Before the Performance: FAQ
Welcome to the Amarillo Symphony. If you are attending your first symphony performance, you may want answers to some of the following frequently asked questions:
Most people consider a concert by the Amarillo Symphony to be a special event, and tend to dress for the occasion – in suits and ties, or “business casual.” That said, we will welcome you in the attire in which you feel is appropriate.
No. One of the great joys of going to an Amarillo Symphony concert is being introduced to a great piece of music you’ve never heard before. Some regular attenders do find they appreciate the performance more if they listen to a recording of the piece before the concert, so they can better anticipate their favorite parts. And many audience members find it enhances their enjoyment of the music if they take the time before the performance to read details of the performance.
Yes, cell phones are allowed. However, we require that you silence all cell phones and other electronic devices before the performance begins—and that you check to see that they are again silenced after intermission.
Audience members may take photographs before and after the concert, as well as during intermission and applause. Please note, however, that photography or recording during the performance is discouraged.
Tickets may be purchased in person, by mail, telephone, or online. For ticket availability, call 806.376.8782.
The Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts is the home of the Amarillo Symphony; it is an incredible venue set in downtown Amarillo. For more information on what downtown and the surrounding area has to offer, please follow this link.
We suggest you arrive 30 minutes before the concert is scheduled to begin. That will give you plenty of time to find your seat, relax, read the program, and watch the musicians as they take the stage. Amarillo Symphony concerts begin promptly at the announced starting time. Ticketholders who come late will not be seated in the hall until after the conclusion of the first work on the program. Concertgoers who must leave the hall before or during the playing of a piece will not be reseated until after that piece is concluded. In consideration of the performers and fellow concertgoers, we ask that you remain in your seat until the concert has ended.
There are two reasons to applaud at an Amarillo Symphony concert: as a greeting, and to show appreciation. Just before the concert begins, the orchestra members will all be seated on the stage, except for the Concertmaster – the violinist who sits in the first chair of the first row of the orchestra. The audience applauds to greet the Concertmaster when he or she comes onstage. The audience applauds again a few moments later when the Conductor comes onstage. Any soloists who will be performing will usually come onstage after an introduction by the Conductor; the audience applauds to greet the soloist or soloists as well. The audience does not applaud again until the end of each piece of music, to show your appreciation to the performers. Some longer pieces may have several sections, or movements, separated by a brief, silent pause. The audience typically does not applaud between movements of a piece. That said, applause is always appreciated, especially after a virtuosic performance.
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