Daughter and I greatly enjoyed a holiday concert at this hall. I’ve lived here 20 years and had never been. It is beautiful. The staff was fabulous throughout and it was nice to experience the beautiful old atmosphere I’d not seen since some places in other cities. I didnt know this gem right here in Portland! A visitor tip, some of the aisle seats have small tables next to where you can set a beverage. It was a surprise bonus with our seat selection, and I gladly shared the little table space with the woman behind me. She said, wow I didnt know what the images meant on the seating chart, that it was a table! Me, I didn’t either, and you are welcome to set your drink here too! Beautiful place, with so much nostalgia. Daughter and I glad we dressed for the occasion. A trip back in time to before we were born!

Saw The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Show and had a great time. We needed accessibility help and the theater was easy to access, had elevators, plus provided complimentary wheelchairs. The staff was helpful, knowledgeable, and courteous. It was a great night out!

I have lived in Portland my whole life but had never seen a show at the Schnitz until very recently, and I was really struck by how beautiful it is! Beautiful and elegant in a way that the Keller or Newmark or Armory or Roseland or the Aladdin could never really approach. As with many old theaters, the seating is a bit cramped and uncomfortable, but it’s a very lavish and stunning venue for a show!

Musically, the Oregon Symphony is excellent, and the performance we saw was entirely admirable. That is, once we were seated. Ushers were polite, kind, and efficient; on-site service was pleasant and friendly. After-market interaction was not at all helpful.My wife and I are seniors. We do fine as we get around, but we both need to use handrails as we negotiate stairs. Our seats were in the balcony where, it turns out, there are NO HANDRAILS! Even after a major renovation a few years ago, they couldn't figure out how to put in handrails. Or to include that information in their ticket sales information. Getting to our seats was difficult and somewhat frightening. Getting to the exits was only slightly better. In between, we enjoyed the concert.We learned, when we asked the next day, that the only choice we had, would be to switch from our seats upstairs to unacceptable (very poor acoustic placement) seats downstairs. Not much sense of interest in or feeling for our problem. Just Take it or leave it. We've left it.The Schnitzer is a grand old concert hall in many ways, but the renovation sadly omitted a part of the history they might miss: some of the folks that used to buy tickets.

Saw THE MESSIAH with soloists and PSU Chorus. A wonderful Sunday matinee in the Christmas season. Yes, it's a standard but with energy it is always exciting. The Portland audience knows how to attend a classical concert...when to applaud and when not. They knew to stand for the Hallelujah chorus without prompting.Our seats were mid-orchestra and excellent sight lines until the 7' tall guy sat in front of me. I listened more they looked!The sound was excellent. We have learned over the years that the best seats are mid-way back. You get all the highs and lows ...when down front you are just getting a blast.The space is early 20th century baroque, beautifully restored and maintained and is a treasure Portland cherishes. Easy in-out parking close by, no lines even with checking vax records and ID. COVID protocols were managed well by staff.As downtown Portland is under pressure to regain its national recognition as a special place, we can all be thankful that the OSO is a gem that we should always guard and support.Happier holidays after this season opening concert. Keep your eyes /ears on the lute. Who knew?