Seattle Symphony

I attended the Seattle Symphony’s performance of The Messiah. While I was pleasantly surprised about the inclusion of countertenor, Benno Schachtner in the line up of soloists, I felt that the entire make-​up of the chorus, the orchestra and the soloists lacked diversity. There were exactly 3 people who were of Asian descent, one man who appeared to be of East Indian descent but the makeup was almost entirely white. The whole Puget Sound area is a very diverse place, I would think they would at least try to include more people of color, especially with the rich music heritage in the area that is largely made up of black musicians.
The performance was, as a whole lackluster. There were a few moments, but most of the audience ran to the coffee urn at intermission to help stave off the yawning. I hope next year that they will be more inclusive and take some of these observations to heart.

Disclaimer: I’m a season ticket subscriber.
I’ve been going to the Symphony for a few years now and love it. The performances and the selection of programs offered are top notch.
The Symphony is hosted out of Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. Visitors are advised to prepay parking if their performance is on a weekend as parking fills up quickly and the adjacent lots are either not safe or pricey.
Benaroya has a couple of restaurants inside, the classy Muse and the simpler Dave’s. There is also the Symphony Store that is open prior to performances.
Many performances will have a lecture starting one hour prior that runs for 30 – 40 minutes and then the performers will start coming out on stage to tune their instruments.
Performances are generally broken down into several categories:
Masterworks — classic symphony pieces (something the symphony excels at)
Pops — exactly as it sounds, more poppy or modern music (example: Star Wars theme)
Untitled — newer artists that are not yet popular (in many cases with good reason as some of the music isn’t that great)
Untuxed, or Live — performances that are generally shorter and made for newer visitors to the Symphony.
A Masterworks performance generally lasts one and a half hours plus a twenty minute intermission. During intermission you can step out into the lobby and enjoy a glass of wine or champagne (you can prepay for this so it is ready immediately).
I’ve had the opportunity to visit symphonies elsewhere in the world and the US and the Seattle Symphony is one of the better ones and its venue is quite nice. I remove a star for the following reasons:
Parking — if you don’t prepay, it’s not convenient and it frequently sells out
Mixing of program pieces — what I mean by this is you may go to a Masterworks performance and the first and final pieces will be as expected but the Symphony may do a third piece between the two that will be from the Untitled selection. Frequently that middle piece will not fit in with the other two and on occasion won’t even be good (I’ve experienced this twice).

I gave a good review because I’ve gone to the Seattle Symphony once and my complaint isn’t about service but about the people attending.
I’m not a snob; I’m just a 29 year old that didn’t like how my boyfriend was treated.
We attended the Hungarian Dances and after the show began I heard loud plopping noises. My boyfriend said he had been hit with spit, I asked him if he was sure and that it wasn’t a leak from the roof (it was raining that night) and he said it felt like spit. During intermission I saw some children peeking from a nearby balcony so in a loud voice I said something about how I thought the children were the ones that were spitting. I’m sure that the family heard me and was offended because I never saw them after intermission but the spitting continued. The spitting continued the entire performance. We would have moved but I think my boyfriend was uncomfortable, we did get new seats because as we were leaving there was an encore and we sat down and the woman sitting next to us gave a sympathetic look.
What kind of immature person attends the Hungarian Dances of all things? How were they able to spit the entire time? How did they not run out of spit?
I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to talk to an employee or wait by the balcony stairs and confront everyone coming down but he refused.
When we got home I grabbed some wipes and cleaned my boyfriend’s head and coat.
I would have liked to go back to The Seattle Symphony for the Weird Al concert but I missed that but it’s my own fault for not signing up for their emails.

Classical music needs encouragement, education and a little marketing to attract the younger
generation. The Seattle Symphony does just that with a wide reperrtoire that invites all ages — combine that with an outstanding group of musicians — it is a winning proposition? !

I have been going to concerts for several years now and have really enjoyed the transition with Ludovic Morlot and the consistent excellence of the performances and the regular appearances by world class guest soloists. They do a wonderful job and make such great use of the spectacular Benaroya Hall.
I would have given this 5 stars but this past season’s inclusion of many contemporary pieces, including a few world premieres, gives me pause to some extent. While I don’t doubt that the new compositions are significant works of art, they are often quite difficult to listen to, not simply because they are somewhat experimental – no fault there – sometimes I just have failed to be engaged by their jagged, almost random progression and occasional over-​the-​top «statements,» such as a violin soloist turning her back on the audience or another soloist miming playing his violin as the rest of the symphony crescendos and drowns him out with cacophony. The lack of subtlety may be the point of the composer, but it’s not a particularly interesting point, and having several of these works in one season got to be a bit much, to the point that even some of the gorgeous masterworks with which they were paired actually lost their luster a bit (disappointingly, Brahms’ 1^st suffered this fate). No doubt it is important to support new works and challenge the audience, but the challenge began to wilt me after a while.
On the other hand, the overwhelming majority of the performances in the ambitious 2014 – 2015 masterworks season were absolutely terrific (especially the attention to Dvorak and Sibelius) and I will continue to support this symphony with much love and eagerness. Bravo!

