GEORGE A. ROMERO’S “A NIGHT AT THE SYMPHONY” TO MAKE WORLD PREMIERE AT BYHAM THEATER MARCH 26, 2027

New Symphonic Concert Features Romero’s Unseen 1962 Debut Film “Expostulations” with a Newly Commissioned Live Orchestral Score; Tickets On Sale Now

PITTSBURGH, PA, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — George A. Romero is coming home to the theater where one of horror’s most important stories first came to life. The George A. Romero Foundation (GARF) and Music Director Christian Kriegeskotte today announced the world premiere of George A. Romero’s “A Night at the Symphony,” an all-new symphonic concert experience celebrating the life, career, and creative legacy of the filmmaker known as the “Godfather of Horror.” Presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and performed live by the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, the one-night-only world premiere will include a host of surprise guests and take place March 26, 2027 at 7:30 p.m. at the Byham Theater, 101 6th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, in the Cultural District. This is the same venue (then known as The Fulton) where Romero premiered Night of the Living Dead in 1968.

For tickets and information, visit Pittsburgh Cultural Trust official ticket sources: TrustArts.org; call 412-456-6666, and in person at Theater Square Box Office, 655 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Tickets are on sale now. VIP add-on packages are available.

Watch the promotional video here.

“A Night at the Symphony” begins with music that inspired Romero, including his childhood experience seeing a film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann, before moving through newly orchestrated music from Romero’s films. The crown jewel of the evening is a complete, exclusive screening of Romero’s “lost” 1962 debut short film, “Expostulations,” with a new orchestral score commissioned by the George A. Romero Foundation and composed by Kriegeskotte. It will be performed live-to-picture by the orchestra.

For decades, “Expostulations” was believed lost with its elements thought to have been destroyed in a basement flood. The rediscovery of surviving 16mm footage restored an important missing chapter in Romero’s development, revealing an emerging filmmaker already using Pittsburgh’s streets, buildings, and neighborhoods as expressive settings for the personal, social, and political ideas that would later define his work. “Expostulations” is a remarkable time capsule of color film footage of Pittsburgh’s historic Hill District and surrounding areas captured in the early 1960s and featuring a majority cast of local African-American actors. The George A. Romero Foundation has preserved and restored the surviving material with help from people closely connected 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, creator and music director of the program. “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. Guests will also hear music from Romero’s most celebrated films like 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 music from Martin and Knightriders, music from Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and others. All are expanded and reimagined for the full symphony orchestra.

“My dad was relentlessly curious, and his imagination was never confined to a single genre, medium, or moment in his career,” says 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.”

A Carnegie Mellon University School of Music alum, Kriegeskotte’s compositions and arrangements have been commissioned and performed 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 generated by the world premiere and future bookings of “A Night at the Symphony” will benefit the ongoing work of the George A. Romero Foundation, the event’s executive producer. Foundation initiatives include scholarships and fellowships for the next generation of 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 fans looking to take the experience even further, two VIP add-on packages are available. The VIP Meet & Greet Package includes exclusive post-concert access with the George A. Romero Foundation 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 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

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