Pressroom
2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival Takes It to the Streets - Again!
Festival invigorates the historic plazas, city streets and open spaces of downtown Pittsburgh
May 12, 2008
With 300 artists, more than 50 live music performances, 15 visual arts installations and 4 original dance and theatre productions, summer begins in downtown Pittsburgh with the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. The 2008 Festival will again enliven the historic plazas, city streets and open spaces of downtown Pittsburgh with original art and live performances due to continuing renovations at Point State Park.
Three Rivers Arts Festival Unveils Plan to Reduce Environmental Impact With Help From Colcom Foundation
May 12, 2008
Over the course of the next three years, the Three Rivers Arts Festival will dramatically reduce the amount of waste it produces. Thanks to a generous grant from the Colcom Foundation, the 2008 Festival will introduce large-scale composting in its food vending area in collaboration with partner company Restorative Events, LLC, a local company devoted to producing environmentally-friendly public events. At the end of the three-year initiative, the Festival and Restorative Events will introduce standards that may become the equivalent of LEED certification for large-scale public events.
UPMC Health Plan Family Festival Invites Young Artists to Remake/Retake
Festival Introduces New Community Stage to Celebrate Children in the Arts
May 12, 2008
Experimental artists of all ages are invited to share in environmentally-friendly, hands-on art-making experiences at the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival, part of the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. With the theme Remake/Retake, the 2008 Family Festival engages young and old artists alike in creating artistic treasures from discarded materials. Located at Hertz Investment Group Plaza at Gateway Center, the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival is free and open to the public from 12 noon - 7 pm, Friday, June 6 - Sunday, June 22, 2008.
Artists from Around the World Gather to Sell Wares
300 Artists and Fine Craftspeople Convene at the Duquesne Light Artists Market
May 12, 2008
From jewelry to ceramics, painting to metalwork, more than 300 artists from around the world will gather at the Three Rivers Arts Festival's 2008 Duquesne Light Artists Market. The Market opens at noon on Friday, June 6, 2008, with 144 artists. New artists arrive on June 12, 13, 17 and 20, making the Duquesne Light Artists Market a fresh experience several times over. The Market operates daily noon - 8 pm, June 6-22, at One, Two and Three Gateway Center Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh.
Baseball Comes Out in Greenberg's Tony Award-Winning Play
4th River Presents barebones productions in Take Me Out, June 6-22, 2008
May 9, 2008
Barebones productions challenges the limits of Pittsburgh theater in its 4th River presentation of Richard Greenberg's Tony Award-winning play, Take Me Out. Take Me Out opens at 8 pm, Friday, June 6, 2008, at Navarra, 131 Seventh Street, downtown Pittsburgh, as part of the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. Performances continue at 8 pm, Wednesdays - Sundays, June 7-22, 2008.
Music Calendar for the Three Rivers Arts Festival
As of May 12, 2008
May 12, 2008
Unless otherwise noted, lunchtime shows are at 12 pm. Happy Hour shows are at 5:30 pm. Opening acts go on at 6:30 with headliners at 7:30. Late night concerts begin after Main Stage performances are over, usually around 9:30 pm. Lunchtime shows, opening acts and headliners all take place on the Main Stage at Stanwix Triangle. Happy Hour and Late Night shows are in Market Square. All performances are free and open to the public.
Play and Photography Exhibit Expose the Plight of Refugees
4th River presents The Unintended and Forgotten Refugee Children: No Return Home
May 12, 2008
Pittsburgh Playback Theatre's newest play The Unintended, by Paulo Nzambi, exposes the present-day heart-breaking plight of refugee Afghani children in Pakistan. 4th River presents The Unintended at 8 pm, Friday and Saturday, June 13 and 14, and at 2 pm, Sunday, June 15, 2008, at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery at 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Playworks Exposes the Creative Process
4th River presents the Play Development Lab Series – Staged readings of three new plays
May 12, 2008
4th River presents Pittsburgh Playworks' Play Development Lab series, featuring readings from plays in development by award-winning local playwrights William Cameron, Jeanne Drennan and Jozef Spychala. From June 16-21, three new plays will be read by professional actors, exposing the playwright's craft and creative process for theatre professionals and audience members alike. All readings will take place at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery at 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.
