Wendy F.
Yelp
After 12 years of piano lessons from Juilliard-trained teachers, I have ... and will always appreciate, Classical music. That being said, we've enjoyed the last two seasons of the CSO (at the Soittle Theatre) while we followed the progress of the new Gaillard Center. When the 2015-2016 season's line-up was announced this past Spring, we quickly purchased our tickets for the Friday evening Masterworks series and looked forward to the opening of the new auditorium. As recent transplants from Baltimore, our familiarity with Ken Lam, the newly named CSO Music Director (formerly the Education Director of the BSO) added to our anticipation.
Our first concert was Oct. 6 and getting ready for the evening took on some new twists ... what will I/we wear? Where will we eat? Where will we park? ... you get the picture. Though mode of dress has become more relaxed in Charleston over the last few years, my intuition suggested that this was not going to be a dress down, casual evening ... not for me and not for my husband ... and I was on point. If you're a guy reading this and you have a problem wearing a shirt and a tie, then this series is not for you. Ladies, you'll want to bring your A-game ... so, wear your little black dress and you'll blend right in with this well dressed crowd. Pre-concert dining? Disappointingly, there are few options within walking distance to the Center ... Saffron, East Bay Deli and Ted's Butcher Block. (On both the 6th and last night, we ate at Saffron.) Parking? What a pleasure! The Gaillard Center includes a new, multilevel, well-lit parking garage with wide spaces. We paid $5.00 to an attendant at the entrance and easily found a great spot (both times). Then, it was just a short distance from the garage to the front of the Auditorium on a well lit and newly paved path. When we approached the entrance on the evening of the first concert, I was immediately proud of Charleston's achievement and frankly, overwhelmed, at site of this tall and bold structure. The building is majestic and the interior, impressive, yet, comfortable. Making our way up the grand staircase to the Orchestra seating in the Concert Hall, we by-passed the bar (both times) as $12.50 for a 4-oz. pour of a mediocre wine doesn't make sense. We were escorted to our seats. At the first concert, we met and got to know the people seated near us. Last night, it was all about plans for the holidays. An evening at the Gaillard Auditorium is a wonderful experience. While we have fabulous seats, it honestly doesn't look like there is a 'bad' seat in the Concert Hall ... and the acoustics? ... just about perfect! Leaving the Auditorium has been smooth and we have not encountered any problems exiting the garage as payment was collected on entering and attendants are staged throughout the structure to keep the flow of cars, steady. While the next concert is not until January, we're already talking about skipping dinner before the performance and checking out the downtown night scene afterwards. Life is good!