Symphony 101: Your Questions Answered

Do I have to wear a tuxedo or gown? We’re asked this a lot and the answer is NO! This is your experience – dress how you feel comfortable! Typical attire ranges from office casual to evening attire. We also suggest bring a light sweater, coat or wrap as concert venues can be chilly. For fan programs such as Harry Potter, Disney, Star Wars or tribute shows, costumes, cosplay and band shirts are encouraged.

The earlier the better! Give yourself enough time to park and pick up your tickets from will call if necessary. For most performances, lobby doors open one hour before the performance begins and seating begins half an hour prior to the first note. This gives you plenty of time to take advantage of lobby activities including step and repeats with photo booths or grab a drink from the bar. You are welcome to enjoy your beverage in your seat!

Please try to arrive on time. Arriving late not only impacts your concert experience but also is very disruptive those already seated. The ushers will have you wait until there is a break between pieces and you can be seated without disturbing other patrons.

The Phoenix Symphony primarily performs at Symphony Hall in Phoenix, AZ. However, the Symphony also performs in locations throughout Central Arizona, including the Orpheum Theatre, Mesa Arts Center, Madison Center for the Arts, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Camelback Bible Church, Central United Methodist Church, and more.

Tickets to The Phoenix Symphony generally start at $25-99 for most performances. Ticket prices vary depending on the performance, your seating preference and how close to the concert you buy your ticket. Our average ticket price is around $45.

No, but researching the program (especially for classical concerts) before the concert is a great way to get the most out of your concert experience. Wikipedia is a great resource to get the basics. We will email you the week of the performance with your ticket details along with some extra info about your concert. Once you’re here, the program book is a treasure trove of information about each piece of music and the musicians on stage.

Providing an exact runtime is difficult because each concert is a live and completely unique event, but our Classics, Pops and Special performances typically fall between 2 hour and 15 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20 minute intermission. Concerts featuring films vary depending on the film runtime.

Symphony Hall and Mesa Arts Center have seating available for those patrons requiring wheelchair access or with other special needs. Special access seating should be reserved in advance if at all possible. Call our Patron Services team at 602-495-1999 for details and seat availability.

Children 5 years of age and older are welcome at all performances with a purchased ticket, though some children find it difficult to sit still for the length of a full performance. Interested in bringing your child? See this how-to guide!

All ticket sales are final, and no refunds will be issued for tickets. However, we gladly offer free ticket exchanges for our Subscribers (subject to conditions and availability). Single ticket buyers may exchange tickets with payment of $8 exchange fee per ticket. Please note that all ticket exchanges are limited to the current season; tickets for a performance in this year’s season may not be exchanged for tickets to a performance in a future season. Exchanges must be completed at least 1 business day before the scheduled performance.

Exchanges and donations may be made in person at The Phoenix Symphony Box Office or tickets may be cut in half and faxed with payment information to 602-241-5347 or mailed to One North First Street, Suite 200, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Tickets may be exchanged for higher-priced seating by paying the difference in cost. No refunds are given for the difference when the only available tickets are lower-priced. Tickets must be exchanged only through The Phoenix Symphony Box Office. Unused tickets to past concerts cannot be exchanged, donated or refunded.

Some Phoenix Symphony venues do have restrictions or rules about bags. The following policies are currently in place:

Symphony Hall and Orpheum Theatre:                                                                                                                                                                                             

Effective at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, you may use the following bags:

• Bags up to 8.5” x 5.5” (increased from 6.5” x 4.5”)
• CLEAR bags up to 12” x 6” x 12”
• Medical Bags
• Diaper Bags

Questions? VISIT: https://www.pccticketing.com/know-before-you-go/#downtownphoenix 

Mesa Arts Center:                                                     

• Clear Plastic, Vinyl, or PVC Bags (Max Size 12” x 6” x 12”)
• Small Bag/Clutch Approximately the size of a Folded Piece of Letter Paper (Max Size 8.5” x 5.5”)
• Diaper bags
• Oversized medically necessary items
• Equipment of media outlets by Mesa Arts Center Staff

Madison Center for the Arts:
Bags smaller than 12 inches by 12 inches are allowed. Bags may be randomly searched. Bags that appear larger than 12”x12” will not be allowed in the theater. If you have questions about bag restrictions and policies, feel free to e-mail us at [email protected].