As an audience member, you've felt the very special energy that can be generated between musicians and their audience during a live concert.  The musicians want to be able to do a great job for you, but they can be as easily distracted by what they see and hear in the audience as can fellow audience members.   Good concert etiquette both helps the audience have a wonderful musical experience and helps the musicians perform to the best of their ability.  If you're new to the symphony, the guidelines below are intended to enhance your musical experience.  Enjoy the concerts!

At home before leaving for the concert
•  What to wear, what to wear?  Decorum at classical concerts is in transition.  Dressing up is optional; business attire is acceptable and common.
•  You smell great!  Unfortunately, Joe and Judy next to you are both very allergic to perfumes.  Please refrain or go lightly on the fragrances.
•  Children are wonderful, and they should all be exposed to symphonic music.  However, small children just don't enjoy sitting quietly for two or more hours in a concert hall, and the layout of the hall makes it impossible to remove a restless child without disturbing the entire audience.  To make the concert-going experience enjoyable for everyone, please do not bring children younger than six to the concert.
•  Does your digital watch beep, or do you have its alarm set?  Leave it at home.  You're going to be enjoying the music too much to want to be distracted by it anyway.

Before entering the concert hall
•  Arrive on time.  Classical concerts often begin with a light work to ease the transition from everyday thinking to musical thinking.  Besides, you wouldn't want to miss any of it!
•  Turn off your cell phone or pager or put it on vibrate.  Turn off your cell phone alarm if you have one set.  Hooray for technology, but some of it just doesn't enhance the musical experience!
•  Ask yourself if you'll need to go to the bathroom within the next hour.  If the answer is yes, you'll want to use the facilities before you enter the hall.
•  Have a cough or tickle in your throat?  Stop by the FSO's information table.  We have cough drops that you can take before entering the hall, so you can be prepared to comfortably enjoy the performance.  (You wouldn't want to be fighting with the wrapper in the middle of the concert, would you?)
•  Hearing aids above a certain volume have a tendency to "whistle," creating ambient noise that disturbs the audience and musicians and interferes with the sound system in the Concert Hall.  Please don't be offended if someone near you taps his or her ear to indicate that you are "whistling."  For your convenience, alternative assisted listening devices are available for all performances at GMU's Concert Hall.

During the concert
•  Enter and exit your seat only between selections.  If possible, wait until the audience is applauding before moving.  This is particularly important in our hall since there is no center aisle.
•  Don't talk or whisper during a performance.  Concert halls have excellent acoustics, and even a whisper can be heard a row or two away.

To applaud or not to applaud ... that is the question ...
•  Always clap for the soloists and the concertmaster.
•  It is customary to applaud when the conductor first comes out on the stage.  He or she will bow to acknowledge your applause and the concert will begin.
•  Some classical works are broken down into parts called "movements."  In between these movements the music will stop for a few seconds.  Wait until the conductor has dropped his hands and has turned around to acknowledge the audience before applauding.
•  Whistling, yelling, or otherwise congratulating the performers is generally not appropriate for classical music concerts.  If you think the performance deserving, standing ovations are greatly appreciated.