Plan Your Experience
Make the most of your evening with the CSO! Here are a few ideas and details to enhance your experience.
DINNER BEFORE THE CONCERT
There are several restaurants in the vicinity of Llewellyn Hall which cater for pre-concert dining.
When booking your table, please inform restaurant staff that you will be attending a CSO concert and need to finish in time. It is advisable to be seated at your table by 6:00pm to ensure you will be finished and at Llewellyn Hall by 7:20pm for the 7:30pm start of the concert.
We recommend:
TEATRO VIVALDI RESTAURANT
Union Square, ANU (next to the ANU Arts Centre Theatre)
Phone 02 6257 2718
Vivaldi Restaurant website
BOFFINS
University House, 1 Balmain Crescent Canberra
Phone 02 6125 5285
Boffins website
AFTER THE CONCERT
If you’re looking for a stylish place to enjoy wine, tapas and coffee after the concert, we recommend:
PARLOUR WINE ROOM
Diamant Hotel, 15 Edinburgh Street Canberra
Phone: 02 6162 3656
www.parlour.net.au
CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MUSIC BEING PLAYED?
Prior to our Llewellyn Series and Grand Gala concerts, a free pre-concert talk is given in Rehearsal Room 3, Llewellyn Hall beginning at 6:45pm on concert nights. Interesting and informative, pre-concerts talks are presented by Isobel Griffin and are a great way to understand the story and background behind the music you are about to hear in concert.
WHERE DO I PARK?
Limited parking is available around Llewellyn Hall free of charge. There are a few disability spaces in the carpark immediately adjacent to the Hall. There is also a multi-story carpark across Childers Street from the Hall and open parking across Ellery Crescent. When planning your arrival, keep in mind that CSO concerts are very popular, so it’s a good idea to allow for extra time to park.
WHAT DO I WEAR?
Never let your wardrobe keep you from a concert! Your experience of the music is what's important, so wear whatever makes you feel comfortable. You’ll see audience members in everything from sequins to jeans.
WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE?
It's a good idea to arrive at least 30 minutes before the concert begins. Then you will have plenty of time to collect your tickets at the box office if necessary, get seated in the Hall, read your concert program and relax as you prepare to immerse yourself in the music!
WHAT IF I'M LATE?
In consideration of our musicians and patrons, late seating will take place during the first appropriate pause in the program at the discretion of management. Certain programs are performed without intermission; in those cases, late seating may not be available at all. For the convenience of latecomers, the performance can be viewed and heard on monitors located in the Level 4 foyer.
WHAT DO I NEED TO REMEMBER?
Try to make a habit of always checking to be sure your phone or pager is turned off as soon as you take your seat in the Hall. Not only are ringtones annoying for other patrons and artists, it’s incredibly embarrassing when it’s your phone that’s going off during the concert!
WHEN DO I CLAP?
Although no special knowledge or experience is needed to enjoy an orchestral concert, certain practices have become customary: After the orchestra is seated, the first person to come on stage is the concertmaster, who is greeted with applause and who then initiates the tuning process. Next comes the conductor, who is again greeted with applause. Once the conductor has bowed and turned towards the orchestra, everyone becomes quiet so the music can begin.
Silence is the canvas on which music is experienced, so for maximum concentration and enjoyment, the audience should be as quiet as possible. In the sensitive acoustics of Llewellyn Hall, even the slightest noise can be a significant distraction. What would normally go unheard in daily life (whispering, humming, tapping, turning pages, etc.) is noticed by everyone around you. Of course, mobile phones and all other electronic devices must be silenced before the performance begins.
The tradition is to clap only at the very end of a piece, no matter how many individual movements there are. The purpose of waiting is to maintain an unbroken atmosphere so that the piece retains its unity and that any spell the music has cast remains unbroken. If you are worried about when to applaud, the safest course is to wait until the conductor has turned around to face the audience and everyone is clapping.
CAN I BRING MY CHILDREN?
Children should be at least 5 to attend a concert as they should be able to sit quietly through a concert without disturbing other patrons or the artists. Patrons of all ages must have a ticket to enter the concert hall and must sit in the seat indicated. If you have younger children, we encourage you to bring them to our annual Prom Concert which takes place within the grounds of Government House each February. This is a perfect afternoon event for families.