Choosing a Concert
Finding Concerts
There are lots of kinds of concerts. How do you pick one? First of all, you have to find out what's going on.
Newspapers. Most newspapers publish listings and advertisements for upcoming concerts. Check the Sunday paper for a list of the week's concerts. Sometimes the Thursday or Friday paper will have a list of weekend events.
Radio announcements. If you listen to a classical or public radio station, you're familiar with their announcements of upcoming events. Some stations read a calendar of events; others broadcast interviews with performers who are about to perform locally. Sometimes a station will play recordings of music that will be heard in concert. Call your local station and ask them when you can hear information about live concerts. Don't be shy -- public stations like to hear from the public!
Season brochures. Many concert-giving organizations publish a brochure listing all their concerts for the season. Usually a season is like the school year: it starts in the fall and ends in the spring. Some organizations have summer seasons, or produce special festivals that run for a shorter time.
You can call these organizations and request a brochure. They will be delighted to add another name to their mailing list! (If you want a brochure but don't want to be on the mailing list, be sure to tell them.)
Musicians-in-training. Musicians learn to perform by performing, so there are always concerts by young musicians. These events may not be widely publicized, but usually the public is welcome. Look for concerts at college and university music departments, at high schools, at music schools, and at music stores. Your area may have a youth orchestra or youth choir. Local music teachers present recitals by their students. Summer music camps give end-of-session concerts. Special institutes and workshops for training young professional instrumentalists, dancers, or singers usually present public concerts.
Organizations that typically publish concert brochures
Orchestras Chamber music societies
University concert series Art museums
Music festivals Ballet companies
Opera companies Theaters
Concert halls Churches and temples
Community musicmaking. Some churches and temples have excellent music departments. You can hear beautiful live music in their services and at special concerts.
Your community may have a community orchestra, band, or choir. This community ensemble may consist entirely of amateur musicians making music for their own pleasure, it may include some professionals to bolster the sound, or it may be a professional group supported by the community.
Other concert opportunities. College classes about music (often called "Music Appreciation") sometimes use live music. Signing up for this kind of class can be a great way to listen and learn.
Sometimes professional groups allow listeners to attend a rehearsal. Other organizations will invite you to attend special presentations or open rehearsals if you make a donation.
You never know where a classical concert might crop up. Opera has been presented on farms in rural areas. Chamber music is heard on shipboard on special cruises. Choruses invade shopping malls. Keep your eyes and ears open.
When Concerts Happen
Classical music concerts can happen at just about any time, so pick the time that's best for you. There are more concerts on weekends, but in many cities you can find a concert almost every night of the week. Some downtown areas have special lunchtime or early-evening concerts to fit the urban work schedule. I've even heard of breakfast concerts!
Student concerts in music departments may happen in the afternoon or evening, and sometimes even in the morning. Concerts for families happen on weekends. Other children's concerts happen during the school day, when performers visit a school or children can be bused to the concert hall.
The two most common starting times for concerts are in the evening, about eight o'clock, and in the afternoon, at about three.
Some concerts happen only once, so you have only one chance to hear them. Other concerts are given repeat performances. A big-city symphony orchestra will typically play the same music two or three or four times in a week. The following week they will play different music.
Some concerts recur annually. There are groups that perform Handel's Messiah, or Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, or Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet, every year.
How long does a concert last?
Concerts come in many different sizes, but most last between ninety minutes and two hours. This includes an intermission -- you won't be sitting there listening the whole time.
Noontime concerts can be as short as forty-five minutes, and children's concerts are short, too. Some concerts last longer than two hours, as do many ballet and opera performances. Sometimes there is more than one intermission. Marathon concerts, celebrating a single composer or some other unifying idea, can last for many hours, sometimes continuing all night long.
You can find out the length of a concert by calling. If the box office doesn't have the information, call the administrative office.
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