A great place for awesome music. Bring everyone you know. Seriously.
If you’re thinking about a specific ‘dress code’ that you have to adhere to, worry not. I sat next to a guy wearing cargo shorts while I was wearing my jeans and boots. It’s a fun place to just appreciate music. If you want to dress up, go for it. Going casual? Why not. I prefer making a day of it, hitting up pike place, restaurants, and SAM if you have enough time. You deserve a day to enjoy so what are you waiting for?

I used their ticket service recently to purchase a pair of Morrissey tickets (fingers crossed that he doesn’t cancel this time). The ordering system was easy to use and tickets were mailed in a timely manner regular post from the US to Vancouver. Here is why they score low points. I love to scrap book and the purpose of paying an extra $ 12 for postage was to get hard tickets for scrap booking was so that I could actually have something concrete. I looked at the tickets and they’re ugly. What gives. If I wanted an ugly ticket I would’ve used print at home and saved $ 12. I would’ve posted a pic, however, I don’t want someone to print the bar code and steal the ticket but you get the idea. I am sure when I do my show review which will show on my «This is how I rocked in 2015» Unilocal list I will include a pic of my ugly ticket stub.

Great musicians and location. A true blessing to hear the kaleidoscope of sounds.
Just a tip:
I’m the type that listens to all types of music: rock, rap, blues. I love watching musicians if its good music but for some reason, when it comes to an orchestra in a hall like this, I close my eyes because of that whole speed of sound thing. If you get into the music, close your eyes and sense the difference. g

I’ve attended a few performances over the years and it’s always nice to attend the symphony in whatever city I’m living it. Benaroya hall is gorgeous and adds to the fun event of dressing up and going out. I especially am a fan of their pop culture concerts aimed toward the young per crowds (aka the only times I can get my friends to go)
The missing star is not a reflection of the symphony but rather the people attending. I attended Handel’s Messiah this pass year and as my out of town parents joined me for the holiday season, I splurged on box seats. The other people in the box with us talked for half of it and one even took phone calls. There was so much coughing in the crowd the conductor stopped the symphony at one point. It was an embarrassing reflection on our city and people who are old enough to know that if they’re sitting through hours of something other people are listening to they should bring cough drops and take a cough suppressor.
So my advice– go in the summer and fall but not in the winter or spring as symphony attenders apparently can’t bother with not going out when they’re sick. Trust me, you’ll actually be able to hear the symphony without the cough percussion

My second time seeing the Seattle Symphony. The first was in Carnegie Hall and let me tell you the home court advantage was awesome. I attended the Celebrate Asia performance and was blown away. The sharp adaptability of the band was an awe filled experience. I think they are by far my favorites l.

I miss Gerard Schwartz… the new conductor is Morlot… and he is okay. I enjoy the orchestra both musical and vocal. I am glad they recently won the Grammy. I enjoy picking out the usual people I see although I don’t know their names. I see this violinist that looks like a band member from ZZ Top… the drummer is this black guy that always hits the right notes… love him in Beethoven’s 9^th… recently saw a Beethoven piece where the drummer starts off the tempo and he really rocked that… I was glad to see that he had a bigger play time in this piece… over all great job for a symphony.

I know it’s kind of ridiculous to review a symphony on Unilocal,because their programs change and their players probably change, and music is a very personal experience. Still, I do have a few comments, so here goes.
I’ve always loved the music here, and I think it’s awesome how the Seattle Symphony plays a lot of well known classics, less well known classics, and still incorporates new and exciting literature into their programs. They perform at a very high caliber. And it’s especially awesome how they have programs for people in my age bracket who may not be able to afford their best seats but still have a deep love for classical music. (Those programs are MySymphony and Wolfgang)
My one complaint with those programs, and I guess with the Symphony’s website in general, is that it is very hard to navigate, and buying tickets online can be a bit of a technical maze. And I’m from the generation that grew up with the internet! The fact is that the user interface on their website is not very intuitive. In addition, the process of buying tickets through MySymphony, especially the first time, is rather confusing. I will continue to wade through the confusion, though, because the music is definitely worth it.

Thanks to the seattle symphony for hosting Mike McCready and Mad Season. A truly unforgettable experience.

Beautiful venue and wonderful performances every time!

