Boettcher Hall

Boettcher Concert Hall did something no other symphony hall in the country had ever done before - it put the stage in the center and wrapped the audience all the way around it in every direction. It was the first "in-the-round" symphony hall in the nation when it opened, and the result is that 80 percent of the seats are within 65 feet of the performers. You can practically see the rosin fly off the bow and hear every breath between notes.

Home to the Colorado Symphony, Boettcher is where Denver goes to hear orchestral music done right and done beautifully. The round design creates this incredible sense of closeness that you just don't get in a traditional hall - you're not watching the orchestra from a distance, you're IN it, surrounded by it. The acoustics were specifically designed for this unique configuration, and the sound wraps around you in a way that flat-front halls simply can't replicate no matter how much money they spend on engineering.

As part of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, Boettcher is right downtown near the 16th Street Mall with easy access from anywhere. For pre-concert dining, Cholon on 16th is a great pick for modern Asian fusion that feels appropriately sophisticated. Hop Alley in nearby RiNo does Sichuan food that'll wake up your palate before the strings do their thing. Or keep it simple and elegant with a drink at Terminal Bar in Union Station, which is a beautiful room in its own right and perfect for a pre-concert cocktail.

If you want to experience orchestral music the way it was meant to be heard - up close, surrounded, and fully immersed in every note - Boettcher is the room that makes it happen. Check what the Colorado Symphony has coming up on Evil Tickets. Get cultured.