Listen, Learn and Drum Along with panPittsburgh
Three Rivers Arts Festival features amateur and professional steelbands
May 12, 2008
Take a trip to the tropics as Greater Pittsburgh youth and adults share steel drum music in the fourth annual panPittsburgh Steelband Music Showcase at the 2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival. The summery sounds of steelbands will fill the UPMC Health Plan Family Festival from 2-4 pm, Saturdays and Sundays, June 14-15 and 21-22. The UPMC Health Plan Family Festival, part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival, is located at Hertz Investment Group Plaza at Gateway Center. All performances are free and open to the public.
Enjoy Free Music on Your Lunch Break
Live music, 12 pm, June 6-22, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
May 12, 2008
Spice up your lunch with free concerts at the 2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival. Offering a variety of styles and genres from pop to indie rock, the Three Rivers Arts Festival's music events will have enough to please the most discriminating music junkie. Music events begin at 12 pm each day on the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage.
Nathan Green Comes Home for his First Outdoor Installation
Dream Machine, an interactive sculpture, debuts at the 2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival
May 12, 2008
Schenley High School graduate Nathan Green returns to Pittsburgh for his first major outdoor sculpture installation at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Dream Machine, a large-scale interactive sculpture, incorporates an array of modified recreational equipment and playing field symbols. Dream Machine opens in Market Square on Friday, June 6, and will be on display through the Three Rivers Arts Festival until June 22, 2008. Exhibit hours are 12 noon to 8 pm daily.
Live Music Rocks Market Square For Happy Hour
Market Square stage features local artists
May 12, 2008
Not ready to head home after work? Head on over to Market Square for fresh Pittsburgh talent, playing everything from jazz to rock. Performances begin at 5:30 pm unless noted at the Market Square Stage.
Communities Come Together to Celebrate Pittsburgh Hero
ArtUp’s Magarac Attack opens June 14, 2008, at Market Square
May 12, 2008
Larger-than-life sculptures of Joe Magarac take over Market Square as 4th River presents Magarac Attack. Curated by Artist Upstairs' Tavia LaFollette, Magarac Attack is a celebration of Pittsburgh folk-hero Joe Magarac, the superhuman steel worker, springing from ideas about both the icon and the communy imaginations that he engaged. Magarac Attack opens at Market Square on Saturday, June 14, 2008, and runs through June 20.
Ceramic Art Reflects the Majesty of Trinity Cathedral
Installations by Jeffrey Mongrain and Nicholas Kripal at the Three Rivers Arts Festival
May 12, 2008
Ceramic artists Jeffrey Mongrain and Nicholas Kripal will address history and iconography in site-specific installations at Trinity Cathedral. Presented by the Three Rivers Arts Festival, viewing hours are Monday-Friday, 7 am - 5 pm; Saturday, 9 am - 1:30 pm; and Sunday, 7 am - 1:30 pm; June 6-22, 2008 at Trinity Cathedral, 328 Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.
Eight Local Artists Experience New Markets
Emerging Artists set up shop at the Duquesne Light Artists Market
May 12, 2008
Three Rivers Arts Festival's Emerging Artists Program will give eight local artists their first experience in the market circuit at the 2008 Duquesne Light Artists Market. The Emerging Artists scholarship program waives booth and tent rental fees for these gifted newcomers, and connects them with experienced mentors who help them navigate the operational details of selling artworks in the market. The Three Rivers Arts Festival offers the nation's longest-running Emerging Artists scholarship program, giving local artists an introduction to creative entrepreneurship since 2007.
Poets and Photographers Share Love for Pittsburgh
4th River presents Along These Rivers, photographs and readings
May 12, 2008
88 local artists commemorate Pittsburgh's 250th birthday in poems and photographs for Along These Rivers, a 4th River project at the 2008 Three Rivers Arts Festival. All Along These Rivers artists are contributors to a book of the same title, edited by Judith R. Robinson and Michael Wurster. The project captures some of Pittsburgh's finest talents, as they attempt to capture the essence of the city itself.
Creative Cakes Grace the Three Rivers Arts Festival
AAP artists make cakes to celebrate Pittsburgh’s 250th
May 12, 2008
No birthday party is complete without cake, and this year Pittsburgh's 250th birthday will feature (non-perishable) cakes from members of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh. Icing on the Cake, a visual arts exhibition for the Three Rivers Arts Festival, will be open daily from 12-8 pm, June 6-22, 2008, at the PPG Place Wintergarden in downtown Pittsburgh.
