We selected this beautiful venue for our wedding reception for several reasons…read more This venue offers a blank canvas to allow a bride, groom or party planner the ability to paint and design your vision into a reality. You are permitted to select any vendors, rental equipment, bartenders and other support staff for this venue. We loved this! We worked with Sarah Cowing, Production Coordinator for the planning, contract issuance, billing, etc. majority of the questions we had. She provided any restrictions and other particulars regarding the venue along the way. She was point for vendors deliveries too. She remained on site during our rental period and setup the day before; monitoring and helping as needed ensuring all rules were followed. She also helped with chairs, provided carts and other direction as needed. We were grateful for the Flex Time she permitted during setup. Thanks a bunch! Mr. Phil Irvin: We cannot say enough great things about Mr Irvin. He was an absolute star! We were so glad he was assigned to be our onsite contact for the day of! He was also our point at the final walk through and was there to answer any questions we had about the layout. He was everything to us the day of our wedding reception. He was extremely knowledgeable and ensured everything flowed smoothly! He gave us ideas, received all vendors, studied and ensured our itinerary was followed, made sure the parking was managed, ensured the wedding party was escorted in without guests seeing us, made sure we were fed upon arrival from wedding photos, and remained at our side as the bride and groom the entire night! Guided clean you name it. He quickly worked with our points to resolve any issues that arose. We were soo thankful for him, his support and services! We could not have done it without him! Sir, you are a gem! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything! Everyone echoed the same sentiments! Rules and other helpful info we wanted to share are as following. The price to rent this venue includes tables and chairs (although we rented banquet tables) a wood bar station, warming kitchen and a day of assistant. Our rental included 12 hours plus 1 additional hour for clean up. * Capacity - The venue can seat 200 guests in a dinner-style set up and 300 guests in a cocktail hour style set up * Setup/breakdown - You and your vendors can drop off items the day before your event, but if you want to do any decorating or hold a rehearsal there, they charge an additional hourly rate of $400 ph for the hours you're in the building or $1450.00 for 4 hours. They prefer for your rental time period to be during their business hours with the latest time permitted for rental for a Friday as an example being no later than 4:30pm so staff could be present. They prefer for all personal items to be removed from the building at the end of the night following your event but do make exceptions to hold them until Monday morning if they've been gathered into one area and all food and gifts have been removed. * Dance floors are only permitted if you are renting one. They do not allow anything directly on the floor with tape or glue. Vinyl flooring or anything directly on the floor is not permitted. * They do have restricted items and they will share those with you in your contract. * You will be provided with free access to a social table app to design the room to meet your configuration and they will ensure the tables are setup to meet your specification's. It was the best! We highly recommend this beautiful and vintage venue neatly tucked in the Strip District. We hope that our tips provided can help others in their event planning. Thank you Pittsburgh Opera team! Our reception was an absolute dream!

My husband and I had the opportunity to see Florencia en el Amazonas this past Sunday. Neither of…read moreus had ever been to the Opera before so we really didn't know what to expect. I'm happy to say that the performance exceeded my expectations. It was very easy to pick up our tickets at the box office before the show. Upon entering the Benedum we went to see where our seats were. We were in Orchestra Right Center Row R. They were great seats as it was very easy to read the subtitles at the top of the screen. The performance was well rehearsed and kind of funny in parts. I loved how they made me feel like the boat was actually moving through water on the stage. The orchestra was great and probably never gets enough credit for their hard work. For my first trip to the Opera, I would say it was a success. Great job Pittsburgh Opera!

Years later and I still give the Benedum 5 stars! I come here frequently and everything about my…read moreexperience is 5 stars. I park at smithfield & liberty garage. I found this to be the closest and least expensive for the Benedum. Ticket office - the staff are very friendly. I have done everything from having my tickets mailed home, to purchasing and picking up in person at the box office. They are always great. Security is so smooth and fast now! You only get searched if the detector goes off. Just don't bring in anything you shouldn't and you will be good to go. There is typically a gift shop right at the entrance. For The Nutcracker, they have it very organized. I have been in and out of the line very quickly. There are so many restrooms throughout the Benedum. I found the largest ones to be on the basement level and the 2nd floor where the large bar is. Bar- drink prices are really not outrageous. I typically get prosecco. They pour it in a plastic cup with a lid so you can take it to your seat with you. Lastly- all the seats Ive sat in are amazing. The Benedum is such a great venue to see a show. I highly recommend it. I will be back for sure!

