Minnesota Orchestra — Attraction in Minneapolis

Every time I go to an orchestra concert, no matter the venue, I'm reminded why I don't go more often. Performance was incredible, audience was abysmal — 'whispering' that can be heard across the hall, phones out, aggressive foot tapping where the vibrations can be felt through the floor from 5 seats away (I do admit this one is less egregious than the others), to name a few. There was so much self-indulgent disruption that the chorus of coughs characteristic of even relatively courteous audiences barely even registered. This is all sadly the norm, but that doesn't mean it needs to be.

I encourage Orchestra Hall to adopt Alamo Drafthouse's ruthless policy of ejecting inconsiderate patrons and not allowing them to return. If a visitor to an art exhibit held up a cloudy pane of glass in front of a statue, or smeared mustard on a painting, they would be removed immediately. But in an art where the medium is sound and the canvas silence, comparable distortion of the exhibit is, for some reason, tolerated. Take a stand against the 2% of self-important guests who mar the experience for the 98%.

I understand the desire to make the orchestra welcoming to all, but this problem isn't a matter of inclusivity — it's not young newcomers to the music world who, I've found, tend to be on their best behavior due to the popular misconception that classical audiences are quiet and respectful; it's (a small segment of) older folks who feel a bit too at home in the hall and think they can do whatever they want — often, I've found, the ones who would look down on a newcomer for not dressing 'appropriately', who expect the traditional formality of attire without the understanding that formality is first and foremost a behavior, not a piece of cloth...

Every time I go to Orchestra Hall I'm reminded what people can accomplish by working together . To see individuals who have honed their skill to a level that most people can't realize, and take those individual skills and work together to create something that is greater than the sum of their parts is truly something amazing. It is an important lesson of what we can accomplish by working together and you will not find a better symbol of what a society can be.

Not only is the orchestra impressive but the building is as well. When you walk in to the hall you first notice how large the room is, but it does not feel like a large empty space. The whole place is filled with the warm light reflecting off the wood paneled walls and the impressive geometric shapes on the ceiling and front wall that are a marriage of functionality and art. Just to be in the hall is an impressive thing to see.

I would be remiss to not mention the staff at orchestra hall. From the doorman to the ticket collectors to the people who keep the place clean you will find polite friendly people who seem to enjoy what they do and provide top notch service. Just like the orchestra, without them you can't have the Orchestra Hall.

Every aspect of the experience is impressive and leaves me humbled. We are lucky to have this in our great city and we need to support it so it...

I have never written a review before, but wanted to share our experience with the MN orchestra condoning ticket fraud so others don’t have a similar experience. We were excited for our front and center tickets (hundreds of dollars) as a last date night before our baby came. Got to the show early got our seats, but then another family arrived at showtime and had the same exact seats. Since they had two small kids, we let them have the seats while the manager sorted out what to do. She shuffled us to the side/back and told us she’d be back in 2 minutes. We waited over an hour until intermission, and she never returned. We then found the customer service manager to explain the situation, and instead of apologizing and working to find a solution, he told us it wasn’t their fault, that it was likely our fault from how we bought the tickets somehow. To give them another chance, we called the customer service line the next day and never heard back. Called again a few times and ultimately their manager told us there was nothing they could do. This is considered ticket fraud, and we will report as is recommended to the Better Business Bureau. However, if you want a world class musical experience without chance of ticket fraud, would recommend the Guthrie or St Olaf Orchestra instead, they...