Budding Art Entrepreneurs Invited to Festival
Kids Ages 6-18 Can Sell Handmade Arts and Crafts at the Duquesne Light Kids Art Mart
May 12, 2008
The Three Rivers Arts Festival invites the Pittsburgh area's youngest artists to sell their handmade goods alongside their seasoned counterparts at the Duquesne Light Kids Art Mart, 1 - 3:30 pm, Saturday, June 14, 2008, at the Duquesne Light Artists Market at One, Two, and Three Gateway Center Plaza.
Contained Offers Unique Space for Creativity
Three Rivers Arts Festival partners with Associated Artists of Pittsburgh for new exhibit
May 12, 2008
Discarded shipping containers and art? The connection isn't obvious, but this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival will be making things clear with Contained, dynamic art installations inside used shipping containers. Contained runs from 12-8 pm, June 6-22, 2008, along Forbes Avenue between Market Square and Stanwix Street.
Local Artists Go Up Against the Clock at Art Olympics
Art Olympics with accompaniment from Opek, Saturday, June 21, 2008
May 12, 2008
A zany blend of reality television a la Iron Chef and creation, the Art Olympics are coming to the Three Rivers Arts Festival. 4th River presents the Art Olympics with accompaniment from Pittsburgh jazz band Opek at 6:30 pm, Saturday, June 21, 2008, at Market Square.
Attack Theatre Swings and Dangles Over Shipping Containers
New Site-Specific Dance Debuts at Contained at the Three Rivers Arts Festival
May 9, 2008
The contemporary dance daredevils of Attack Theatre save the Three Rivers Arts Festival in their newest site-specific work, The Heist. Presented on and among the Festival's Contained mobile exhibition galleries on Forbes Avenue between Market Square and Stanwix Street, The Heist features high-energy dance, over-the-top characterization and witty physical banter. Catch a free performance at 5:30 pm, Fridays - Sundays, June 6 - 8 and 13 - 15, 2008, rain or shine. All performances are free and open to the public.
Local Acts with Fresh Sounds Featured on Festival Main Stage
Tangerine with special guest Una De Luna, June 10, 2008
May 12, 2008
Indie alt-rock band Tangerine brings their moody, guitar-driven sound to the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, 7:30 pm, Tuesday, June 10, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. Special guest Una De Luna opens the show at 6:45 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Pittsburgh Wunderkind Romances Three Rivers Arts Festival
Ben Hardt with special guest Cellofourte, June 9, 2008, Festival Main Stage
May 12, 2008
The string-laden sounds of Pittsburgh's own Ben Hardt and His Symphony grace the Three Rivers Arts Festival, 7:30 pm, Monday, June 9, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. Special guest Cellofourte opens the show at 6:30 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Punk Pioneers Will Rock the Three Rivers Arts Festival
The New York Dolls Will Roll Into Pittsburgh Sunday, June 15, 2008
April 28, 2008
The idiosyncratic punk rock sounds of the New York Dolls will thrill concert-goers at Three Rivers Arts Festival at 7:30 pm, Sunday, June 15, 2008, on the Main Stage. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
West-African-Inspired Rhythm Band Returns to Pittsburgh
Entrain to perform on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Award-winning, international rhythm band Entrain showcases its eclectic style at the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, 7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 11, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Roots-Reggae Due Harmonizes the Three Rivers Arts Festival
Israel Vibration with Special Guest Outlaw Nation, June 17, 2008, Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Reggae harmony duo Israel Vibration will bring their emotional sounds to the Three Rivers Arts Festival on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. Special guest Outlaw Nation opens the show at 6:30 pm; Israel Vibration plays at 7:30 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Homegrown Hip-Hop Hits the Three Rivers Arts Festival
Formula412 hits the Festival Main Stage on June 16, 2008
April 28, 2008
Pittsburgh's own Formula412 brings real hip-hop to the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage at 7:30 pm, Monday, June 16, 2008. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Phoebe Snow is Back on the Scene and Coming to Town
Snow performs at the Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 14
April 28, 2008
Phoebe Snow's soothing, melodic vocals will grace this year's Three Rivers Arts Festival on Saturday, June 14 at 7:30 pm on the Main Stage. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Electronic Jam Fusion Band Lotus Surges Into Pittsburgh
Laptop-Free Electronic Masters Visit the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Genre-blending electronic jammers Lotus will plug in and rock out on the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage at 7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 18, 2008. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Maceo Parker to Give Pittsburgh a Funk Lesson
