There's nothing mysterious or difficult about how to act at a concert. It's mostly just common sense: the music needs silence, so the audience contributes silence; both the musicians and the audience want to concentrate on the music, so the listeners stay put during a performance. This helps everyone focus on the music. Making noise or walking around is distracting not just for other listeners, but also for the musicians. It's easy to forget that at a concert the performers can see and hear the audience!

When to Applaud
A common concern of listeners at classical concerts, and one of the chief obstacles to enjoying the music, is the dreaded
Fear of Clapping in the Wrong Place. It's no wonder the audience is afraid: it's often not clear what is expected of the audience. At most other kinds of concerts, the audience applauds whenever there's an ending -- if the music stops, people applaud. But with classical music, one piece may have several endings within it, and you are supposed to wait to the very end of the very last ending before you clap.

How do you tell when a piece of music is really over? Quite often a classical piece has several sections, each with its own ending, and it can be hard to tell which ending is the final ending, the one you're supposed to applaud. How do you know when it's really the end of the whole thing? Refer to the program page of your program book, to see how many movements there are in the piece, and applaud at the very end of the last movement. When in doubt, simply wait until lots of other people are clapping.

Sounds that Get in the Way

• Talking. (You'd be surprised how many people get so excited that they forget they're not watching TV.)
• Whispering. (You'd be surprised how many people think whispering is silent.)
• Coughing. (Cough drops are provided in the lobby of the theatre -- unwrap them beforehand, please! )
• Squeaking your chair.
• Opening a purse.
• Jingling coins.
• Unwrapping anything.
• Rustling the program.
• Saying "shhh."
• Cell phones, beepers, and watches with automatic alarms (You'd be surprised how many people forget to turn them off!)

What about Children?
We offer several concerts each season that are appropriate for our "little listeners." The MSO Holiday Concert is a wonderful events for the whole family, and the annual Family Concert is designed for parents to enjoy with their grade school and preschool children.

Older children and adults will be right at home at our MasterWorks concerts. Babies and little children can't be expected to follow the rules at a grown-ups' concert so, when in doubt, leave them at home until they are old enough to understand how to behave and can fully enjoy the concert.

Legal Matters
At a concert you shouldn't take pictures or make a recording, and don't even think of making a video. It is distracting to do these things, and it is usually illegal. Besides, you are there to experience the concert, not to preserve it!