Attended the Seattle Symphony Orchestras production of Beethoven’s 9^th on New Years Eve. It was my first time attending a symphony, so I won’t pretend to know much about the quality in comparison to any other symphony or locale.
What I can indeed say was that I enjoyed tremendously and was blown away by the performance. Will be attending their performances anytime I return to Seattle, and will be seeking out other symphony performances to gain more culture.
People were dressed the entire spectrum– from fairly casually to extremely elegantly.
I had some cheaper seats near the aisle, but was still happy with my view. I’m a shorter gal, so my view was partially obstructed as was expected.

While other reviewers have alluded to the fact that Seattle might not be as well-​regarded a symphony as others on a global scale, it’s a high-​quality institution nonetheless, and it’s certainly worth supporting and going to, especially if a noteworthy soloist is in town. Tickets are fairly affordable, and the times I’ve been here, it’s been easy to score a ticket right in the first few rows, directly beneath the soloist.
Its beautiful home venue, Benaroya Hall, adds a touch of class to the whole experience, and when combined with a nice dinner at a nearby downtown restaurant, makes for a perfect night out.

You’ve never really heard Yankee Doodle, until you’ve heard it played by the Seattle Symphony!
What an AMAZING experience to hear the Seattle Symphony perform their Celebrate America show, from their pop series.
This show was an interactive show, the audience got to participate from singing «The Star-​Spangled Banner», to whistling, and clapping along with the music.
American patriotic music, is heart-​felt, moving, and hopeful.
Jeff Tyzik was a delightful conductor; Mr. Tyzik was very entertaining, and funny, I’ve never been somewhere where the conductor interacted with the audience in the way that he did, I found his humor to be a highlight of the evening.
It was a very humbling experience, that brought tears to my eyes when Chief Warrant Officer Jeffery Larson from Fort Lewis narrated for a special piece, «Gardens of stone».
There are a few showings left this weekend, and if you have any American patriotism in your heart, then you’d appreciate this show, and what a great time of the year for this show like this.

Best place to feed my classical music obsession!
I’ve been to over 38 shows at Bena Roya hall in the past 3 years and out of which: 30 shows were symphonies! Obsession on crack. Yes. So what?! I’ve loved everything from Beethoven’s 9^th symphony to Bach, Disney, Holiday pops, NYE, Chopin and movie play alongs. Casablanca being my absolutely favorite one. Valentine show was the only thing I didn’t love as much because my champagne cost as much as my ticket! Eeeeeek. But hey, it is romantic anytime or day.
The new principal conductor of this year: Ludvic Morlot is as good as he can be. I love watching him in action. Coming here makes me happy, giddy and usually calm. I’ve done plethora of subscriptions and it is still not enough. I’ve picked this over clubbing and crappy music venues in my early 20s and I still pick this as my favorite in my mid twenties. Afterall, music is absolutely good for your soul. And you don’t need to compromise anything if you come to Seattle Symphony!
Great music, stunning venue and oh so happy feeling of being right in the middle of it all. Love love love! Prepay your parking online so you don’t need to deal with that god awful downtown parking. That way, you’ll be in and out with a happy smile!

I feel so, so lucky to have the Seattle Symphony in town. They are a fantastic cultural resource and it’s awesome that our city supports it!
The vibe definitely trends towards classic standards and the big names (Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky) instead of more avant garde stuff, but I think that’s probably because they are playing to the crowd and the big donors. However, Ludovic Morlot, the Music Director and Chief Conductor, does tend to sneak in more modern stuff in the program as long as the headliner is a big name.
The sound in Benaroya is impeccable, and I consider it such a huge treat to be able to sit for a couple of hours and bask in the enjoyment of great music. The audiences definitely trend towards older folks, so if you’re under 60 you’ll probably leave feeling like a spring chicken in comparison. The tickets are somewhat pricey at $ 20-​$ 120 per seat for most concerts depending on which seats you choose. However, the Symphony does offer great discounts for folks who may not be able to afford full ticket price, including free tickets for kids ages 8 – 18, $ 12 «Campus Club» tickets for students, $ 25 «MySymphony» tickets for young adults under 30, and discounted «WolfGang» tickets for patrons in their 20s and 30s.
One lesser known perk to attending the Symphony is that for Masterworks Season performances, there is always an educational pre-​concert talk one hour before showtime. Highly recommended!
Overall, I think the Seattle Symphony is a great way to spend a free afternoon or evening, and I look forward to attending for many years to come. I hope to see you there — and remember, no clapping during the pause in between movements!

I caught Ravel’s «Bolero» last night & it was simply beautiful! Morlot conducted & the Seattle Symphony’s performance was seamless… slowly & slowly building to a wonderful crescendo. Really moving.
That said, I have to give a nod to Benaroya Hall. Wonderful acoustics. It was a 5 star performance all around. Highly recommend taking in a performance there.