Our Mission
Founded in 1976, Calliope is a nonprofit educational and presenting organization dedicated to the promotion and preservation of traditional and contemporary folk music and its allied arts. We firmly believe that music is a language through which we speak, learn, create, and come to know our world, engaging individuals of all backgrounds. Through our programs, we seek to connect people through the particular power of folk music and serve the community by encouraging and supporting:
- The joy of live music: As the premier presenter of traditional and roots-based music in Western Pennsylvania, we present performing artists of national and international reputation, promote regional and local performers, and reward audiences with unforgettable performances of music rarely presented elsewhere in our region.
- The delight of making music: The Calliope School of Folk Music provides accessible, highest quality instruction in heritage-based music for adults, teens, and children through classes, workshops, jam sessions, and collaborations with other organizations.
- The power of sharing music: Calliope sponsors a range of community outreach programs and events that bring together people from many neighborhoods, ages, and ethnicities to experience each other’s music and movement traditions, trade stories, and forge friendships.
“Music can change people’s lives, and I think that there’s an awful lot of people out there whose lives were touched, in some cases changed, by the events that Calliope was able to bring to them. That’s something that I’ll always be proud of – and that is, it helped open up a lot of people to the joy of music.” – Calliope Founder George Balderose
Leadership
Executive Director
Patricia Tanner
Staff
Donna Isaac
Lisa Alexander
Lynette Garlan
Stage Manager
Ben Hartlage
Board of Directors
President
Phil Smith
Vice President
Bob Fagan
Treasurer
Tom Nigra
Secretary
Tim Fitchett
Al Bowers
Michelle Ann Duralia
Carol Stewart James
William Locke
Pat Loughlin
Bill Semins
Ann Valdes
Deane Root
Stephen Weber
Kimberly Williams–Shuker
Kate Williams