Legendary Sax Player Visits the Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 13
April 28, 2008
Jam sax master Maceo Parker will energize Pittsburgh with his soulful funk orchestra at 7:30 pm, Friday, June 13, 2008, on the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Fan-Favorite Grungegrass Trio Returns to the Three Rivers Arts Festival
The Avett Brothers Come Back on Saturday, June 21, 2008
April 28, 2008
Three Rivers Arts Festival favorites The Avett Brothers return to deliver another uplifting, down-home good time performance at 7:30 pm, Saturday, June 21, 2008, on the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage. All Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Rising Star Lizz Wright Brings Intimate Jazz to the 'Burgh
Lizz Wright and Special Guest Raul Midon play the Three Rivers Arts Festival on June 8
April 28, 2008
The powerful vocals of young jazz songstress Lizz Wright meet with the pop-soul hooks of special guest Raul Midón at the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival. Wright performs at 7:30 pm, Sunday, June 8, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. Midón opens at 6:30 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Three Rivers Arts Festival Opens with an Explosion of Sound
moe. with special guest Teddy Thompson, June 6, 2008, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Pre-eminent progressive rock band moe. kicks off the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival with their epic, jam-based sounds on Friday, June 6, 2008, with special guest Teddy Thompson on the Festival Main Stage. Thompson opens at 6:30 pm; moe. performs at 7:30 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
James McMurtry Brings Rootsy Rock to Pittsburgh
James McMurtry with special guest Scott Blasey, June 7, 2008, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Known for his keen observations about everyday life and searing political statements, singer-songwriter James McMurtry and his band bring their country-rock sound to the 49th annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, 7:30 pm, Saturday, June 7, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. Special guest Scott Blasey opens the show at 6:30 pm. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Acclaimed Alt-Country Guitarist Closes Festival
Alejandro Escovedo, June 22, 2008, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Expect poetic lyrics and complex guitar work when Alejandro Escovedo brings his alt-country sound to the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage at 7:30 pm on Sunday, June 22, 2008. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Grammy-Winning Lynne Covers Dusty Springfield and More
Country singer Shelby Lynne visits the Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 20, 2008
April 28, 2008
Grammy Award-winning songstress Shelby Lynne will serenade Pittsburgh crowds in her Three Rivers Arts Festival debut at 7:30 pm, Friday, June 20, 2008, on the Festival Main Stage. All Three Rivers Arts Festival main stage performances are free and open to the public.
The Holmes Brothers' Gospel Sound Resonates in Pittsburgh
The Holmes Brothers’ spirited soul music travels to the Three Rivers Arts Festival
April 28, 2008
The gospel-inspired trio The Holmes Brothers returns to Pittsburgh for a Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performance at 7:30 pm on Thursday, June 19, 2008. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
Horn-Driven Rock Blasts the Three Rivers Arts Festival
Rustic Overtones, 7:30 pm, June 12, 2008, Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage
April 28, 2008
Rustic Overtones will bring their blazing sound and white-hot horn section to the Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage at 7:30 pm, Thursday, June 12, 2008. All Three Rivers Arts Festival Main Stage performances are free and open to the public.
New Exhibition Investigates Culture Through the Lenses of Outsiders
ArtUp's Dilated Dialogs opens April 25, 2008, at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery
April 21, 2008
Dilated Dialogs: A Photographic Perspective opens at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery on Friday, April 25, 2008, from 6 - 10 p.m. Curated by Artist Upstairs' Tavia LaFollette, Dilated Dialogs is a photographic conversation between Americans traveling abroad and foreign-born artists working and living in the United States. The show will be open to the public April 28 - May 24, 2008, at the Three Rivers Arts Festival Gallery at 937 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh.
Three Rivers Arts Festival Seeks Applicants to Perform on the Community Stage
Deadline for applications extended to April 30, 2008
April 14, 2008
The Three Rivers Arts Festival seeks applicants for two distinct presentation opportunities during the 2008 Festival in downtown Pittsburgh, which will be held June 6-22, 2008. Applications for both performing opportunities can be found on the Festival's website at www.artsfestival.net.
