Tips for a Great Concert Experience

Attire

Patrons are welcome to attend concerts wearing clothing in which they are comfortable, from casual outfits to suits and gowns.

Entering/Exiting the Concert Hall

If you arrive late or leave during the performance, wait until you hear speaking or applause before you enter the hall. Do not leave or enter the concert hall in the middle of the performance. Just wait for the piece to end to sneak out a side door unless you are experiencing an emergency.

Seats

An usher will be happy to help you find your seat. Once seated, please refrain from shifting to a new seat: another patron has likely purchased the empty seat and he or she may be arriving late.

Refrain from Talking

Please respect the performers and your fellow audience members by not whispering or speaking until intermission or until the concert is over.

Silence and Put Away Cell Phone

Please do not answer calls, text, Facebook, tweet, or otherwise engage in activities on your phone during the performance. The light is distracting and shows little respect to performers and patrons.

Listen

There is no right way to listen, just be moved by the music. It may affect your emotions, your thoughts, your spirit, your body—any part of you. Listen for loudness and softness, changes and transformations, different speeds, instrument sounds, melodies, rhythms, patterns, moods and feelings, memories that get triggered, and visual images that come to mind. A wonderful and mysterious thing about live concerts is that everybody comes to be affected together.

Watch

A concert is for the ears, but there is plenty for the eyes. Watch the players and feel their energy and intensity; what they do to make their instruments sound in different ways. Watch as the music moves between players and the way the conductor gives control to the musicians.

Photo and Video Policy

You are welcome to take a photo either before the concert begins or after it ends. Please do not take photos during a performance. The light disturbs the musicians and patrons around you. For legal reasons, no video of live performances is allowed.

Applause

When the conductor puts his hands down to his sides, the piece is over, and you may give the performers a round of applause. Wait until the cue has been given to show appreciation for the piece.

Don’t feel that you need to be uptight through the concert or hold your breath. Just follow these simple steps to help provide an enjoyable concert experience for everyone.

Sounds that Get in the Way

• Mobile phones, oxygen tanks, and hearing aid battery alarms. Please confirm they are in silent mode.

• Talking and whispering

• Unwrapping anything

• Coughing (if you have a cough, bring cough drops and unwrap them beforehand)

• Squeaking a chair

• Opening a handbag

• Jingling coins

Activities that Get in the Way

• Texting or taking pictures

• Fidgeting

• Adjusting clothing (if you must, do so with as little commotion as possible)

• Shifting to new seats during the concert

• Eating (not allowed in the concert hall)

• Walking around