Always a joy to visit. Beautiful architecture, entertaining shows, and kind staff. We're already…read moreplanning to return for the next Broadway season! One note for tall guests--seating is on the smaller side and legroom can be tight. My husband is 6'5" and struggles to sit comfortably when there's a row ahead of him.

Connected to the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the Carnegie Music Hall is an…read moreabsolutely gorgeous venue. They do lots of events and weddings, and honestly I can see why it's such a popular space. I attended a lecture by author and Harvard professor Jill Lepore as a part of the Ten Evenings series by Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures, and it was wonderful. GA tickets for the 2nd tier balcony were $15, which is a steal. The view from up there is great-- I truly don't think there's a bad seat in the house. Jill Lepore is an amazing speaker, and she delivered a thoughtful and timely reflection on depictions of America in art throughout history (and somehow managed to squeeze an overview of American history into just 45 minutes). Before the show, snacks, drinks, books, and other goodies were available for purchase in the lobby. After the show Jill Lepore stayed to autograph copies of her book, programs, etc. It was such a great event-- I'll definitely be returning to see Ottessa Moshfegh's lecture in February.

The renovated Hall is wonderful! Seats are comfortable and spaced appropriately for present-day…read morehumans. The Hall still retains all of the elegance of the original. Well done!!!

Garden Tour: Fox Chapel…read more First, getting tickets for the shuttle made the entire experience more enjoyable. A larger bus could have handled bathroom needs but probably couldn't maneuver the roads. Hot humid day. The shuttle's air conditioning was inconsistent but a lot cooler than outside. Perhaps a test run would have made the driver more comfortable on the windy narrow roads. Homeowners took great pride in their gardens. Each of the eight gardens had their own personality. If the homeowners were onsite, they kindly spoke to the Tour members. Eash stop had symphony members performing. We didn't expect how long the tour would be and didn't bring snacks. We were prepared with cold water. Thank you to all the volunteers who welcomed and educated us on the sites. Heard mention of possibly a Christmas tour. Will be looking forward to it.

Pittsburgh has always had a brilliant symphony. I am very proud of this. My love for classical…read moremusic began when our music teacher Miss Radke took a bus load of us to see the symphony when I was very young, probably in the third or fourth grade. I have been a classical music fan ever since! The Pittsburgh Symphony not only has astounding musicians in the Orchestra, but they always have great directors. I don't drive anymore, otherwise I would go much more often. I am as proud of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, as I am of the Steelers or the Pirates.

Okay, so I realize I can't keep calling things best kept secrets because it implies I'm some kind…read moreof secret-holder and I'm totally not. But you guys, Pittsburgh Festival Opera? It's opera overload for a few weeks a year with amazing performers from all over the country. If you have never been to an opera, seriously go. At least once. Tickets are super affordable, the theater is small, and they do stuff in English, so it's not throwing you into an $80 a ticket, Italian epic that's 3.5 hours long. Which, don't get me wrong, I love all of that (except the expense!) But PFO is really non threatening and accessible. I had the pleasure of seeing La Boheme Warhola last night. All I kind of knew was it was an adaptation of la boheme with a 60s Warhol ish feel and that it was in English. They still did supertitles over the stage even though it was in English, which was great. And the actors were amazing. So talented and engaging and irreverent and just excellent. I absolutely loved it. Icing on the cake? Free street parking! Their 2018 season is almost over so seriously get on their mailing list so you'll get the announcements for the 2019 season.

From the owner: Pittsburgh Festival Opera (PFO) presents innovative opera, producing American works,…read morereinterpretations of older works, and new works, for the widest possible audience. Opera Theater focuses on diversity in programming and casting, on crossing boundaries and bringing together talents from all the arts, on encouraging new talent, and on broadening audiences through outreach and education, to create a body of work that is original, entertaining, contemporary and relevant. Summer season now at Winchester Thurston School, 555 Morewood Ave., Pittsburgh 15213. Touring and special events take place at varied venues around the region. See web site for details.

