My fiance and I were invited to attend Symphony with a Splash so we decided to check it out. We were told via email that the event would have food, drinks, and a jazz band called the Big Red Barn prior to the main event which was to be conducted by Morihiko Nakahara and featuring pieces such as:
Armando Bayolo (b. 1973)- Chamber Symphony "Illusory Airs" (2006)
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)- If Bach Had Been a Beekeeper (1976)
Bryce Dessner (b. 1976)- Aheym for Chamber Orchestra (2009)
Andy Akiho (b. 1979)- Ki-iro (Yellow) (2009)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201 (1774)
When we arrived we had to wait patiently for the box office attendants to find our tickets, which seemed to take a long time. The box office area was super cold and I was forced to snuggle up to my guy (I didn't really mind that part at all) to keep warm. Finally they found our tickets and soon after unlocked the main doors so we could come in. Inside to the right the room was set up for people to buy dinner if they wanted to which Kevin and I decided to do. We were surprised how good the food was. We ate Beacon Hill's delicious Herb-stuffed Phyllo-wrapped Chicken Breast with Champagne-Shallot Sauce served with Classic Red Potato Gratin and a Romaine Salad (Crisp Romaine, Caramelized Almonds, Mandarin Oranges, and Celery Seed Vinaigrette). I could not finish my dinner there was so much food. We payed $12 a plate. They also offered a peach and sage vodka martini topped with Treveri Sparkling Wine. We didn't order that but heard people around us commenting on how good it was.
After we ate we decided to mosey on in to the theater and watch the Big Red Barn perform. We sat up in the balcony area so we could listen and talk amongst ourselves. I enjoyed the live music and when it was over we went down to our assigned seats which were in the orchestra section dead center of the stage. GREAT SEATS! It was a fantastic! Morihiko Nakahara was funny and personable and we instantly liked him. He proved to be a skilled conductor and we enjoyed every piece that the orchestra played. The orchestra themselves were phenomenal and were very pleased with the entire event.
Kevin and I both gave it four stars and would definitely go back again. I probably would have given five stars if they had a warmer area for folks to wait, especially in the middle of winter and were more organized with their tickets but like I said, all-in-all it was pretty fantastic. read more