The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will hold a reading session for student composers from Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne, and the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt doctoral candidate Michael Stephens' Oakland Overture was selected by the PSO for this year’s session which will take place March 4 at Heinz Hall from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. PSO resident conductor Daniel Meyer will lead the readings. The experience will also include a dialogue amongst the three composers, Maestro Meyer, PSO composer of the year Jennifer Higdon, and the members of the PSO.

For admission to the PSO student composer readings, please call 412-624-4125. The Department has a limited number of free tickets available for the event.

Michael Stephens (b. 1967) holds a B.M. in music education and an MA in music composition from Kent State University. He has studied composition with Thomas Janson, Frank Wiley, and P.Q. Phan. Oakland Overture was written for Roger Zahab and the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra who premiered the work in November 2004.