Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Baltimore, United States

4.4

Closed now

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 410-783-8000
Website:
www.bsomusic.org
Address:
1212 Cathedral St Ste 1, Baltimore, MD, 21201
Midtown Belvedere
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
430 ftCultural Center
880 ftBiddle Street
0.2 miUniversity of Baltimore/Mount Royal
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Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Baltimore) 20:00 Friday, 13 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world’s most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its enduring pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives.

History

Established in 1916.

Although the BSO was founded in 1916, the BSO’s modern history dates from 1965, when Baltimore arts patron Joseph Meyerhoff became president of the Orchestra, a position he held for 18 years. He appointed Romanian-​born conductor Sergiu Comissiona as music director, and together the visionary philanthropist and the charismatic conductor ensured the development of an artistic institution, which has become the undisputed leader of the arts community throughout the State of Maryland.

The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s 12th music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. With her highly praised artistic vision, her dynamic musicianship and her commitment to accessibility in classical music, Maestra Alsop’s leadership has ushered in a new era for the BSO and its audiences.

Meet the Manager

Michael S.

Manager

Michael is the Digital Marketing & E-​Commerce Coordinator at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. His specialties include social media engagement, email marketing, web content management, and finding new ways of incorporating peanut butter & jelly into every meal.

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20 reviews of Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD
The Meyerhoff is simply beautiful. I came this past weekend for the Mozart’s Great Mass and had a great time. The acoustics were great as well. Our seats were in the Terrace Center, which were pretty high up, but we could still hear and see the concert perfectly.
The staff members were very friendly and accommodating. They were quick to notice my confused looks and helped guide us in the right direction of our seats. Also, during the concert, there was a baby that kept making noise (why you would bring a baby to a symphony is beyond me). After many obvious head turns, a staff member politely asked the parent and baby to leave.
Place rating: 5
Columbus, OH
The hall was breathtaking! I love the sound in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The acoustics are intended to deliver a fantastic experience from each seat. I was very happy with our evening out seeing the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra perform!
Place rating: 1
Dallas, TX
My Family and I love going to the orchestra and visiting symphonies in different towns and cities. We will never go visit this one how ever. If you call and speak to anyone there they are the rudest people on this planet. I had the unfortunate opportunity to speak to a lady named Eileen. Im guessing she got that name from being pushed over a bit in school as she is extremely unpleasant.
Advice to the BSO– teach your employees manners politeness and to speak to possible ticket consumers with a professional courteous dialect.
The art of great music has no room for spoiled elite attitudes.
Place rating: 4
Towson, MD
It is a beautiful concert hall and very convenient to the Cultural Center light rail and Mt Vernon neighborhood. However, once you are on a mailing list for this organization, BSO will call you Every. Single. Week. to tell you about upcoming shows. Seriously. Even after getting «removed» from the list, they still called, and I ended up programming BSO into my phone so I could screen their calls (every Friday or Tuesday at 7:30, like clockwork).
It is a huge turnoff, and after attending a single show, I am not sure I want to buy tickets with a credit card from there ever again due to this mailing list! Cash only, so they don’t get my name! :/​And I used to work for the nonprofit industry… it’s like going on a single Ok date and then the other person won’t stop harrassing you to death to go out again. Even if you had a good time, you are turned off!
Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD
The orchestra is amazing! For music lovers, they have great shows. I wish they performed more and for less but isn’t that what we all would want! I’ve enjoyed every performance they’ve done over the years. They also perform at The Lyric and Strathmore and of course Oregon Ridge for July Fourth. They tend to blend a bit of popular and favorites along with every show. That makes great business sense.
Place rating: 5
Arlington, VA
Beautiful place! My husband and I had such a great night here seeing the zelda symphony orchestra. 5 stars all around. Parking garage right next to the venue, very convenient! Hope to be back again for another show soon.
Get a bite to eat before your show at the little mexican bistro on the corner.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Ahhhhhmazing!!!
I don’t get to Baltimore often but one of my favorite artists (emeli sande) had as how here and I was pleasantly surprised. The parking situation is a little chaotic, but I detoured all of that and just parked on an adjacent street for free. Once we got in, I was blown away at how gorgeous this place is. Words won’t even describe his place well, it’s just a great venue.
Inside the hall, our seats were about 20 rows back and the sound was just as nice as the décor. They do have seating higher in balconies, not sure what the view s like up there.
Another bonus was the availability of the bar and the icing on the cake was the low price. My wine was only $ 7 and they had a full bar full of lots of other options.
I’ll definitely be back!
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
Very nice venue. Perfect for an intimate type concert or comedy show.
The staff was very friendly and helpful.
There is a parking garage and you can almost always find street parking.
Place rating: 5
Columbia, MD
Dress up people! Basketball shorts and a hoodie do not count as formal attire!
Place rating: 3
Sterling, VA
The BSO performance itself was great; we saw Bond & Beyond, and the singer and musicians were spot-​on. The conductor had a great personality and sense of humor and added an extra bit of fun to the show.
The venue itself could use a bit in the way of roomier seats, and the bathrooms weren’t great. It’s also not in the best location… there is only one garage that is very close, and it usually fills up and can only be used by BSO members who have parking coupons or something like that (according to a sign at the entrance). We had to park about a half mile away and walk in the rain (because for some reason Baltimore doesn’t have many cabs) to the BSO.
Place rating: 5
Sarasota, FL
Fabulous experience!
We had grand tier seating for the recent ‘Fantasia’ performance and enjoyed every minute. The sound was amazing and the seats were very comfortable. I would recommend this to anyone!
