“Piggybacking on the Pittsburgh Symphony’s upcoming European tour—and the orchestra’s ambassadorship for Western Pennsylvania—will be the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance [PRA], VisitPittsburgh, and Pittsburgh International Airport,” writes Elizabeth Bloom in Friday’s (5/13) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “The three entities will join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in Munich, Germany, and the PRA will also be at the concert in Brussels, Belgium. In Munich, the PRA plans to market the region to potential investors … This tour marks the eighth collaboration between the orchestra and the PRA. By attaching itself to the PSO, the PRA believe it can better represent the region as a center of investment and cultural opportunities. … bringing businesspeople to concerts and introducing them to musicians could present Pittsburgh in a more meaningful way than, say, a meeting and dinner would. … ‘In some ways, the orchestra is emblematic of the quality that we espouse in our region,’ said PRA spokesman Philip Cynar. … While such regional marketing can take years to bear fruit, the PSO collaboration has already gotten results. Delta’s direct flight between Pittsburgh and Paris took off after the [orchestra’s] 2008 tour.”
Posted May 17, 2016
