Love concert series as well as the Studio (caberet) downstairs. As a musician who has performed there many times with full orchestra, I especially appreciate their willingness to correct the accoustics because in the beginning we could not hear our fellow musicians let alone ourselves. Ditto as an audience member. Couldn't live without Bing! read more

This concert venue is gorgeous, acoustically stunning, and designed so there isn't a bad seat in the house. Make sure you buy your tickets directly at the Box Office to avoid additional fees! read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

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Bing Concert Hall is a beautiful indoor performing arts venue at Stanford University. It was relatively newly constructed and opened in January 2013. The concert hall was designed in the oval shape which has 842 seats, perfectly arranged in a vineyard style surrounding the stage. Sound at this hall is spectacular. All the seats are very close to the center of the stage. I think there are three main entrances. The women bathroom is super grand and unique. I love everything at the Bing Concert Hall. Bing Concert Hall is home to many of the Department of Music's ensembles, including the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Standford Choirs, Stanford Wind Ensemble, Stanford Jazz Orchestra, and Stanford Taiko. Bing is also host to many other Department of Music groups and events throughout the year. Check it out. Here is the link for future events or concerts: https://music.stanford.edu/events/events/upcoming-events This place is simply spectacular and stunning in so many ways. You will have your best here to understand what I mean. read more

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We saw the student wind symphony perform here a couple nights ago, and it was lovely. Beautiful space, affordable tickets ($36 for both of us) and of course incredibly talented students and conductors. I don't know a lot about acoustics, but my husband who is knowledgeable about music said they were great. We will return to see the student symphony again as well as other concerts! read more

Bing Concert Hall - Lovely space - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

This place is so wonderful! I watched the orchestra play a requiem and it was so lovely. The acoustics in this building are really great (in my very amateur opinion - all I know is it sounded great). I thoroughly enjoyed sitting through the entire set, which lasted a couple hours. There was also some singing, including opera-like singing, which was also super lovely. Both alto and soprano/tenor parts sounded amazing. Also want to give props to the staff working the hall. It was kept so clean, and the people working the refreshments were really nice. I really needed some coffee and someone kindly helped me locate some halfway around the building, which I super appreciated (I really needed some caffeine). Will definitely be back for more concerts! read more

Bing Concert Hall - Sign - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

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I give it two stars, but it could in time get five. The main hall is a beautiful and wonderful venue to showcase great shows by world class performers giving excellent performances! It's quite an experience really, and the acoustics are excellent. The Studio, on the other hand, has potential but is plainly and unimaginatively set, which is disappointing, but it has potential. And what severely dampens the experience are the sky-high prices of the concessions sold (snacks and drinks), gouging attendees! read more

I had the pleasure of seeing the Emerson String Quartet perform a program featuring music Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Dvořák in the lovely Bing Concert Hall. I remembered seeing them for the first time when I was an undergraduate at UCSD. This performance brought back wonderful memories and was extremely sentimental because it was one of their farewell season performances. Emerson String Quartet, thank you for all your lasting contribution to the field of chamber music! read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

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This venue is so beautiful and has wonderful acoustics!! The seating is really comfortable and well positioned so that you have a great view of the performers. I hope to be coming back soon! read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

Nice hall. Terrible ushers and very rude service overall. You cannot enter this building without being accosted by various ancient staff who seem terrified by any human they encounter. I'd rather just go to a real concert hall. Management, for shame. read more

Bing Concert Hall, which opened in 2013, interior design reminded me of the Walt Disney Concert Hall on a considerably smaller and less glamorous scale, seating some 842. Walt Disney Concert Hall seats 2,265. But still quite impressive. This past weekend saw us here for the occasion of our niece, Candice Wiggins induction into the 2018 Stanford Athletics Sports Hall of Fame, along with 8 others this year. After all, she still holds the PAC 10 all time scoring record. The full list of 2018 Inductees include: Wally Goodwin Men's Golf Coach Kurt Grote Swimming Gabriel Jennings Track & Field Sarah Lowe Synchronized Swimming Erica McLain Track & Field Joshua Stein Gymnastics Candice Wiggins Basketball Kailee Wong Football Felicia Zimmermann Fencing Special Recognition was also given for Sam McDonald, 1884-1957. Superintendent of Athletics Buildings & Grounds for some 50 years. The Master of Ceremonies was Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, a Stanford Alumni and former teammate of Candice. We were fortunate enough to arrive early for the pre reception, as well as staying for the post reception. Such a wonderful selection of goodies and refreshments, along with a jazz band playing, as we took advantage of the outdoor seating with other family members and friends before winding down for the night. We're so proud of her. read more

