Plan Your Visit Get the best out of your evening at the Symphony

Our performers will generally be in formal attire, unless we are having a special themed event such as our collaborations with country or folk musicians or some other themed program. HOWEVER, as an audience member you can wear whatever is comfortable for you! A good guide might be your personal dress code for dinner with friends, or “smart casual.” But you will probably see other concert-goers in everything from relatively dressy attire to a T-shirt and jeans, so you can feel comfortable wearing just about anything in this range. If you wear a hat, don’t forget to remove it during the performance so as not to block anyone’s view of the stage.

Most concertgoers plan to arrive at least a half-hour to forty minutes before a concert. Because we don’t have assigned seats at our concerts, you may want to come earlier if you have a special preference for seating. The Lobby doors are opened one hour before each performance and we generally open the doors to the performance hall about a half-hour prior to the performance. There are chairs in the Lobby area if you wish to enjoy some refreshments before the concert. Concerts will rarely be delayed unless there are still long lines of guests at the box office.

Please plan to silence your cell phones, alarms, and other audible electronic devices before the concert begins. But feel free to check in online or tweet a photo! We love engaging with audience members on social media! We do ask, however, that you do not use flash when taking photos during the concert and that you are mindful to not disturb your nearby seat neighbors. Phone screens give off more light than you’d think in a darkened hall! We record our performances, so we appreciate your help in maintaining the quality of our recordings.

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It may take you several concerts to decide where you prefer to sit. Do you want to be on the left side of the auditorium close to the front and watch the percussion section? Do you want to be in the center near the back and see the bigger picture of the whole performance? Do you want to be nearer the front on the right and keep a close eye on the cellos and bass players? We do reserve seating along aisles and at the rear of the orchestra section of seats for our wheelchair-bound guests as it requires fewer ramps for access. Ask a concert volunteer for help if you have trouble choosing a seat.

If you arrive late, it is best to wait until a break between pieces for an usher to allow you to enter the hall. Please try to arrive in plenty of time to get seated before the lights dim and the concert begins.

When you first take your seat, you may find that some musicians are already on stage even though the concert isn’t scheduled to begin for a while. Don’t worry; you’re not late. The musicians are warming up, checking over their music, looking at difficult music page turns, and getting settled before the concert begins. Just before the start of the concert, after all of the members of the orchestra are seated, the lights will dim, and the concertmaster will come out to the front of the stage, take a bow, and signal to the first oboe player to play the note A. The rest of the orchestra will then tune their instruments to match the oboe. The conductor will then come out onto the stage. He will take a bow also, then turn around, mount the podium, and begin the concert. It is appropriate to clap for both the concertmaster and the conductor as they bow.

Most concerts will have a 15-20-minute intermission about halfway through the concert. You may take the time to visit the restroom, get a snack or other refreshment in the lobby or visit briefly with other concert-goers or orchestra performers who may be spending intermission in the lobby along with our patrons. Watch for signs that you should return to your seat – flashing lobby lights or a bell ringing will be typical indicators.