I have seen the PBT presentation of The Nutcracker several times, but this may have been the last…read morefor me. I enjoy the Pittsburgh references to the story and in the scenery but, really, the hockey-stick-carrying penguin, the rats waving "terrible towels" were a bit strange. As were the "local celebrities" who were given non-speaking, non-dancing (thankfully!) roles as party guests-- why?? What could be next? Pittsburgh Dance Moms in minor roles? Apparently I prefer a more traditional version of The Nutcracker. I missed some of the costumes and dances from the original Balanchine production. I know that some will say that it's predictable and static to do this the same way every year, but when I think of this ballet, it is what I want to see. That being said, the dancers were wonderfully talented and executed their movements perfectly. We are fortunate to have their talent in Pittsburgh!

I know enough about ballet to know that it is significantly more difficult than it looks. These…read moredancers have full body control and it is impressive to watch. I will say it is a nice outing and it feels fancy and it pulls you in. They also send a lot of flyers in the mail and you can find reasonably priced shows. I've seen the Nutcracker a couple of times and even a couple of years ago I saw a street named desire the ballet, which was so unique and a cool experience.

I saw Jesus Christ Superstar :) it was so great and emotional. The staff was so helpful and the…read moreushers to show everyone to their seats. I even got to meet the cast and some Amazing women from Pittsburgh. I went by myself and I would do it again!! The Theater is close to the stage and very intimate- so whatever seat you get would be great

Beautiful theatre just a little tight on seating and getting in and out of there kind of a crazy…read morecattle chute. The drink/snack setup is hectic at best and unclear as to where lines should start and where to go based on what you want. Not everyone wants alcohol. It is a beautiful venue and holds all the old world charm! Bonus here the garage across the street is $15 meanwhile the Theatre Square garage they have raised to $30 which is ridiculous. Come and check it out. Just know if you prefer space you need end seats and seats in the wings.

I haven't taken a dance class here yet, but I've been to a couple events and they were great! I've…read morealso spoken to a bunch of people that have taken classes here and they love them. The first event I came to was the New Years party. The first couple of hours was partner dancing. You didn't need to bring a partner with you because everyone was really friendly, switching up partners throughout the night. People were willing to help you learn new moves if you don't know how to dance, too. The rest of the night was a free for all and had a fun variety of music to dance to. There were snacks, party favors and a live band. It was a great time! The second event I went to was just this past weekend. It was a 90's trivia night with a cash prize for 1st place and a 6 pack of zima for 2nd place, which fit perfectly into the theme. Everyone was encouraged to dress in their best 90's gear and the space had 90's themed snacks and music. Our team definitely lost, but we still had a good time! After the trivia, it was dance party time! There was a good mix of people of all ages. I would definitely recommend checking out the next event they have. You can tell the owner puts a lot of thought and care into her events.

A really nice place to take dance lessons, I don't think they are as hard-sell as most of the other…read morecommercial dance studios. Their open dances are excellent. The main dance floor is somewhat narrow but has a really nice surface for dancing. The studio offers a wide variety of classes, including West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango, Ballroom, and Swing. Reasonable prices.

We went for our first time to see Beethoven Pastoral. It was amazing and breathtaking. I didn't…read moreknow how much I loved classical music until I came and saw this performance. It was a magical evening and the PSO is wonderful. I can't wait to go back!

excellent seats and show…read more large, fast elevator (unlike Benadum center) nice facility

I have been a fan for many years. Their dance performances are creative and exciting. They use…read moremostly live music, and their house band is amazing in their own right. Highly recommended way to spend an evening. Also, you should check out their special events, such as Games Night and the Dirty Ball. This is a vibrant arts group and a wonderful contribution to the Pittsburgh arts scene.

From the owner: dance. video. music. passion…read more Attack Theatre builds community with artists and audiences through the process and production of personal, accessible dance-based performance. Blending varied art forms with dynamic contemporary dance, Attack Theatre creates passionate portrayals of everyday life.