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Love the concert hall. Intimate with wonderful acoustics. First time here and now I am checking out the rest of the season events. The cozy feel makes me want to hang out past the event. Comfortable seating, very clean setting, and large open area with bar and snacks that goes around this circular hall. read more

Bing Concert Hall - Tonight program with Opera Singer Eric Owens - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

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Bing Concert Hall is a fantastic, beautiful music venue. The seats our comfortable and the sounds is amazing. I can't say there's not a bad seat in the house because I was in the front row, but they were some pretty sweet seats! Parking is a breeze and the whole evening was delightful. Of course, it didn't hurt that Buffy Sainte Marie was performing. Perhaps the best concert I've seen in my life. Bing Concert Hall was a big part of that. read more

Wonderful venue with superb acoustics. Parking is accessible and not a bad seat in the house. Beautifully managed by staff. Great to see this special, intimate space filled with patrons once again. Watching Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt share the stage together swapping stories and performing their songs felt like being at house concert...only better. read more

Gorgeous concert hall with incredible acoustics. Will definitely be on the lookout for more concerts here.

This place is BEAUTIFUL! It's really not that hard to get here either. It may seem confusing at first, but I like the idea that they had a centered parking lot and it was very close to the hall. This place does not do assigned seating, so it is literally first come first serve. I love the way that the seats were set up. It was easy access all around and they have centered the performers which is perfect to watch in all angles. read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

Brought my Girlfriend here for a concert and was amazed at how beautiful this place is. I thought it was an old theater judging by the outside, but when you get inside and see all the wood, wow. We went to the downstairs theatre that has seating arranged around the stage and creates a really amazing acoustic experience. Staff is friendly and helpful, definitely recommend this Hall for an intimate evening. read more

Gorgeous addition to the Stanford campus. I was able to get tickets to a Music Department show case on opening weekend. The design of the interior is sleek and modern with natural wood and stone touches. Later I was lucky to get a behind the scenes tour of the hall since our department works with Stanford Live (the group that runs the hall). Everything is state of the art and every part of it was thought out to the nth degree. I can't wait to experience more performances here. read more

Bing Concert Hall - From the last row of the lower section. Music department showcase 1.13.13 - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

This is an absolutely wonderful, and surprisngly intimate and small, concert hall smack dab on the beautiful Stanford campus. I had the pleasure of attending a private event here, and we started in the common areas eating endless food and enjoying endless drink. Those common areas are beautiful, clean, open, bright...quite nice. Later, we moved to a private concert being played be a quartet of 2x violin, viola and cello. The acoustics were just...wow. Wonderful. I sat in both the first row, mere feet from the performers, and quite far back, so as to compare said acoustics, and in both cases they were fantastic. There aren't many seats, so any seat in the house would be great. read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

I was fortunate enough to tag along to the second public performance held at this newly built concert hall. The Stanford Symphony Orchestra performed Beethoven's 5th Symphony with Jon Nakamatsu. The inside of the hall is beautiful. It has a "vineyard" layout which lets the audience sit all around the performers in the middle, similar to a coliseum. We sat in the B/Center 3 section of the hall, which was on the second level. Even though we weren't the closest to the performers, the acoustics during the symphony was amazing. The music was alive and full. If you have a chance to attend a performance in this intimate hall, don't pass up the chance! read more

Bing Concert Hall - 2nd public performance - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

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Awesome sound! Beautiful setting! Top rate materials, all seats are so close and view is good. Great for spoken word, jazz, classical, synthesized, opera, etc. Same acoustic architect as Disney concert hall. Hosts special events indoor and outdoor in spring and summer. read more

Bing Concert Hall - Performing Arts Near Me - Stanford, California

Woof. I found the acoustics to be an assault. Muddy, harsh, jangly, echo-y. And it seemed the sound people have decided the way to mask the trouble with the acoustics is to just turn up the volume. Maybe my ears are just aging, but hated the sound mix for the José González concert on 3/2. Couldn't hear him, make out words, hear his guitar. Beautiful building. read more

This place is gorgeous! The sound quality is impeccable and the bathrooms are so... smart... so to speak. They do have a coat check, walking in here makes you feel like royalty. It's just beautiful, simply beautiful. I recommend any musical adventure that takes place here along with any event they host, you're bound to have a classically fun time and dabble in some delicious snacks. read more

