We recommend allowing plenty of time to park so that you will be in your seat before the concert begins. If you arrive after the concert has started, you will be allowed in at a suitable break in the program.

Our concerts are usually open seating, so choose what you like best. For those who want to sit in the center, consider not sitting too close to the stage, since sitting a few rows back allows the sound time to blend by the time it reaches your ears. For venues with a balcony, sitting at the front of the balcony will give you a great aerial perspective of all the musicians. Lastly, if there is a piano soloist performing, people like to sit more towards the left side of the house so that you can see the pianist’s hands as they perform.

We want you to be comfortable when you join us for a concert, so dress in a way that works for you. Some people love dressing up and others prefer to be more casual. Either way is fine! What you won’t see is a lot of formal wear and black tie.

We do not have a designated home so be sure to read the concert description to see where the concert takes place. Our most commonly used venues are the Allen High School PAC, Lowery Auditorium, Allen Public Library, First United Methodist Church of Allen, Watters Creek.

Before the music starts the audience will clap when the: Concertmaster enters. The concertmaster bows, representing the orchestra, and then starts tuning. You can stop clapping once the tuning beings. Conductor enters. Keep clapping, generally the music director will invite the whole orchestra to stand and share his or her acknowledgment. Next up is the music. Note how the concert is laid out in the program. Generally, orchestras will tell you it is ok to clap between movements. If you have lost track of the movements, or feel hesitant to clap until the very end, just wait for visual cues: If a movement has a quiet ending, just enjoy the moment and wait. There is no need to clap and sometimes breaking a moment like this can detract from the mood the orchestra and soloist just set. If a movements ending is not super flashy or quiet, some of the audience typically will clap. You can join or not. If it ends loud your instinct will assist you and you will feel an urge to clap. Additional visual cues will help too: look at the body language of the musicians, especially the conductor. The end of the final movement is easier. If it is a loud and fast ending, clap. If the work ends quietly, don’t rush to clap, enjoy the feeling and wait for the body language of the musicians to show when the piece is done. Sometimes when a conductor ends a quiet piece, they leave their arms up in the air, as if to suspend the moment. Once they put their arms to the side the piece is more than likely finished. Someone else will catch the clue and they will applaud. If unsure, just wait hold the applause until others have started. Clap when the conductor - and soloist (if any) - leave the stage. If there is a soloist he/she will come back and take a solo bow. Keep applauding. If the vibe in the hall allows, the soloist and conductor usually come back out and acknowledge the orchestra and take general bow for everyone onstage. Keep applauding until the soloist and conductor leave the stage for good.

You can buy the tickets online at www.allenphilharmonic.org, or at the venue before the concert begins.