Classically trained musicians and vocalists reimagine iconic rock and metal songs with orchestral arrangements, lighting and theatrical production.
The Rock Orchestra brings Arena of Fire to the Petersen Events Center on Sunday, November 15, 2026. It's a live performance that puts rock music and orchestral arrangements on the same stage, with classically trained musicians and vocalists reimagining rock and metal songs through sweeping strings, thunderous percussion and cinematic orchestration.
The set pulls from two different worlds: the raw energy of hard rock and the scale of a full orchestra. The strings and percussion take over the heavy lifting, and the vocalists carry the melodies, so you're hearing familiar rock and metal songs played with a symphonic weight they don't usually have. It's less of a standard concert and more of a theatrical production, with dark visual aesthetics, powerful lighting effects and arena-sized energy. The whole thing is built around that contrast between classical music and hard rock spectacle.
On stage, the classically trained musicians and vocalists are the ones doing the reimagining. They take iconic rock and metal songs and run them through the orchestra, so the strings and percussion drive the sound rather than just backing it up. The production side—the lighting and the visuals—is built to match that, with a dark aesthetic and a scale that fills the room. It's a performance that leans into the theatrical as much as the musical.
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The show runs from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM at the Petersen Events Center, 3719 Terrace St, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261.
