Attending Events

You’ve arrived, now what?

Read some of the frequently asked concert and event questions below. 

If you don’t find the answers, reach out to our friendly Box Office team via email at boxoffice@melbournerecital.com.au

Collecting tickets 

Our Box Office is open for ticket collection from one hour prior to ticketed events. Please bring your order confirmation, credit card and concession card/s with you. Only the credit card holder can collect tickets unless we’ve received approval from them in advance. 

If you opted to receive Digital Tickets, these can be loaded on your smart phone for scanning. If you can’t locate your tickets, get in touch via email or call us on 03 9699 3333.

We are a cashless venue 

Our foyer bars and Box Office only accept card payments. Please bring your card with you if you’d like to purchase food, beverages, tickets or merchandise during your visit. This allows us to serve you efficiently and keep our service costs low. There are no additional charges when paying by card at Melbourne Recital Centre.

Complimentary cloakroom 

Our complimentary cloakroom is located on ground floor and staffed for the duration of the concert. For the safety and comfort of audience members, please ensure items A3 and larger in size (this includes bags, backpacks, laptops, briefcases, umbrellas, instruments) are cloaked prior to entering the venue. If you are unsure if your item/s require cloaking, please ask a member of our friendly Front of House team.

What time do performances start? What happens if I am late? 

Please leave plenty of time for your arrival as performances at Melbourne Recital Centre commence at the advertised time on your ticket. We recommend arriving at least 25 minutes prior to the start time to ensure you have enough time to locate your seats and get comfortable.

Our spaces feature unique acoustics that support unamplified performances. This means that if you arrive late, you may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. For some events, this may not be until interval.

Is there a dress code? 

There is no formal dress code at Melbourne Recital Centre, although shoes must be worn at all times. If in doubt, smart casual is always a good choice.

I am attending a classical music concert. When do I applaud? 

For some concerts, there are no expectations on when to applaud. Performers greatly value the applause of an audience, and it is never unappreciated. However, for symphony and chamber music performances, there are some generally accepted conventions on when to do so. If in doubt, wait to see when the rest of the audience applauds and follow their lead.

Symphony: Just before the performance begins, all members of the Orchestra except the Concertmaster will be seated on stage. The Concertmaster is the violinist who sits in the first chair of the first row of the Orchestra. The audience will greet the Concertmaster with applause when he or she enters the stage. A few moments later, the Conductor will follow and the audience will applaud again. Should there be a soloist or soloists performing, they will enter with the Conductor and should also be applauded. Once the performance commences, you will notice that symphonic works are often composed of several movements or sections with short pauses between each movement. It is customary to sit quietly during these pauses and save your applause for the end of the final movement.

Chamber: Like symphonies, chamber music pieces are often made up of several movements with short pauses between each movement. Audience members are encouraged to hold their applause until the end of the piece. Melbourne Recital Centre provides free program sheets for each performance, available from stewards in the foyer, which will outline the movements for each piece.

Visiting with children or babies

We encourage children of all ages to learn and discover more about music by attending our events. We also encourage parents and guardians to be aware of their children’s behaviour whilst at the Centre and ensure that this doesn’t negatively impact on others enjoyment of an event. Our Box Office can provide further support and advise on age suitability for each event. Unless advised on an events webpage, every person must have a valid entry ticket, regardless of age.

A limited number of booster cushions are available from the cloakroom upon request for use within our building as long as they do not obstruct the view of people seated behind them.

Our COVID Safe Plan

Melbourne Recital Centre is operating under Guidelines provided by the Victorian Government and in accordance with our COVIDSafe Plan.

Before attending please take note of the following measures in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• It’s recommended that you wear a fitted face mask when visiting the Centre unless a valid medical exemption applies.
• Please maintain physical distancing where possible and follow Centre team members directions for your safety and the safety of others.

If you, or someone you have been in contact with, are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 please contact us to request a refund or exchange prior to the event. Click here to read our COVID Safe Plan.

Buy with Confidence at Melbourne Recital Centre

Due to the changing COVID-19 environment, concert dates and seating allocations may change. All tickets for postponed or cancelled concerts are fully refundable. If your circumstances change due to COVID-19, please contact our friendly Box Office team for more information and to discuss your options in more detail.