I am in love with the Phoenix Symphony! I have seen two concerts performed by the Phoenix Symphony so far and I cannot wait to see more.
Most recently, my husband and I watched the Nutcracker. We purchased the "cheap seats," which were still pricey. We arrived 15 minutes late (tacky, I know). This stunt ended up being a blessing in disguise. Since we were late the usher told us we had to sit in the balcony until intermission so that we would not disrupt the show by entering through the main doors.
There were only a handful of people in the balcony so we pretty much got our pick of seats. The orchestra was down in the pit (correct term? Dunno.) and we could actually see the full orchestra from that angle. It was like panorama view!
At intermission we went to find our actual seats, but we were turned off by how crowded it was. Plus, our seats were in the second to last row which wasn't exactly a primo spot. Mind you, Symphony Hall is not that big so there really isn't a bad seat. We decided that the balcony was better for us so we made our way back upstairs.
The previous concert we experienced was with Broadway singer, Cheyenne Jackson. These seats were complimentary from the Phoenix Symphony via our apartment
management. On this occasion the orchestra was directly on stage backing up the singer. This was a more intimate set up, whereas The Nutcracker was more grand.
The Phoenix Symphony is a great way to sneak in a little culture and to experience one of the treasures of downtown Phoenix.