Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall

The Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall at SFCM is something of a local treasure, and kind of a new one. It’s a former grand ballroom that’s been converted to an impressive Italianate performance space for SFCM. The stage is big enough for a large modern orchestra and the room provides quasi-​stadium seating for 450 patrons. (If you sit in row G or farther back, you’ll benefit from increased visibility as the floor slopes up away from the stage.) The renovation is exquisitely done, giving the hall the feel of an old European opera house. The lighting is so executed that the room actually looks like photos you may have seen online.
Of course, what really matters is the sound. If you like it loud, you’ll like it here; the seating area is only three times the size of the stage, so sound doesn’t travel far before hitting you. Those who’ve lamented the deadness and excessive width of Davies will enjoy hearing a performance here. In two performances, I’ve found that sitting farther back improves sound color. This makes sense given that the first 8 or so rows put your ears at or below the height of the stage, which leads to the stage itself blocking a lot of the direct sound you might otherwise hear.
Be careful if you book tickets online for a performance here. As of October 2014, the site says «general admission» but they are assigned seats! The online ticketing system will spit out some random seats (usually together) but you must call them if you want to get seats in a specific location, or near another order.