Place rating: 4
Hampden, MD
It is a shame that everyone here seems to be in the over 80 crowd. I mean, I like old people a lot, but it would be nice if some younger people wanted to enjoy a night out at the symphony as well. I, along with two of my companions, received many compliments in the lobby before the show, «It’s so nice to see some young people here!»
Tip: You can get $ 10 student tickets on the day of the performance, as long as it isn’t a sold out show.
Anyway, it is a lovely venue and Pictures at an Exhibition was wonderful. The acoustics are great. There was a lady a few rows in front of me opening a cough drop or something for what felt like an hour and I could hear every crinkle perfectly crisp and clear.
Place rating: 4
Los Angeles, CA
Great venue — clean, lovely, with accessible parking. There is no bad seat in the house (unless you’re smack up front I guess).
I’ve been here for a variety of events — from orchestral, to graduations, to concerts. I’ve never had a bad experience.
Definitely a gem in Baltimore.
Place rating: 5
Washington, DC
Baltimore’s respectable attempt at creating the sense of city-​life with an affordable symphony orchestra that doesn’t seem reek of low-​rent.
The events are varied so the calendar is worth keeping an eye on.
Certainly one of Baltimore’s «crown jewels.»
Place rating: 5
Woodstock, MD
I’m just a BSO bigot. That’s all there is to it. The orchestra is one of the best things in Maryland. I’ve been going to concerts for years and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is world-​class. Alsop typically blends the familiar with the new, so you get an exposure to a wide variety of music, not just the warhorses the blue-​hairs like. If you’re looking for lots of things other than great music you could be disappointed in the Meyerhoff. The store isn’t all that great. There are relatively few tables to dine at. But I couldn’t care less about that. I’m there for the music, and it’s always wonderful. Classical, pops, off-​the-​cuff, you name it. Wonderfrul.
Place rating: 4
Baltimore, MD
Perfect parking spot waiting for me and all. I was a little pressed for time. I thought that I was going to have to spend too much time looking for a parking spot. But, that didn’t happen. There was a handicap spot still availble and due to the plate and screws that I have in my ankle I was able to put my pass to use. I love this place. Its oooooo sooooo clean. The people are all so friendly. I was here to see Drumline Live. This was an excellent show. This is one event that I will be putting on my list of things to do once a year. And I love that they chose to perform here.
Place rating: 5
Baltimore, MD
What an enjoyable experience! We saw the BSO preform at the Meyerhoff, so beautiful inside. We were there for the Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and The Rite of Spring. They rocked it! Amazing and fun!
Place rating: 3
Centreville, MD
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall — 1 Star
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra — 4 Star
The Hall has great acoustics. I was very impressed. But what bothered me was the air quality. The heat was cranked high. I’m not sure of the exact temperature, but it was uncomfortably hot in there last night. I’m wondering if that may be intentional to cater to their demographic, old women with poor circulation. More on that later. Also, the air was so dry that it actually hurt my eyes. During the entire symphony, my eyes were in agony as they tried to overproduce tears to make up for the insanely dry air.
The orchestra itself was great. I don’t really understand why the demographics last night seemed to be women over the age of 80. I’ve been to several different orchestras across the US. While the demographics have always seemed to be older than me, I’ve never before seen one this far skewed toward one gender and one age group in that gender. I wish more middle-​aged and younger people would realize the quality and skill in classical music.
I really would like to give this a higher rating. But the ungodly uncomfortable air quality is simply preventing it.
Place rating: 5
Lutherville, MD
Nothing like classical music to soothe the soul.
It was a delight to see the BSO under the direction of Maestra Marin Alsop on the first night of the BSO’s 2011 – 2012 season. Maestra Alsop was wonderful to watch — graceful, delicate and energetic. It was nice to watch a director who the orchestra responds to and isn’t the only star of the show. The opening concert featured Mahler’s Resurrection. It was an impressive concert of instruments, the Baltimore Choral Arts Society and featured opera soloists.
I love the sound in the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The acoustics are designed to provide a fantastic experience from each seat. The seats and legroom are very comfortable, even for a longer concert since it is a modern symphony hall versus a traditional theater.
If you so happen to go unwillingly or you don’t have a chance for pre-​theater dinner and drinks, you can grab a drink or light snack in the lobby before the performance or during intermission.
Place rating: 4
Alexandria, VA
***This review is for Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as a venue, not for the BSO. I’ve never seen the BSO, and I wrote this review when MSH had its own Unilocal listing. For some reason the building itself is now lumped together with the BSO, despite the fact that many other shows/​performers play this space.***
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall is a great event venue. The hall and foyer *are* a bit outdated and 70s-​ish, but at this point we’d almost be able to call it «stylishly retro» as opposed to «outdated.» And the symphony hall itself is a beautiful space, sophisticated, glossy, and well-​maintained.
There doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house (and the seats themselves are quite comfortable). The light wood stage and paneling are lovely, and the acoustics — obviously — are brilliant. We were here to see Jerry Seinfeld, and we could make him out clearly on stage as well as hear him perfectly, even from our upper tier nosebleed seats in the suspended egg sections. Wish I had pics of those egg pods… visit the BSO website, you’ll see.
My gripe about the Meyerhoff has to do with the traffic and parking situation. Although our frustrating experience may have had something to do with the fact that Seinfeld performed two shows that night, the Meyerhoff often hosts multiple shows in a day. The hall is located in a bit of a congested area, and when we arrived for the 9:30 show, the 7:00 show was just getting out. The vehicle and foot traffic created absolute bedlam. There were traffic cops directing the *throngs* of vehicles choking the area immediately surrounding the Meyerhoff, however, so there was a little method to the madness. Maybe the whole ordeal is better at single-​performance events, but it took us 30 minutes waiting in line before we were able to get into the parking garage. And I’m not sure street parking is even feasible on event nights. Garage parking is $ 11 and cash only.