As others have mentioned, Bing Concert Hall is entirely charming both inside and out. It's architecture is so impressive and pleasing that it might lead some to expect to find the interiors of a five star hotel inside the music hall, but it's not that kind of place and I'm certainly not one to care if it's the essence of luxury inside. The seats are roomy and comfortable with plenty of leg room. That's all I care about. Oh and I also care about acoustics. I was there last night with my wife to see Shawn Colvin. I've seen her numerous times and last night was by a very large margin the worst performance I've ever seen her give. I don't fault the hall for all of it. She definitely had an off night, but the hall wasn't doing her or the audience (at least in my section) any favors. I sat in the third row near the right aisle and the concert sounded like it was being played back from a YouTube recording off someone's smartphone. It was flat and full of echoes. I seem to notice that other people who went here for something other than Chamber music also have the same kind of experience I had, except for the person who went for a Ukelele performance. I'm not too surprised by that exception though. The only thing we could hear last night were the high notes. The entire low end of the guitar was all but inaudible. We could see her strumming, but there was no rhythm guitar happening. We can't know how much of the poor experience was due to the hall, the sound techs, and the performer, but I have a hard time believing that even on a bad night, a performer of Shawn Colvin's caliber would fail to realize that she was nearly doing an acapella show unless it sounded ok where she was standing at the center with the monitor speakers in front of her. She also had extreme difficulty tuning her guitar last night too which suggests to me that even where she was, the sound may have been distorted by the acoustics of the hall. It was a totally disappointing experience. We were really wowed with everything up until the time the first sounds came through the speakers with the opening announcements. That even sounded flat. I would advise to you stay away from anything but Chamber music and maybe Big Band type of stuff in this place. Don't take my amateur word for it. Here's a professional's review: http://www.sfcv.org/article/taking-the-measure-of-three-new-concert-halls read more

I have seen performances all over the Stanford campus,and the Bing Concert Hall is, by far, the best performance space I've been in. The acoustics are wonderful, the sightlines excellent, and the seats comfortable. As a fairly regular concertgoer, accustomed to all sorts of venues, this makes a huge difference. The design is incredibly beautiful. I must say that, apart from some of the older, original buildings, this is one of the most elegant buildings I've entered on the Stanford campus. The lobby area is, architecturally, head and shoulders over that of other performance spaces on campus--especially in that there's actually space for you to stand around and wait without feeling overly crowded. I wish I had been there during the day, so I could enjoy the outdoor landscaping as well. What's more, the ushers were knowledgeable and gracious -- not always a combo you'll find among ushers. And all things considered, the ticket prices are not all that crazy. For those so inclined, the beverages served prior to performances are top notch. read more

Having Professor Stephen Sano explain Bing Hall to you, plus listen to his ukulele, the one made from scraps from building the Bing soundstage....well, it brought the whole experience to an extraordinary level. And well, since I'm from Hawaii; his ukelele made me cry to go home. Can't imagine that any presentation in Bing would be nothing short of outstanding. During the presentation I attended, the acoustics were wonderful. Lovely, lovely venue. read more

Beautiful hall. The part where the orchestra plays raises from the ground and is a fun site to see.

Try the warm chocolate chip cookies. 2 for $3! Really good! The concert hall is top notch. Gorgeous interior, friendly staff, and no expense spared. I'm looking forward to attending my next concert at Bing. I was there for a solo piano concert with Emanuel Ax and the acoustics were impressive. Parking is really easy. I recommend the lot on Campus Drive near Galvez. It was recently paved. read more

5* Bing Concert Hall On Stanford University Fairly new Seasonal performances We saw an excellent mariachi group from Veracruz Mexico. Arlo Guthrie and Bernadette Peters are scheduled. A couple hundreds of seats; all with great acoustical reception Staff is very friendly and helpful Little café and beverages available Parking is free Highly recommend read more

Beautiful Venue. I came here to watch an incredible performance and violin soloist. The ushers were very helpful and I recommend this venue if you want to experience classical music at its finest. read more

The four of us went to see Rhiannon Giddens at the Bing Concert Hall last night. Yes, the place is very beautiful inside and out. Even though some of complained about the acoustics, we found it was fine. Our problem was that the stage is an oval shape with everyone sitting complete around the stage, which was on the floor. The floor does not rotate. Thus, if you bought tickets from any place but the direction the artists are facing you, you will only see their side or backsides. Who, in their right mind things up these architectural designs where only 1/3 of the audience can see the artists facing them. Is it another design over function? Lets just say, it can really ruin your experience when during a two hour performance all you see of the artists is their backside. Ugh. We decided we are never going back. I would recommend, that if you decide to go, make sure you are the 1/3 sitting directly in front. Yes, getting tickets was a hassle. Rhiannon Giddens is awesome, though. read more

The building is beautiful (love all the wood) and generally the acoustics are good, but the sound system is very inconsistent. I've been to shows where the sound was excellent and I've been to a few shows where the high frequency ranges were ear splitting loud and there was a noticeable lack of low end. It's extremely frustrating to me to have to sit thru a show like this. I'm a professional musician and a sound engineer myself. Trebly, overly loud sound reenforcement can ruin a show for me. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the performance, I resort to stuffing Kleenex in my ears. Not at all fun. You must get other complaints about this. Why not do something about it? read more

