There’s something deeply fitting about a homecoming that spans nearly six decades. The George A. Romero Foundation (GARF) and Music Director Christian Kriegeskotte have announced the world premiere of George A. Romero’s “A Night at the Symphony,” a symphonic concert experience that promises to trace the arc of the filmmaker’s life and legacy. Set for March 26, 2027 at 7:30 p.m., the one-night-only event will take place at the Byham Theater — the very venue where Romero first unleashed Night of the Living Dead in 1968, when it was still called The Fulton. The performance is presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and played live by the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, with a lineup of surprise guests also planned.
Tickets are already on sale. Fans can purchase them through the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s official channels: online at TrustArts.org, by phone at 412-456-6666, or in person at the Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. VIP add-on packages are also available for those seeking an upgraded experience.
A promotional video for the concert has also been released.
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The program is structured to take the audience on a journey through Romero’s influences and output. It opens with the music that inspired him — including a childhood memory of seeing a film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann — before moving into newly orchestrated arrangements of music from his filmography. But the centerpiece is something far rarer: a complete, exclusive screening of Romero’s 1962 debut short film, “Expostulations,” long considered lost. The George A. Romero Foundation commissioned Kriegeskotte to compose an original orchestral score for the film, which will be performed live-to-picture by the orchestra.
For years, “Expostulations” was thought destroyed in a basement flood. The rediscovery of surviving 16mm footage has restored a crucial missing chapter in Romero’s artistic evolution. The short reveals a young director already using Pittsburgh’s streets, buildings, and neighborhoods as expressive backdrops for the personal, social, and political themes that would later define his work. It also serves as a remarkable time capsule of color footage from the early 1960s, capturing Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District and surrounding areas with a cast composed largely of local African-American actors. The Foundation preserved and restored the surviving material with help from individuals close to Romero’s life and career.
“At first I thought it would be fun simply to reimagine the music from some of Romero’s most notable films for live orchestra,” said Kriegeskotte, the program’s creator and music director. “I started out as a studio orchestra musician in Hollywood, and having seen the ongoing popularity of movies like Star Wars and Harry Potter in symphonic spaces I wanted to turn the spotlight toward less recognized heroes of indie cinema whose films helped shape my own creative imagination. I only discovered later that Romero’s inspiration to become a filmmaker came from the film adaptation of an opera, and a natural throughline began to emerge, revealing unrealized projects and lesser-known collaborations that felt perfectly at home in the concert hall. When the GARF asked me to write an original score to accompany Expostulations, I knew we had a remarkable program on our hands.”
The concert opens with Kriegeskotte’s original overture, Beyond the Living Dead, a theme and variations inspired by the first 10 notes heard in Night of the Living Dead. The program also includes music from some of Romero’s most celebrated films: John Harrison’s iconic synth score from Day of the Dead (performed in part on Harrison’s original Prophet-5 synthesizer), Donald Rubinstein’s lush compositions from Martin and Knightriders, and selections from Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and others. All have been expanded and reimagined for a full symphony orchestra.
“My dad was relentlessly curious, and his imagination was never confined to a single genre, medium, or moment in his career,” said Tina Romero, Acting President of the George A. Romero Foundation. “A Night at the Symphony gives audiences access to parts of that creative journey that are rarely seen together. Dad loved music and had a huge collection of movie scores on vinyl. He absolutely would have loved this project. To premiere it in Pittsburgh, in the very theater where Night of the Living Dead was introduced to audiences nearly six decades ago, makes the evening especially meaningful.”
Kriegeskotte, a Carnegie Mellon University School of Music alum, has had his compositions and arrangements commissioned by organizations including the Houston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Opera, American Composers Orchestra, and New York Pops. His film and television credits include Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, War of the Worlds, Sin City, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad.
All net revenue from the world premiere and future bookings of A Night at the Symphony will support the George A. Romero Foundation, the event’s executive producer. Foundation initiatives include scholarships and fellowships for emerging horror creatives, restoration and preservation of Romero’s work, support for the growing horror archive at the University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library, and efforts to establish an endowment to name the university’s new Horror Studies Center the George A. Romero Horror Studies Center.
For those who want to go deeper, two VIP add-on packages are available. The VIP Meet & Greet Package includes exclusive post-concert access with the GARF creative team and VIP guests, plus a limited-edition A Night at the Symphony T-shirt, signed concert poster, signed copy of George A. Romero’s The Amusement Park graphic novel, and a surprise goodie bag of merchandise and collectibles. The VIP Merchandise Package includes the same exclusive merchandise but without the meet-and-greet. A separate concert ticket is required for all VIP add-on packages.
The full program will run approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with an intermission.
A Night at the Symphony has been made possible through the generous support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Pittsburgh Foundation, The University of Pittsburgh Library System, The University of Pittsburgh David C. Frederick Honors College, Dentons Cohen and Grigsby, The Vault Studio, and Fright Rags.
The Byham Theater is located at 101 6th Street in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District. For tickets and additional information, visit https://trustarts.org/production/108672.
ABOUT THE GEORGE A. ROMERO FOUNDATION
The George A. Romero Foundation (The GARF) is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to honoring George’s life, art, and cultural impact by restoring and preserving his portfolio and legacy, and supporting the dreams and imaginations of independent filmmakers, artists, and writers inspired by George. www.georgearomerofoundation.org
ABOUT CHRISTIAN KRIEGESKOTTE
Christian Kriegeskotte is a composer, conductor and concert producer with more than two decades of experience in film, television, video games, the recording industry and arts administration. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Music in composition from Carnegie Mellon University School of Music. His compositions and arrangements have been commissioned and performed by leading orchestras and ensembles, and his film and television credits span major studio productions and network series. www.christiankriegeskotte.com
ABOUT THE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF PITTSBURGH
Composed of Pittsburgh-based musicians and under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Edward Leonard, the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh provides our community with exceptional performances, community enrichment, and related programming by a world-class ensemble. Repertoire includes familiar works, rarely performed masterpieces, and contemporary compositions. https://copgh.org/
ABOUT THE PITTSBURGH CULTURAL TRUST
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is one of the nation’s premier arts presenters and a major catalytic influence in Pittsburgh, having overseen one of the city’s most historic transformations: turning a red-light district into a magnet destination for arts-lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Cultural Trust presents an array of quality performing and visual arts, provides comprehensive educational experiences, and stewards Pittsburgh’s Cultural District as a national model of economic revitalization through the arts. Lauded as “the single greatest creative force in Pittsburgh,” the Cultural Trust has worked to make Pittsburgh a place where the arts can flourish. The 14-block Cultural District, a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, has become a vibrant center for culture, art, food, and community in the city’s downtown neighborhood, providing a home for a broad range of performance groups and resident companies. Approximately one million people visit the Cultural District each year, generating more than $175M in economic impact for the region. TrustArts.org
Daniel P Grody
Tellem Grody PR
Why it matters: This event is more than a concert — it’s a rare chance to see a lost piece of cinema history restored and performed live in the same city where Romero built his legacy. By connecting his earliest work to his most iconic films, it underscores how deeply Pittsburgh shaped one of horror’s most influential voices, while also funding future preservation and education efforts through the Romero Foundation.
