Seating at Chicago Symphony

[mbell]

I'm hoping to go to Chicago in March and catch a couple performances of the Chicago Symphony. I've noticed that the seats in the balcony are generally more expensive than the seats on the floor, which is the reverse of what I normally see at other halls. Any recommendations on a good place to sit? I'm mainly looking for good sound at a good value.

thanks

mike

[eupher61]

Not addressing your question really, but it seems it's that way in many of the best halls. Think about the view. Seriously, that is part of their pricing scheme.

[Wyvern]

The front row balcony is certainly good sound and for sight - I would recommend!

[joshwirt]

The best seats (IMHO) are in the Lower Balcony...and yes, they are $$$$.

But, you can see everything and the sound is really the best at that level. I don't recommend getting floor seats unless there's some soloist you really want to see up close...the brass and winds will be slightly muffled compared to upstairs.

You might also check out the Upper Balcony...I've seen a few concerts up there (Prokofiev 5 with Gene on the Bb) and it sounds pretty good. You just can't see the full grandeur of the hall being underneath the Gallery.

The Gallery isn't really bad either, you're just WAY up there. Have seen a few concerts up there (including one night of the CSO Brass that they recorded for the CD) and I was still blown away.

You can also try Terrace seats if you want the full experience of sitting right over the CSO Brass!!! Those seats are usually reasonable and depending on the program/conductor, you might learn something!

Cheers,
Josh Wirt

[tubajoe]

After grad school, I worked in the ticket office... got to know the hall pretty well, sat in every section.

These are just some things I remember... your mileage may vary... and this is info from a number of years ago, but I doubt too much has changed...


Best places (in my opinion) to sit were the Dress Circle (front of lower balcony) , the Gallery, and the Terrace. The very ends of the Dress Circle can be really fun places to sit; amazing vantage point. The one on the opposite side of the low brass section side was always one of my favorite places to sit. The Lower Balcony tends to be the most sought after seats, as that's generally considered the place that sounds the best overall. I wasn't that crazy about the back of the Lower Balcony though.

The Upper Balcony can be good too if you get towards the very front. Boxes sound good, but you sorta gotta sit in the front. They are more of a social thing though, not worth the heavy price.

Places on the floor are good, but try to go about 1/2 way back, not too far back though. Sides are not too bad as long as you are not too close. The sides are less of a compromise the further back you go.

Places to avoid are the back of the Upper Balcony (some have obscured sight lines due to pillars) and the front of the floor. I would choose the back of the floor over the very front of the floor, and the front of the Upper Balcony over the back of the Lower Balcony.


The Gallery is pretty much always good, yep it's the nosebleeds but it sounds GREAT, and tickets are reasonable.

The Terrace is a lot of fun, as you can literally see the notes on the players’ pages and see every gesture of the conductor. Those seats sound pretty good too, better than you might expect.


It’s a great hall... I used to miss the pre-renovation sound (it had an angrier “crack’ to the sound) but it is still amazing.


Anywhere you sit, the orchestra sounds superb. You’ll get to be in the same space as one of the world’s great orchestras. Treasure those moments! The entire space is a living breathing entity, just like the orchestra itself, enjoy the idiosyncrasies and don’t go to the show hoping it will sound like a recording, it won’t. It’s better.


Protip: the “meaty” rep is often on the second half of the show, right? Well, some of the older folks get up and leave at intermission and don’t stay for the second half, so if you are stealthy and cool and nonchalant, sometimes you can move to a better seat after intermission, as long as you don’t have to stumble over people to get there or take anyone's seats who are coming back.

SuperProTip: Wait until the lights dim to quickly grab the newly vacant seats, as the ushers are less apt to bug you right before the music starts...

SuperDuperProTip: I'd sometimes get there early, as a certain "Northern" player would give his parts a last practice go-thru on stage before the concert started. ...which can rock your socks.

[mbell]

Thanks for the tips. The Terrace looked interesting with the opportunity to sit right behind the brass. I like being able to see the conductors face too. And those tickets are fairly low compared to most of the others. I will check out the lower balcony too. The CSO web site where you choose your seats makes it look like you are very high up in the balcony. I guess it is just an odd perspective or maybe a super wide angle is exaggerating the depth.

mike

[Alex C]

The best seats (IMHO) are in the Lower Balcony...and yes, they are $$$$.

But, you can see everything and the sound is really the best at that level. I don't recommend getting floor seats unless there's some soloist you really want to see up close...the brass and winds will be slightly muffled compared to upstairs.
Josh Wirt

Ditto for the Lower Balcony. They are worth the money.