Pretty impressive concert hall. Just went to watch the Beethoven Project performed by the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and I was really entertained. Since I love all kinds of music and my father had an extra ticket (he's huge classical music buff) I thought I would check this place out. There's plenty of parking (getting out after the concert can be a bit tricky be forewarned) but I thought the place was elegant and acoustically top notch. It's something you definitely should check out. I'm sure plenty of great performances will come there. Check out: http://live.stanford.edu read more

I went to the DakhaBrakha show here last night. it was my first visit to the Bing Concert Hall and I probably wouldn't come to another show here because of the poor seating to cost ratio. I bought my tickets over 2 months ago and at that time there were no 2 seats available facing the stage. Even after dropping $55 a piece, we could only get seats along the side. When we arrived, a large speaker obscuring our view of half the band. And, annoyingly, about one-third the good seats facing DakhaBrakha were empty (guessing they were reserved for season ticket holders, who by the way, missed an amazing show last night). Anyway, while really enjoyed the band, I won't be rushing back to this venue. read more

A beautiful concert hall, from both the perspective of an audience member and a performer. Stanford has brought in world-class artists; I adored seeing Yo-Yo Ma perform here. read more

After all the ballyhoo, what a disappointment! Parking is easy, and the exterior is OK (but not wonderful). Inside, the building is quite beautiful -- until you enter the hall -- which is UGLY! Perhaps worse than usual the evening we attended, for the performance surface was blue carpeting. Judging from photos, the aesthetics are somewhat improved when the performance surface is white/beige. Nonetheless, an ugly space! Acoustics were fair: more than adequate during the music, but ineffective when jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant spoke to the audience. read more

My favorite venue by far. Such a beautiful spacious hall. No matter where you sit, you feel so close to the performers.

I had the pleasure of seeing the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra play Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" here right after they opened. The building is gorgeous inside and out, and the acoustics are amazing. I give five stars even though they haven't quite perfected their logistics. For example, I ordered tickets months in advance and they hadn't arrived by showtime. I went anyway, hoping for the best and joking with my girlfriend that we might get turned away and have to watch the Hobbit movie instead. But they promptly printed replacement tickets and all was well. A week later, my actual tickets arrived in the mail. read more

It makes me sad to write this review, but it is what it is. I attended my 4th musical event at Bing last evening, a performance of the terrific Stanford Jazz Orchestra. It was a pleasure being in the visually beautiful new hall. Unfortunately, the acoustics are no match for the visuals. I sat in the middle of the A section, centered both side to side and top to bottom. I found the sound muddled and muddy. The instruments of the orchestra were difficult to distinguish from one another and the low frequencies were over-emphasized. I think the problem is in both the hall and the electronic sound reinforcement system. The bass viol was miked way above the piano and the lows of the bass were way too strongly reinforced. The music director's voice was muddy and lacking in high tones and sibilance - it was hard to understand him. The male singer's voice was clearer but there was definitely too much bass reinforcement. To the extent that the problems are electronic, they can be fixed. Stanford has obviously already spent goodly sums of money trying to do this because the performance floor was littered with huge loudspeaker assemblies. Unfortunately this isn't working well at all. The bigger problem is the hall. The "vineyard" 360 degree surrounding seating makes it impossible to create an even, high quality listening experience throughout the hall. Resonances within the cavernous hall are very obvious and may be impossible to tame. I'm afraid Stanford has a white elephant here, $75 million spent on an acoustically inferior hall when a truly world class facility could have been built instead. Bottom line - everything about Bing is wonderful - except for the very poor acoustics. And this is most unlikely to change because the problem is so fundamental - a flawed concept for the hall itself. read more

Acoustics are shockingly uneven in this new concert hall. Behind the stage, the acoustics are so live it makes you want to jump out of your skin. In front of the stage, in the first section acoustics are cold and not especially flattering to performers. In less expensive sections, the acoustics are muddy. This is based on hearing classical music in the venue. Perhaps it is fine for other types of performances.The hall itself is gorgeous but if you are going there to listen, it is not good. I have no idea why Stanford doesn't hire a good acoustic engineer to fix it. Also, parking is a giant pain. read more

Bing Inside/Out Arts Open House was a fun family friendly event that was free and open to the public. There were two food trucks plus the cafe at Bing serving food and beverages. Many people were enjoying snacks while lounging in one of the many chairs and tables located inside and outside of the concert hall. Along the path leading to the front entrance was a calypso band, a man creating a tremendous numbers of bubbles, and a woman on stilts made her was through the crowd. Plus there was a woman that performed hula hoop tricks. read more