Attending a Concert

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra welcomes everyone to our concerts, from the most knowledgeable music lover to someone attending for the very first time.

Please do contact us if there is anything you wish to know. Our office hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
Phone 1300 782 856 or email subs@brandenburg.com.au 

MELBOURNE
Melbourne Recital Centre, 31 Sturt Street Melbourne

Accessibility
The Melbourne Recital Centre has wheelchair accessible seating in Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. The Box Office can assist you with selecting seats that best suit your needs. The safest place for drop off/pick up is the Sturt Street entrance. 

Public transport
Tram: Stop 16 is the closest, serviced by Routes 1, 3, 5, 6, 8,16, 64, 72. 

Bus: Melbourne Bus Link operates routes 216, 219 and 220 along Southbank Boulevard. For more on public transport visit www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au

Parking: Parking stations within walking distance from Melbourne Recital Centre: Australian Ballet Centre, 2 Kavanagh Street.  The Arts Centre, Corner of Sturt and Kavanagh Streets.

SYDNEY
City Recital Hall Angel Place, Angel Place Sydney

Accessibility
City Recital Hall’s Pitt Street entrance offers level access to the ground floor foyer and a disability access lift at the Ash Street entrance. City Recital Hall offers lift access to all floors, including to and from the Wilson Angel Place Car Park.

Public transport
Train: Wynyard and Martin Place stations are within walking distance of City Recital Hall.

Bus: City buses stop on George, Castlereagh or Elizabeth Streets, within walking distance of City Recital Hall.

Ferry: Circular Quay Ferry Terminal is a 10 minute walk from City Recital Hall. For more on public transport visit www.transportnsw.info

Parking
Secure Parking 109 Pitt Street is within a short walking distance of City Recital Hall. Wilson Angel Place Car Park is underneath City Recital Hall. Brandenburg subscribers are eligible for a Platinum card ($5 per card), entitling you to a discount rate when you park. Please call 1800 727 5464 for more information about obtaining a Platinum Card. 

What time to arrive 
Both the Melbourne Recital Centre and City Recital Hall Angel Place are open one hour prior to our concert start time. Some people like to arrive with time to read the concert program, enjoy a glass of champagne, catch up with friends and even make some new ones. It’s a great way to wind down from your day at work, rushing around or fighting with the traffic. We suggest you allow extra time if driving on a Friday night as traffic tends to be at its worst. 

Running late 
If you are running late, don’t worry! Although entry into the concert hall is restricted once the performance has begun, ushers will be able to let you in at a suitable break. This may be during the applause between pieces, or at interval. The venue ushers will be able to assist you.

Programs
One beautiful printed concert program is free to each subscriber and is available for sale to the general public for $10. The Brandenburg programs are full of well written background information and greatly enhance your concert experience. They are produced by the Brandenburg, so all proceeds from their sale go towards presenting the music you love. 

Mobile phones and other distractions 
For the benefit of our musicians and your fellow audience members, we kindly ask that you turn off all electronic devices before a performance begins. Other distractions can include talking and whispering, shuffling feet, coughing and paper rustling. Please respect the performers and those around you by ensuring these distractions are kept to a minimum. Photographing and recording is strictly prohibited at all times. 

What should I wear? 
Brandenburg concert-goers are varied and so is their attire. While some dress casually, others treat our performances as an opportunity to dress up. It is completely up to you!

When to applaud?
Just like jazz or pop concerts, orchestral concerts have a unique format which is easy to pick up. As a book has chapters, so a piece of orchestral music has several sections called movements. Although our musicians pause briefly between each movement, it’s accepted practice not to applaud but to wait until the end of a piece. At that time separate applause may be given to the soloist, which the conductor will indicate. To understand what’s going on, you can refer to your program to see how many movements there are in each piece or follow the cues from those around you.

Why does the orchestra re-tune?
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra performs on period instruments which are more fragile than their modern equivalents and sensitive to temperature and humidity. In particular, the gut strings are not as stable as the metal strings on modern instruments.  The materials and construction of period instruments contribute a great deal to their distinctive sound, but a consequence is that they tend to lose pitch quicker than their modern counterparts. For this reason the Brandenburg re-tunes during a concert more often than a modern symphony orchestra does. The musicians need to be able to hear their instruments and one another during the tuning process, so we ask you to remain quiet at this time.

What time will the concert finish? 
This varies from concert to concert, according to the program. The majority of our concerts are scheduled to last two hours with a 20 minute interval. If this is not the case, we will make this clear in the concert program and on our website.

Lose yourself in the music! 
Of course the most important thing of all is to immerse yourself in the experience and enjoy the music!