Romero symphonic concert to debut in Pittsburgh with lost film screening

The George A. Romero Foundation and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will premiere a new live symphonic concert honoring the filmmaker on March 26, 2027, at the Byham Theater. The one-night event pairs newly orchestrated music from Romero’s films with a restored screening of his long-lost 1962 debut short, making the city once again the stage for a major Romero milestone.

Why it matters: - The premiere turns George A. Romero’s film legacy into a live concert event, tying together his most recognizable horror work and his earlier, lesser-known filmmaking. - The event returns Romero to the Pittsburgh theater where Night of the Living Dead first premiered, giving the city a direct role in preserving and reintroducing his work. - All net revenue from the premiere and future bookings will support the George A. Romero Foundation’s preservation, education, and archive efforts.

What happened: - The George A. Romero Foundation and Music Director Christian Kriegeskotte announced the world premiere of George A. Romero’s A Night at the Symphony. - The one-night-only event is set for March 26, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at the Byham Theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. - The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will present the program, and the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh will perform it live. - Tickets are on sale now through TrustArts.org, by phone at 412-456-6666, and in person at the Theater Square Box Office at 655 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh. - VIP add-on packages are available.

The details: - The concert opens with music that influenced Romero, including his childhood exposure to a film adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. - The program then moves through newly orchestrated music from Romero’s films. - The centerpiece is a complete screening of Expostulations, Romero’s 1962 debut short film. - The George A. Romero Foundation commissioned a new orchestral score for Expostulations, composed by Kriegeskotte. - The orchestra will perform the score live-to-picture. - Expostulations was long believed lost after its elements were thought to have been destroyed in a basement flood. - Surviving 16mm footage was rediscovered and preserved. - The restored film shows Pittsburgh streets, buildings, and neighborhoods used as settings for Romero’s early ideas. - The film includes color footage of Pittsburgh’s Hill District and surrounding areas shot in the early 1960s. - The cast was mostly local African-American actors. - The concert also features music from Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Martin, Knightriders, and other Romero films. - John Harrison’s Day of the Dead synth score will be heard in part on Harrison’s original Prophet-5 synthesizer. - The full program will run about 2 hours and 10 minutes, including intermission. - The premiere has support from 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 at 101 6th Street in Pittsburgh. - Additional information is available at the official event page.

Between the lines: - The project reframes Romero’s career as broader than horror alone, connecting his genre work to orchestral music and earlier creative influences. - The rediscovery of Expostulations adds historical weight because it restores a missing piece of Romero’s artistic development. - Positioning the premiere in Pittsburgh reinforces the city’s importance to Romero’s career and to the preservation of his archive. - The foundation is using the event as both a cultural tribute and a fundraising mechanism for long-term legacy work.

What's next: - Future bookings of A Night at the Symphony will also generate net revenue for the foundation. - The George A. Romero Foundation will continue scholarship and fellowship programs for emerging horror creators. - The foundation will keep working on restoration and preservation of Romero’s work. - Foundation efforts also include support for the horror archive at the University of Pittsburgh’s Hillman Library. - The organization is pursuing an endowment to name the university’s new Horror Studies Center the George A. Romero Horror Studies Center. - VIP Meet & Greet packages and VIP Merchandise packages remain available, with a separate concert ticket required for each.

The bottom line: - Pittsburgh is getting a one-night Romero event that mixes restored film history, live orchestral performance, and legacy fundraising in the same venue where Night of the Living Dead first stunned audiences.