In my mind the best place to see and hear the symphony is at the Merrill Theater in Portland Maine, there isn't a seat in the house that is bad and the acoustics are great. We love the Portland Symphony and Merrill Theater
We were delighted with the performance. The director and assistant director are crowd friendly and the performance of orchestra and chorus was really magical. Friendly staff and not too much time waiting for tickets. Great seats.
We've subscribed (at modest cost) to the Portland Symphony for years and been delighted with the variety and quality of musical offerings. We go to the pre-concert lecture on Sunday afternoons, have gone to both classical and pop series concerts. We are very fortunate to be able to hear, learn from and enjoy the PSO.
The Portland Symphony is a very good symphony for a small city of that size. The Christmas concert is excellent and well attended in many performances. The symphony does a good job of playing old symphonic favorites, but interspersing more modern and in some respects, semi-classical pieces. The date above is incorrect since I moved from Maine in late 2012.
Simply said the people of Southern Maine are blessed with one of the best in the world small city orchestras. Many of the performers play with the Boston Symphony and the core group have been playing together for years. Their City Hall concert hall and world famous organ have had millions invested in refurbishing them in recent years. The acoustics and site lines are extremely good, prices are affordable. Both the business and music leadership personnel are outstanding and thank God the City of Portland politicians don't interfere and screw thing up!
My husband and I have been going to the Magic of Christmas for over 20 years and wouldn't think of missing it. We now have 2 other couples who come from out of state to join us and we all stay overnight in the Old Port. This is sure to jumpstart your Christmas spirit!
The Magic of Christmas is a must see. You will not be disappointed. The performance was eclectic. This symphony is superb. I know musicians that play in the Symphony and they are top notch.
My wife and I attended the concert at the Merrill Auditorium. First of all the Merrill Auditorium is a charming facility, good acoustics, with nary a bad seat in the place. It is a great place to view any concert or other event. The Magic of Christmas was a great concert. They did a splendid job performing many of the traditional classics and the two vocalist had outstanding voices. The chorus was great too. We also enjoyed the audience participation portion of the concert. The two conductors were charming, warm and entertaining. It was a wonderful event that seemed to bring the community together.
I'm lucky to be a subscriber to the PSO and sometimes buy extra tickets to performances from another series. Yesterday afternoon we were treated to an outstanding concert of Baroque music, including Bach's cantata "Sleepers Wake". It made braving the 20 degree temperature with powerful winds well worth it.
Very cheery show--definitely family-friendly and gets you in the mood for Christmas. Merril Auditorium is a beautiful venue and the sound quality there is great, especially with the rehabbed Kochmar organ back in it's home