Charleston Concert Association

Event Policies and Concert Etiquette

Event Policies and Concert Etiquette
Attending a concert of classical music is a very different experience from attending a concert of jazz or popular music (rock, rap, country, etc.) Although some audience members may be initially intimidated by the more formal general atmosphere of a classical concert, the rules of etiquette for such a concert are actually straightforward and simple.

Age Limitation
Young children do not usually tolerate classical performances well due to the programs’ length. Most young children cannot stay seated or remain quiet for such a long time. Please respect the other concert attendees’ enjoyment of our events. We recommend children be 5 or older to attend a concert and they must have a ticket.

We request that parents take disruptive children out of the concert hall (tickets are not refundable).

Photography, Videotaping
No photography or videotaping is allowed during any concerts. All cameras and electronic equipment for photography or videotaping should remain in your vehicle or given to management for safekeeping during the concert.

Dress
Although you do not need to dress as if you were attending a royal wedding, you will probably feel more comfortable at a classical concert if you dress in a respectful manner. Different audience members will interpret this in different ways, but you should not wear casual shorts, t-shirts, or tank tops.

Less formal dress may be acceptable, as may more formal dress, but a good rule of thumb might be to dress as if you were going to attend your church, synagogue, or other house of worship, visit the bank for a loan, or make an appearance in a court of law.

Entering the Hall or Auditorium and Staying Seated

No Food or Drink are allowed inside the hall.

The general rule is to arrive at the concert hall at least fifteen minutes ahead of the scheduled concert, take a program, find your seat (perhaps with the assistance of an usher), and be seated. Conversation with companions or those seated nearby is appropriate and welcome, but as soon as the lights dim, discussion should cease.

It is absolutely imperative that you stay seated (in your own seat), except in cases of dire need or emergency. Such cases would include matters of an urgent health nature (impending sickness necessitating a trip to the restroom, continued coughing, or anything that might disturb others) or obvious emergency (danger to audience members, such as fire, natural disaster, etc.)

Cell Phones, etc.
Please turn off or change the ring to “vibrate” on all cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices before the concert begins. Do not answer cell phones during the concert.

Late Seating
Ushers will seat late arrivals during an appropriate pause in the program at the back of the theater. However, late seating is not always possible until intermission.

No Talking, Singing, or Yelling
During the performance, it is absolutely imperative not to talk, sing along, hum, or yell (whether positively or negatively).  The general rule is to keep your attention focused upon the performance in front of you.

Clapping and Showing Appreciation
During an orchestral program, you will probably notice between two and five major compositions of music, with several movements listed as subcategories of each. It is best not to clap between movements of a larger composition. Certainly, though, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between movements and keep track of where the performers are in the course of the program, particularly if you are unfamiliar with classical music. Therefore, if you are unsure of whether or not clapping is appropriate, follow the lead of the experienced audience members. Also note that a slight pause after the end of a composition is sometimes granted by the audience before applause begins, which is basically a way of savoring the “magic” of the music before breaking the spell with clapping.

Please note, when applause does begin at the end of a composition, you may hear other members of the audience shouting “Bravo!” or “Brava!” This is completely acceptable when it occurs after the completion of a performance, and simply means “Well done!” Audience members may also stand (as in a “standing ovation”) when a performance is particularly noteworthy.

Curtain Calls and Encores
Once applause begins after the completion of a composition, you will see that the soloist(s) and the conductor (if the performance involves an orchestra) may leave the stage for a few moments and then return to the stage. This is called a curtain call and may happen repeatedly if the applause continues. If audience enthusiasm remains sustained, after much applause, the performers may return to the stage and resume performance positions, thereby signaling to the audience that they will be performing an encore, or bonus performance. This may continue through several encores if the performers are feeling energetic and the audience excited, but will generally not last more than an extra half hour.

No Eating, Drinking, or Smoking
During a performance, you should not eat, drink, or smoke. If you are suffering from a cough, please use a cough drop to ensure that the concert experience is as pleasurable as possible for you – and those around you. Kindly unwrap the cough drop before the concert begins. If you cannot suppress a cough, it is perfectly acceptable, polite even, to excuse yourself from the Hall until you feel better.

After the Concert
As the applause starts to die down, the performers will leave the stage. The house lights will be turned on. At this point the concert is over, and it is time to go home. Please exit the Concert Hall with the same courtesy you exhibited throughout the concert.

The Charleston Concert Association chooses not to censor any of its performances