutionary of his time who helped reshape classical music.