Messiah

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra brings Handel's Messiah to Heinz Hall on Saturday, December 5, 2026. It's a performance of one of the most recognizable pieces in the choral repertoire, and since it falls in early December, it fits right into the city's holiday season.

For those who aren't familiar with it, Messiah is a massive oratorio—a large-scale musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. It's built around a series of biblical texts, and it's the kind of work that takes over the whole stage, with the orchestra and the chorus working together to carry the heavy lifting. If you've ever heard the "Hallelujah" chorus, you've heard a piece of this.

The performance takes place at Heinz Hall, located at 600 Penn Ave in the Cultural District. The hall opened in 1971 and went through a renovation in 1995, and it's the anchor of the city's theater district. It's a venue that's helped drive the ongoing economic and cultural revitalization of downtown Pittsburgh, and it's where the PSO calls home.

The concert starts at 7:30 PM on Saturday, December 5, so it's an evening out in the Golden Triangle. If you're planning to go, you can find tickets through the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's official calendar.